AFRICA/DR CONGO - Bishop of Idiofa appointed

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – The Holy Father Benedict XVI, on May 26, 2009, appointed Fr. Jose Moko Ekanga, Sulpician, Rector of the University Seminary “Jean XXIII” in Kinshasa, as Bishop of Idiofa (Dominican Republic of Congo).
Fr. Jose Moko Ekanga, Sulpician, was born July 18, 1958 in Kinshasa, in the Archdiocese of Kinshasa. After completing primary school in Kinshasa and secondary school in the Literary School of Selembao, he studied Philosophy at the Saint Kaggwa Seminary and Theology at the Catholic University in Kinshasa (1979-1986), finishing with a Licentiate in Biblical Theology. On August 1, 1986 he was ordained a priest in the Company of Saint Sulpice, for the Archdiocese of Kinshasa. He has since ministered as follows: 1986-1988: Spiritual Director at the Philosophical Major Seminary in St. Kaggwa; 1988-1989: in the Community of Saint Sulpice in France; 1989-1996: Formator at the St. Kaggwa Seminary; 1993-1997: President of the Assembly of Clergy of Kinshasa/Gombe; 1996-1998: Pastor of Saint Gyavira in Kinshasa; 1999-2005: Studies for a Doctorate in Sacred Scripture in Lyon and Professor of Saint Gal Seminary, in Benin; 2005-2007: Pastor of the Parish of Saint Anne, Kinshasa; 2007-2008: Pastor of Notre Dame Cathedral in Kinshasa. Since 2008, he ha\s served as Rector of the “Jean XXIII” University Seminary in Kinshasa. For several years, he has also been a member of the Priestly Council of Kinshasa.
The Diocese of Idiofa (1960) is suffragan of the Archdiocese of Kinshasa. It has a surface area of 40,000 km sq., with 2,264,000 inhabitants (1,131,000 Catholics), 42 parishes, 101 priests (86 diocesan and 15 religious), 7 religious brothers, 60 seminarians, and 126 religious. (SL) (Agenzia Fides 26/5/2009)