AFRICA/CAMEROON - Bishop of Batouri appointed

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - The Holy Father Benedict XVI, on December 3, 2009, appointed Bishop of Batouri (Cameroon), Fr. Faustin Ambassa Ndjodo, CICM, Provincial Superior of the Scheut Fathers (CICM) and President of the Conference of Major Superiors of Cameroon and that of Africa and Madagascar (COSMAM).
P. Faustin Ambassa Ndjodo, CICM, was born July 26, 1964 in Ekouda, the then Archdiocese of Yaoundé, currently belonging to the Diocese of Obala. He obtained a licentiate in philosophy at the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium. He was ordained a priest on July 26, 1997. After ordination he held the following positions: 1997-2000: Vicar at Notre-Dame de la Paix of Diamaguène (Archdiocese of Dakar-Senegal) and District Secretary of the CICM of Senegal, 1999-2000: Professor of Philosophy (Institut de Philosophie Saint Augustin of Dakar-Senegal), 2000-2001: Studies at the Institute of Religious Formation of the Catholic Theological Union (Chicago-USA) 2001-2004: Professor of Philosophy (Institut de Philosophie Saint Joseph Mukasa ofYaoundé), 2002-2003: Priest in Saint Pie X Ngoy (Diocese of Obala) 2001-2003: Member of the Provincial Council of the CICM, from 2004: Provincial Superior of the Scheut Fathers (second term) in 2007: President of the Union of Major Superiors of Cameroon and Episcopal Vicar for Consecrated Life (Archdiocese of Yaoundé), and he has recently also been appointed Chairman of the Conference of Major Superiors of Africa and Madagascar (COSMAM) .
The Diocese of Batouri (1994) is suffragan of the Archdiocese of Bertoua. It has an area of 15,981 square kilometers, with 205,000 inhabitants (47,000 Catholics), 11 parishes, 27 priests (21 diocesan, 2 religious, and 4 Fidei donum), 13 religious brothers, 17 seminarians, and 31 religious sisters. (SL) (Agenzia Fides 3/12/2009)