New Archbishop in Angola Appointed, Rwandan Cardinal Named Member to Holy See Entity

“At the same time we wish to rejoice with the faithful in Malanje who have now received a shepherd after the passing away of Archbishop Roberto,” IMBISA members further say in their September 29 message.

Archbishop-elect Kiala led the Angolan delegation to the 52nd International Eucharistic Congress from September 5-12 in Budapest, Hungary.

Sharing his experience about the global event, the 57-year-old Angolan Prelate said the Eucharistic Congress was “an occasion for Catholics to strengthen their faith and share hope, life and joy with those who draw strength from the Eucharist.”

“By participating in the Eucharist, the faith of believers is confirmed, Christian identity is rebuilt, and communion with Christ and with brothers and sisters is deepened,” he said, and added, “Christians can bear witness to the truth before the world with their heads held high, with courageous serenity, charity and humility according to Christ’s example.”

Commenting on the topic, “Inculturation of the faith”, the Archbishop-elect recalled, “Questions such as, how does Africa face the Eucharistic celebration were discussed.”

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He noted that the African continent has its own profound and unique way of reverence to the Holy Eucharist.

Archbishop-elect Kiala expressed the hope that the International Eucharistic Congress would one day be held in Africa.

Meanwhile, Pope Francis has appointed the Archbishop of Rwanda’s Kigali Archdiocese a member of the Vatican’s Congregation for Catholic Education.

A native of Nyamata in Rwanda’s Archdiocese of Kigali, Cardinal Kambanda was ordained a Priest on 8 September 1990 by St. John Paul II at Mbare, Kigali Archdiocese during the Pontiff’s visit to Rwanda.

The Cardinal who previously studied in Burundi, Uganda and Kenya was appointed Bishop of Rwanda’s Kibungo Diocese in 2013 where he served until his appointment as Archbishop of Kigali in 2018. His episcopal motto is “Ut vitam habeant’’ (That They May Have Life).

Cardinal Kambanda is currently the Vice President of the Episcopal Conference of Rwanda (CEPR) and doubles as the Chairman of the Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace (CEJP). He is also the Chairman of the Rwanda Interfaith Council on Health (RICH).

Last year, the Rwandan Prelate was made Cardinal alongside 12 others during a consistory on 28 November 2020, making him the first ever Cardinal in the landlocked nation in the Great Rift Valley located at the convergence between African Great Lakes region and East Africa.

In December 2020, Cardinal Kambanda was appointed to the Vatican's Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (CEP), whose members are responsible for coordinating the church’s missionary work.

The Cardinal who will turn 63 in November is noted for his efforts in reconciliation, peace and justice in Rwanda, a country still recovering from the 1994 genocide.

Other Catholic Church leaders appointed alongside Cardinal Kambanda to the Holy See’s Congregation for Catholic Education include Louis Cardinal  Raphaël Sako, Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans, Iraq;  Carlos Cardinal Aguiar Retes, Archbishop of México, Mexico;  Jean-Claude Cardinal  Hollerich, Archbishop of Luxembourg; Celestino Cardinal Aós Braco, Archbishop of Santiago de Chile, Chile; Archbishop Stanisław Budzik of Lublin, Poland; Bishop Brendan Leahy of Limerick, Ireland; and Bishop Valerio Lazzeri of Lugano, Switzerland.

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Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.