HO, JULY 17, 2015(CISA)-Pope Francis has appointed Fr Emmanuel Fianu, a member of the Divine Word Missionaries (S.V.D) as the new bishop of the Catholic diocese of Ho in the Volta Region of Ghana.
Until his appointment Tuesday 14, the bishop-elect was serving as the Secretary General of the Council of the Divine Word Fathers (SVD) in Rome, Vatican Radio reported.
Fr Fianu has served as a priest for 30 years. He was assigned as an Assistant Parish Priest at the St Joseph Catholic Church, Kante, Togo, where he did his pastoral work, and was a teacher of Religion, Social Ethics and English at the College d’Enseignement General in Kante.
Since ordination, Fr Fianu served as the Admonitor of the SVD District in Lome between 1994 and 1996, Professor of Biblical Studies at St Jean Paul II Seminaire and at the Institut St Paul in Lome and Secretary of the Commission for the liturgical publications Ghana-Togo.
He was the Rector of the College of the Divine Word in Rome from 2000-2004.
Since 2006, Rev. Fr Fianu has been the Secretary of the General Council of his congregation.
The Diocese of Ho has 200,670 Catholics.
There are 28 parishes, 82 priests (78 diocesan and four religious), 11 religious brothers, 81 nuns and 19 seminarians.
Fr Fianu succeeds Bishop Emeritus Francis Anani Kofi Lodonu who retired due to age limit. The bishop will turn 78 in November 19.
According to the Code of Canon Law, bishops should submit their resignation to the Successor of Peter when they reach 75 years but the Pope can ask them to stay on if there is a need.
