Erection of the diocese of Caia, Mozambique, and appointment of first bishop
Resignation and appointment of bishop of Jasikan, Ghana
Erection of the diocese of Caia, Mozambique, and appointment of first bishop
The Holy Father has created the diocese of Caia, Mozambique, with territory taken from the metropolitan archdiocese of Beira and the dioceses of Chimoio, Quelimane and Tete, making it a suffragan of the metropolitan archdiocese of Beira.
The Holy Father has appointed Bishop António Manuel Bogaio Constantino, M.C.C.J., until now auxiliary of Beira, as first bishop of the diocese of Caia, Mozambique.
Curriculum vitae
Bishop António Manuel Bogaio Constantino, M.C.C.J., was born on 9 November 1969 in Beira, in the metropolitan archdiocese of the same name. After completing his prepostulantate with the Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus in Nampula, and attending the Seminário Filosófico de Santo Agostinho in Matola, he carried out his novitiate in Uganda. He was awarded a bachelor’s degree in theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University of Rome.
He was ordained a priest on 13 June 2001 in Beira, Mozambique.
After ordination, he was awarded a degree in journalism and a licentiate in integral communication from the Universidad Francisco de Vitoria in Spain. He held the offices of director of the Vida Nova journal of the Catechetic Centre of Anchilo and parish priest of Monapo, Mozambique (2008-2011); parish priest of Chitima and Mucumbura (2012-2016); archpriest of the vicariate forane of Songo (2012-2016); diocesan official for catechesis and deputy director of the Secretariat for Pastoral Care for the diocese of Tete, Mozambique (2012-2016); provincial superior of the Comboni Missionaries in Mozambique (2017-2022); president of the Conference of Religious in Mozambique (CIRMO) (2019-2022).
On 13 December 2022 he was elected to the titular see of Sutunurca and appointed auxiliary bishop of the metropolitan archdiocese of Beira, receiving episcopal ordination the following 19 February.
Statistical data
The territory of the new diocese of Caia (Dioecesis Caiana) is made up of the following civil districts: Caia, Chemba, Cheringoma, Chinde, Doa, Luabo, Maringue, Marromeu, Mopeia, Morrumbala, Mutarara and Tambara.
The new ecclesiastical circumscription is a suffragan of the archdiocese of Beira. The see of the diocese is the city of Caia. The parish church dedicated to São Mateus Apóstolo will become the Cathedral Church of the new diocese.
The following are the statistical data regarding both the mother dioceses (Beira, Chimoio, Quelimane and Tete) after dismemberment, and the newly-erected diocese of Caia:
|
The dioceses after division
|
BEIRA
|
CHIMOIO
|
QUELIMANE
|
TETE
|
CAIA
|
Area
|
41,437 km2
|
57,989 km2
|
40,450 km2
|
94,367 km2
|
54,569 km2
|
Population
|
1,951,119
|
2,204,868
|
2,686,727
|
1,858,539
|
1,603,063
|
Catholics
|
185,230
|
89,702
|
1,263,520
|
321,665
|
153,149
|
Parishes
|
38
|
20
|
25
|
26
|
16
|
Diocesan priests
|
41
|
20
|
53
|
19
|
15
|
Religious priests
|
28
|
31
|
20
|
47
|
8
|
Men religious
|
32
|
7
|
7
|
10
|
-
|
Women religious
|
85
|
53
|
95
|
60
|
17
|
Seminarians
|
30
|
29
|
44
|
40
|
18
|
Resignation and appointment of bishop of Jasikan, Ghana
The Holy Father has accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Jasikan, Ghana, presented by Bishop Gabriel Akwasi Ababio Mante.
The Holy Father has appointed the Reverend Simon Kofi Appiah, until now lecturer in the department of Religion and Human Values of the University of Cape Coast, as bishop of Jasikan, Ghana.
Curriculum vitae
Msgr. Simon Kofi Appiah was born on 1 July 1964 in Teteman, Ghana. He carried out his studies in philosophy and theology at Saint Peter’s Regional Seminary in Pedu, Cape Coast, Ghana.
He was ordained a priest for the then-diocese of Keta Ho on 21 July 1990. At the time of the creation of the new diocese of Jasikan, in 1994, he was incardinated in the same see.
After ordination, he first served as parish vicar at the communities of Kpedze, Vakpo and Kadjebi (1990-1995). After his studies at the Universität Tübingen in Germany (1995-2001), he was awarded a doctorate in theological ethics; a postgraduate diploma in psychology from the University of London; and a diploma in teaching higher education from the Catholic University of Eastern Aftrica in Nairobi, Kenya. He went on to serve as formator at the Saint Patrick Formation House (1999-2001); diocesan chancellor and director of the diocesan Office for the Pastoral Care of Vocations (2001-2003); and pastoral collaborator in the parish of Kadjebi (2003-2011).
Since 2011 he has held the role of lecturer in the Department of Religion and Human Values of the University of Cape Coast and in the major seminary of Pedu.
