Pope Francis has appointed Bishop Timothée Bodika Mansiyai, auxiliary of the archdiocese of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, as bishop of Kikwit.
He succeeds Bishop Edouard Mununu Kasiala, who is 80.
Timothée Bodika Mansiyai was born in 1962 in Kinshasa and ordained for that archdiocese in 1990. In 2012 he was named auxiliary bishop of the same archdiocese.
The Diocese of Kikwit has a population of some 5.1 million with more than 2.6 million Catholics. They are served by a mere 170 priests and about 525 religious.
Chaldeans
The Pope also appointed Bishop Saad Sirop, auxiliary of Baghdad of the Chaldeans, as apostolic visitator for Chaldean faithful in Europe. He succeeds Archbishop Ramzi Garmou of Tehran of the Chaldeans, whose resignation from the same office was accepted by the Holy Father.
