Resignation and appointment of bishop of Nouakchott, Mauritania

Erection of the diocese of Canindeyú, Paraguay, and appointment of first bishop

Appointment of ordinary member of the Pontifical Academy for Life

Resignation and appointment of bishop of Nouakchott, Mauritania

The Holy Father has accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Nouakchott, Mauritania, presented by Bishop Martin Happe, M.Afr.

The Holy Father has appointed the Reverend Victor Ndione, until now vicar general of the diocese of Nouakchott, Mauritania, as bishop of the aforementioned ecclesiastical circumscription.

Curriculum vitae

Msgr. Victor Ndione was born on 1 April 1973 in Thiès, Senegal. After attending school in Thiès and then in Fatick, he studied philosophy in the major seminary of Brin in Ziguinchor, and theology in the major seminary of Sebikhotane in Dakar.

He was ordained a priest on 7 July 2001 for the diocese of Thiès.

After ordination, he first served as parish vicar of Saint Joseph of Ndondol (2001-2003), and fidei donum of the diocese of Nouakchott, becoming the first priest to be incardinated in Nouakchott, on 19 March 2014 (2003-2014). He studied at the Institute of Islamic-Christian Formation in Bamako, Mali (2014-2015) and was awarded a licentiate from the Pontifical Institute of Arabic and Islamic Studies in Rome (2016-2018). Since 2018 he has held the role of vicar general and head of permanent formation in the diocese of Nouakchott.

Erection of the diocese of Canindeyú, Paraguay, and appointment of first bishop

The Holy Father has erected the diocese of Canindeyú, Paraguay, with territory taken from the diocese of Ciudad del Este, making it a suffragan of the metropolitan Church of Asunción.

The Holy Father has appointed the Reverend Roberto Carlos Zacarías López, currently vicar general of Ciudad del Este, as first bishop of Canindeyú, Paraguay.

Curriculum vitae

Msgr. Roberto Carlos Zacarías López was born in Caazapá on 7 February 1972. He carried out his theological studies at the Universidad Católica Nuestra Señora de la Asunción and obtained a licentiate in pastoral theology at the Catholic University of Buenos Aires, a licentiate in dogmatic theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, and a doctorate in dogmatic theology at the Catholic University of Buenos Aires. He was ordained a priest for Ciudad del Este on 11 April 1999.

He has held the following offices: secretary chancellor (2000-2002), formator of the National Major Seminary (2003-2004), adjunct secretary general of the Episcopal Conference of Paraguay (2005-2008), parish priest of Virgen Aparecida de los Cedrales and director of the Department of Theology of the Catholic University in Alto Paraná (2009-2011), fidei donum priest of the diocese of Carapeguá (2011-2014), spiritual director of the National Major Seminary (2014-2016), rector of the diocesan Major Seminary of Ciudad del Este (2017-2018) and vicar general since 2019.

Statistical data

The territory of the diocese of Ciudad del Este, after dismemberment, is made up of all the municipalities of the civil Department of Alto Paraná. The territory of the new diocese of Canindeyú is composed of all the municipalities of the civil Department of Canindeyú.

1. The following are the statistical data of the diocese of Ciudad del Este, after dismemberment:

2. The following are the statistical data of the new diocese of Canindeyú:

Appointment of ordinary member of the Pontifical Academy for Life

The Holy Father has appointed the Distinguished Professor Katalin Karikó, lecturer at the University of Szeged, Hungary, as ordinary member of the Pontifical Academy for Life.