The appointment of the new Archbishop-elect comes at a time when the Prelates in the fifth largest oil producer in Africa are meeting in their March 10-15, 2020 extraordinary session around the question of Catholic Education in Gabon, relations with the State and the functioning of denominational establishments in Gabon.
Bishops in the country with 42 percent Catholic population have been facing accusations of remaining silent amid kidnappings and ritual killings, claims that the President of the Bishops' Conference of Gabon, Bishop Mathieu Madega Lebouakehan dismissed.
Erected in January 1842 as an Apostolic Prefecture, Libreville was elevated to a diocese in September 1955 and to an archdiocese in December 1958.
The Central African nation of Gabon has 6 dioceses: the Vicariate Apostolic of Makokou and the Archdiocese of Libreville, which has four suffragan dioceses namely: Franceville, Mouila, Oyem, and Port-Gentil.
The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Libreville measures 39,275 square kilometres, and has 553,000 Catholics according to 2017 statistics.
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