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Vicar General of Madagascar’s Morondava Diocese Appointed Bishop of Ambanja Diocese

Mons. Donatien Francis Randriamalala, appointed Bishop of Ambanja Diocese in Madagascar on 11 November 2022. Credit: Courtesy Photo

Pope Francis has appointed Mons. Donatien Francis Randriamalala, currently the Vicar General of Madagascar's Morondava Diocese, as the Local Ordinary of Ambanja Episcopal See in the Indian Ocean Island nation.

The appointment of the member of the Congregation of the Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette (Salettiani) as the Bishop of the Malagasy Diocese was published by the Holy See Press Office on Friday, November 11.

Ambanja Diocese has been vacant since July 2019 when Bishop Rosario Saro Vella was transferred to Moramanga Diocese.

Mons. Randriamalala, a native of Antsirabé Diocese where he was born in January 1971, was admitted to the Salettiani in 1992.

From 1993 to 1995 he completed his postulancy and novitiate and then attended the St. Paul the Apostle Major Seminary in Antsirabé for his philosophical studies.

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The Bishop-elect made his perpetual vows in the Religious Order in September 2000, and joined Saint Thérèse de l'Enfant-Jésus Major Seminary in Antananarivo for his theological studies.

In 2010, he obtained a licentiate in theology, with a specialization in Youth Ministry from the Rome-based Pontifical Salesian University.

As a Priest, Mons. Randriamalala has served in various capacities, including Head of the missionary district of Avaradrano in the Diocese of Morondava; and Director of the Diocesan Radio.

Once ordained Bishop, Mons. Randriamalala will be at the helm of the Malagasy Diocese that has a population of 166,950 Catholics, according to 2020 statistics

The 34,083 square-kilometer Catholic Diocese of Ambanja was erected in September 1848 as the Prefecture Apostolic of Isole di Mayotta, Nossi-Bé e Comore.

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It was elevated to a Prefecture Apostolic of Isole di Mayotta in June 1938 before it became the Vicariate Apostolic of Ambanja in March 1951.

The Episcopal See that is part of the Ecclesiastical Province of Antsiranana was elevated to a Diocese in September 1955.

Silas Mwale Isenjia is a Kenyan journalist with a great zeal and interest for Catholic Church related communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communication from Moi University in Kenya. Silas has vast experience in the Media production industry. He currently works as a Journalist for ACI Africa.