AFRICA/TANZANIA - Erection of the Diocese of Ifakara and appointment of the first Bishop

Saturday, 14 January 2012

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - On January 14, 2012, the Holy Father Benedict XVI erected the new Diocese of Ifakara in Tanzania with territory taken from the Diocese of Mahenge, making it a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Dar-es-Salaam, and appointed His Exc. Mgr. Salutaris Melchior Libena as Bishop of the new Diocese of Ifakara who had been serving as Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Dar-es-Salaam.
The new diocese of Ifakara (nom. lat. Ifakaren/sis/) is located in the civil district of Kilombero, in the north of the current Diocese of Mahenge. It is bordered to the east with the Diocese of Morogoro, to the west with the Diocese of Iringa, to the south with the Archdiocese of Songea and the Diocese of Njombe. The parish church is dedicated to St. Patrick, which becomes the Cathedral of the new diocese. (SL) (Agenzia Fides 14/01/2012)


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