Resignation and appointment of bishop of Barinas, Venezuela
Consecration of coadjutor bishop of Bameng, China
Appointment of bishop of Kabinda, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Appointment of bishop of Ossory, Ireland
Resignation and appointment of bishop of Barinas, Venezuela
The Holy Father has accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Barinas, Venezuela, presented by Bishop Jesús Alfonso Guerrero Contreras, O.F.M. Cap.
The Holy Father has appointed Bishop Juan de Dios Peña Rojas, until now bishop of El Vigía-San Carlos del Zulia, as bishop of Barinas, Venezuela.
Curriculum vitae
Bishop Juan de Dios Peña Rojas was born on 8 August 1967 in Acequias, metropolitan archdiocese of Mérida. After studying philosophy and theology at the Seminario San Buenaventura of Mérida, he was awarded a licentiate in theology from the Santa Rosa de Lima University Institute in Caracas, and in Church history from the Pontifical Gregorian University of Rome.
He was ordained a priest on 22 August 1992, and incardinated into the metropolitan archdiocese of Mérida.
He was appointed bishop of El Vigía-San Carlos del Zulia on 17 April 2015, receiving episcopal ordination the following 4 July.
Within the Venezuelan Episcopal Conference, he is a member of the Youth Commission and the Commission for Catechesis and Biblical Pastoral Ministry.
Consecration of coadjutor bishop of Bameng, China
Today, Wednesday 29 July 2026, the episcopal ordination of the Reverend Francis Xavier Duan Yongkun took place. On 15 June 2026, the Holy Father appointed him coadjutor bishop of Bameng (Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China), having approved his candidacy within the framework of the Provisional Agreement between the Holy See and the People’s Republic of China.
Curriculum vitae
The Reverend Francis Xavier Duan Yongkun was born on 6 December 1980 in Hangjin Houqi, Inner Mongolia. From 2000 to 2007 he attended the Hebei Theological Seminary. From 2008 to 2013, he studied at Peking University and Beijing Foreign Studies University. Meanwhile, on 1 January 2011, he was ordained a priest for the diocese of Bameng. From 2013 to 2016, he continued his studies at Fujen Catholic University in Taiwan. Upon returning to his circumscription, he served as director of the local formation centre from 2016 to 2020. He was subsequently appointed vicar general of the diocese of Bameng and parish priest of the diocesan cathedral.
Appointment of bishop of Kabinda, Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Holy Father has appointed the Reverend Eustache Ntamwe Makoyo, of the clergy of the diocese of Kabinda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, until now rector of the Saint Charles Borromée Preparatory Seminary in Kabinda, as bishop of the same diocese of Kabinda.
Curriculum vitae
Bishop Eustache Ntambwe Makoyo was born on 14 February 1974 in Musoshi, Democratic Republic of the Congo. He studied philosophy at the Saint Paul VI Seminary of Kabinda and theology at the Christ the King Seminary in Kananga.
He was ordained a priest on 28 August 2005, and incardinated into the diocese of Kabinda.
After ordination, he first held the roles of vice rector (2005-2006) of the Saint Charles Borromée Preparatory Seminary in Kabinda, spiritual director of the Saint Pius X Minor Seminary, and president of the diocesan commission for the liturgy (2006-2011). He was awarded a bachelor’s degree in musicology (2019) and a licentiate in vocal pedagogy (2021) from the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music in Rome; a master’s degree in liturgical music from the Pontifical Institute of Liturgy of Saint Anselm in Rome (2021); and a doctorate in music and performing arts, specializing in ethnomusicology, at the University of Tor Vergata in Rome (2025). He went on to serve as pastoral assistant at the Tre Arcangeli Pastoral Community in Livorno (2021–2025), and since 2025, rector of the Saint Charles Borromée Preparatory Seminary in Kabinda.
Appointment of bishop of Ossory, Ireland
The Holy Father has appointed Bishop Gerard Nash of Ferns as bishop of Ossory, Ireland, uniting the two dioceses in persona Episcopi.
