Pope Francis Appoints Bishop for Kenya’s Maralal Diocese, Apostolic Nuncio to Sierra Leone

The 65-year-old Bishop-elect holds a licentiate in pastoral theology from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) and has been pursuing a doctorate in pastoral theology at the Nairobi-based institution that is owned by the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA). 

As a Priest, Mons. Joya has also served as Diocesan Pastoral Coordinator and Director of Blessed Joseph Allamano Pastoral Centre in the Diocese of Maralal, and Vice Superior of the Consolata Missionaries in the Kenya-Uganda Region.

Once installed, the native of Kenya’s Bungoma Diocese is expected to serve as the second Local Ordinary of the 20,809 square kilometer Catholic Diocese with an estimated population of 83,760 Catholics, according to 2020 statistics.

Meanwhile, Mons. Erbì who, on July 16, was appointed Apostolic Nuncio in Liberia, is to represent the Holy Father in Sierra Leone as well. 

Sierra Leone has been without an Apostolic Nuncio since May 2022 when the Holy Father transferred Archbishop Dagoberto Campos Salas to Panama.

The Italian-born Mons. Erbì was ordained a Priest for Italy’s Iglesias Diocese on 10 May 1992.

The graduate in Canon Law who speaks Italian, French, Spanish, and English entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See on 1 April 2001.

Since then, Archbishop-elect Erbì has served in various Apostolic Nunciatures, including Greece, Mexico, Belgium, Italy, Australia, France, and Turkey.