AFRICA/D.R.CONGO - Bishop of Ouesso appointed

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - The Holy Father Benedict XVI, on June 14, 2008, appointed Fr. Yves Marie Monot, C.S.Sp., Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Ouesso (Democratic Republic of Congo), Bishop of the same diocese.
The bishop-elect was born on April 22, 1944, in -l’Abbé (Finistère), Diocese of Quimper (Brittany), France. He completed primary school studies with the Brothers of Saint Gabriel, in his town, and secondary school with the Holy Ghost Fathers. He made his first vows in 1963 and his perpetual vows and apostolic consecration in 1972. He was ordained a priest on July 9, 1972. He finished studies in Science and Theology of Religions at the Catholic Institute in Paris (France) in 1987. He remained in Congo 25 years. Following his ordination, he ministered as follows: 1972-1975: Parish Vicar and later, Pastor, in Sibiti and Komono (today’s Diocese of Nkayi); 1975-1982: Pastor of St François and then, St André Kaggwa (Diocese of Pointe Noire); 1982-1985: Missions leader in Longonnet (France), Regional delegate for the Pontifical Missionary Societies in Brittany; 1985-1987: further studies in Paris, accompanying Holy Ghost Fathers; 1987-1999: Pastor of Ste Marie de Ouenze, together with St. Augustine (Archdiocese of Brazzaville); member of the Priestly Council and the Ecumenical and Interreligious Dialogue Service; teaching Theology to the laity and Theology of the Missions at the Holy Ghost Fathers’ Institute; 1992-1997: Member of the Bishops’ Council of the Archdiocese of Brazzaville; 1994-1997: Vice-President of the Priestly Council of the Archdiocese of Brazzaville; 1999-2005: Provincial Bursar in Douala (Cameroon); 2005-2006: Sabbatical Year and return to France. Cince 2006, he has been the Apostolic Administrator in Ouesso.
The Diocese of Ouesso, suffragan of the Archdiocese of Brazzaville, was erected in 1983. It has an area of 66,044 km sq and a population of 90,000 inhabitants, of whom 24,989 are Catholics. There are 5 parishes, 9 priests, 19 religious women, and 12 major seminarians. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 16/6/2008)