Pope Francis has named Fr. Martin Waïngue Bani as bishop of Doba, Chad, and Dominican Father Richard Appear as the coadjutor of Bambari, Central African Republic.
The Chad Diocese has a population of about a half million, with close to 100,000 Catholics. They are served by around two dozen priests and about 60 religious.
Martin Waïngue Bani was born in 1963 in Laï, Chad, and was ordained a priest in 1991. He studied philosophy at the St. Augustin Provincial Major Seminary of Maroua-Mokolo, Cameroon, and theology in the St. Luc National Major Seminary in Bakara, N’Djaména. He continued his studies at the Pontifical Urbanian University, Rome, where he obtained a licentiate and doctorate in dogmatic theology.
He is currently vicar general of the diocese of Laï.
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The Diocese of Bambari has a population of around 450,000 with about 110,000 Catholics. They are served by some two dozen priests and a dozen religious.
Richard Appora was born in 1972 in Bangui, Central African Republic, gave his religious vows in 2001, and was ordained a priest in 2004. He studied at the Catholic University of Western Africa (UCAO) in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Catholic University of the Congo (UCC) in Cameroon, the Catholic University of Central Africa (UCAC) and in Congo-Brazzaville, at the Free University of the Congo.
He holds an advanced diploma in civil law and a licentiate in moral theology and in philosophy. He has served as university chaplain and parish vicar, head of studies in the vicariate of the Dominican Fathers in Central Africa, lecturer in fundamental moral theology at the Ecole Cathédrale de Théologie in Douala; university chaplain and lecturer at the major seminary of Brazzaville and member of the team of formators for the inter-novitiate. He is currently superior of the community of Dominican Fathers in Bangui, spiritual director of the St. Marc Major Seminary of Bangui, and president of the Conference of Major Superiors of Central Africa.
Bishop Edouard Mathos of Bambari is 68.
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The Holy Father also has accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the archdiocese of Khartoum, Sudan, presented by Cardinal Gabriel Zubeir Wako. He is succeeded by Bishop Michael Didi Adgum Mangoria, co-adjutor of the same archdiocese.
