Resignation of bishop of Myitkyina, Myanmar
Appointment of bishop of Araçuaí, Brazil
Appointment of bishop of Kindu, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Appointment of bishop of Wau, South Sudan
Appointment of bishop of Pécs, Hungary
Resignation of bishop of Myitkyina, Myanmar
The Holy Father Francis has accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Myitkyina, Myanmar, presented by Bishop Francis Daw Tang.
Appointment of bishop of Araçuaí, Brazil
The Holy Father has appointed as Bishop Esmeraldo Barreto de Farias as bishop of the diocese of Araçuaí, Brazil, transferring him from the titular see of Summula and the office of auxiliary of the metropolitan archdiocese of São Luís do Maranhão.
Curriculum vitae
Bishop Esmeraldo Barreto de Farias was born on 4 July 1949 in Santo Antônio de Jesus, diocese of Amargosa, in the State of Bahia. He studied philosophy at the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais and theology at the Institute of Theology of the Catholic University of São Salvador da Bahia. He is a member of the Prado Institute.
He was ordained a priest on 9 January 1977.
He has held the following roles: parish vicar in various parishes; coordinator of rural pastoral ministry; spiritual director of the major seminary of Amargosa; national coordinator of the Priests of Prado; and diocesan administrator of Amargosa.
On 22 March 2000 he was appointed as bishop of Paulo Afonso and received episcopal ordination the following 11 June. On 28 February 2007 he was appointed to the diocese of Santarém and on 30 November 2011 he was appointed as metropolitan archbishop of Porto Velho. On 18 March 2015 he was transferred to the office of auxiliary of the metropolitan archdiocese of São Luís do Maranhão, and assigned the titular see of Summula.
Within the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil he has served as member of the permanent council and president of the Episcopal Commission for Ordained Ministers and Consecrated Life (2007-2011).
Appointment of bishop of Kindu, Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Holy Father has appointed as bishop of the diocese of Kindu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Reverend François Abeli Muhoya Mutchapa, of the clergy of Kindu, currently in pastoral service in the parishes of Santa Maria and San Mauro of the diocese of Tivoli, Italy.
Curriculum vitae
Msgr. François Abeli Muhoya Mutchapa was born on 9 February 1974 in Kindu. After primary and secondary school, he entered the Petit Séminaire Notre-Dame des Apôtres in Kindu (1987-1991), and subsequently attended the preparatory year in the diocese of Kasongo (1991-1992). From 1992 to 1995 he studied philosophy in the Grand Séminaire Mgr. Cleire in Kasongo and, from 1999 to 2000, he studied theology in the Grand Séminaire de Murhesa Saint Pie X, Bukavu.
He was ordained a priest on 6 January 2002 for the diocese of Kindu.
Since priestly ordination he has held the following roles: parish vicar of the Saint-Esprit parish in Kindu (2002-2003); director of Diocesan Caritas in Kindu and formator at the Petit Séminaire Notre-Dame des Apôtres in Kindu (2002-2008); Sunday vicar in the Saint-Esprit parish (2003-2006) and in the Bienheureuse Anuarite parish in Kindu (2006-2012); coordinator of Caritas-Développement-Kindu (2008-2009); member of the Commission for Economic Affairs of the diocese (2009-2012); and assistant to the second deputy secretary of Caritas-Développement Congo (2012-2013). He then studied at the Pontifical Gregorian University where he was awarded a licentiate and doctorate in history and cultural heritage of the Church (2013-2020), while carrying out his pastoral service in the diocese of Tivoli as a collaborator in the parishes of Santa Maria and San Mauro (2016-2020).
Appointment of bishop of Wau, South Sudan
The Holy Father has appointed as bishop of the diocese of Wau, South Sudan, the Reverend Fr. Matthew Remijio Adam Gbitiku, M.C.C.J., until now vice rector and bursar of the International Theologate of the Cambodian Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus in Nairobi, Kenya.
Curriculum vitae
Msgr. Matthew Remijio Adam Gbitiku, M.C.C.J., was born on 5 May 1972 in Mboro, diocese of Wau. He attended the minor seminary of Bussere in Wau (1984 to 1986) and secondary school in Wengiball (1986-1989). He completed his postulancy with the Comboni Missionaries. For his studies in philosophy, he attended the Saint Paul Interdiocesan Major Seminary in Khartoum, Sudan (1995-1997) and later completed his novitiate in Kampala, Uganda (1997-1999). He obtained a bachelor’s degree in theology at the Instituto Superior de Estudios Teologicos Juan XXIII-ISET in Lima (Peru). He received priestly ordination on 3 October 2004 for the Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus (M.C.C.J).
After ordination he held the following roles: parish vicar of Masalma, in Omdurma, Khartoum, then becoming parish priest, spiritual director of the Legionaries of Mary of the archdiocese of Khartoum and advisor of the Rongo Group Association (2004-2008). From 20’08 to 2010 he studied for a licentiate in spiritual theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. In addition, he has served as director of priestly vocations and member of the group of vocational animators of the archdiocese of Khartoum (2010-2012); spiritual director of the Saint Paul Interdiocesan Major Seminary in Khartoum (2012-2013); vicar general of the archdiocese of Khartoum (2013-2017) and, from 2017 to the present, vice rector and bursar of the International Theologate of Combonian Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus in Nairobi, Kenya.
Appointment of bishop of Pécs, Hungary
The Holy Father has appointed as bishop of Pécs, Hungary, the Reverend Msgr. László Felföldi, of the clergy of the diocese of Debrecen-Nyíregyháza, until now vicar general.
Curriculum vitae
Msgr. László Felföldi was born on 4 February 1961 in Geszteréd. After primary school in Geszteréd, he attended the lyceum of the Piarist Fathers in Kecskemét (1975-1979) and studied electromechanics in Nyíregyháza (1979-1981). He completed his philosophical-theological studies at the Eger Seminary (1981-1986).
He was ordained a priest on 21 June 1986, and incardinated in the metropolitan archdiocese of Eger, where he was deputy parish priest in Újfehértó (1986-1988) and in Eger (1988-1990).
After the erection of the diocese of Debrecen-Nyíregyháza in 1993 he was incardinated in the new diocese, where he held the following positions: vicar in Nyíregyháza (1990-1996); special secretary to the bishop (1996-1998); vice-chancellor of the diocese (1998-2009); parish priest in Debrecen-Megtestesülés (2003-2017); vicar for diocesan pastoral care (2003-2015); and archpriest of the deanery of Debrecen (2008-2017).
Since 2015 he has held the office of vicar general of the diocese of Debrecen-Nyíregyháza, and since 2017 he has served as director of the diocesan Institute for Pastoral Care, coordinator of the pastoral care of catechists and the group of acolytes, and pastor of the co-cathedral of Nyíregyháza-Magyarok Nagyasszonya.
Since 2000 he has been chaplain of His Holiness and since 2011 he has been the titular Provost. In 2013 he was awarded the Pro Urbe prize by the civil authorities of Debrecen, and in 2016 he received the title of citizen of honour of his home village.
