Pope Erects New Diocese in Nigeria, Makes Administrative Changes in Burkinabe Archdiocese

Born in January 1971 in Zamfara State, Mons. Musa attended St. Thomas Aquinas Major Seminary in Makurdi and St. Augustine’s Major Seminary in Jos. The member of Sokoto Catholic Diocese was ordained a Priest in June 1996.

He holds a Master’s degree in Dogmatic Theology from the Pontifical University of St Thomas Aquinas “Angelicum” in Rome, a Licentiate in social sciences, specializing in communication, from the Rome-based Pontifical Gregorian University, and a Doctorate in communications studies from the School of Journalism and Communication of the University of Queensland in Santa Lucia, Brisbane, Australia.

Mons. Musa has served as Vicar of the administrator of the Holy Family Cathedral of Sokoto Diocese, Diocesan Secretary at the Diocesan Chancery of Sokoto, Secretary of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Sokoto State, Exco member of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC), and Parish Priest, among other responsibilities.  

Meanwhile, in administrative changes in the West African nation of Burkina Faso, the Holy Father has accepted the retirement of the 78-year-old Cardinal, who has been at the helm of Ouagadougou Archdiocese since May 2009.

He was elevated to Cardinal during the Consistory of 22 February 2014. 

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Cardinal Ouédraogo was elected President of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) during 19-29 July 2019 Plenary Assembly that was held in Kampala under the theme, “That they may know Christ and have life in abundance.”

Ministering in a country that faces serious security challenges especially from Islamists militants who often target places of worship, the Burkinabe Cardinal has been very vocal in condemning these acts of violence against the suffering population. He proposed interreligious dialogue as a vital solution to terrorism in the Sahel region.

Cardinal Ouédraogo is a member of Dicastries for the Evangelization; and for Divine Worship, and the Discipline of the Sacraments; and for interreligious dialogue. 

He is being succeeded by 51-year-old Bishop Kontiebo, the member of the Order of the Ministers of the Sick (M.I.), popularly known as the Camillians, who started his Episcopal in June 2012 as the Bishop of Tenkodogo Diocese.

Born in September 1960, Bishop Kontiebo was ordained a Camillian Priest in July 1990.

Once he is installed, the Archbishop-elect will serve as the third Local Ordinary of the 9,600 square kilometer Archdiocese with a population of 1,078,700 Catholics according to 2021 statistics. the Archdiocese erected in July 1921.

Magdalene Kahiu is a Kenyan journalist with passion in Church communication. She holds a Degree in Social Communications from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA). Currently, she works as a journalist for ACI Africa.