Vatican City (Fides Service) - The Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, has (28 March 2003) appointed Bishop of Chikwawa in Malawi, Reverend Peter Martin Musikuwa of the clergy of Blantyre, spiritual director at St Peter's major seminary in Zomba.
The Bishop elect was born on 3 April 1952 at Kalimtulo, parish of Thunga in the archdiocese of Blantyre. He studied in Malawi and in the United States obtaining a degree in Spiritual Theology at St Louis University Missouri. He was ordained a priest on 12 July 1982 for the archdiocese of Blantyre. He has since been: pastoral assistant at Blantyre cathedral; parish priest, bursar and teacher at Blantyre Catechetical Centre; chaplain and formator for the local diocesan congregations of the Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Holy Family Brothers; spiritual director at St Peter's Major seminary Zomba.
Chikwawa diocese, created in 1965, is a suffragan of the metropolitan See of Blantyre, the only ecclesiastical province in Malawi. It has an area of 7,676 sq. km., and a population of 763,862. Of these 112, 178 Catholics, gathered in 12 parishes and 109 out-stations, looked after by 23 priests (only 3 are white missionaries, of St Patrick's Society SPS), 15 major seminaries and 24 catechists.(Fides Service 16/4/2003 EM lines 32 Words: 422)