Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - On 13 May 2021, the Holy Father has appointed as bishop of the diocese of Aitape, Papua New Guinea, the Reverend Fr. Siby Mathew Peedikayil, H.G.N., until now vicar general of the diocese of Vanimo.
Msgr. Siby Mathew Peedikayil, H.G.N., was born on 6 December 1970 in Meloram, Kerala, in India.
He was ordained a priest on 1 February 1995.
He belongs to the Heralds of Good News religious congregation, in which he gave his vows on 3 July 1986. He carried out his formation in India where, in 1994, he was awarded a diploma and, in 1996, a master's degree in theology from Saint Albert's College, Ranchi. After ordination, he was in charge of spiritual formation and procurator of Saint Joseph's Major Seminary, Andra Pradesh, India (1996-1997).
From 1998 he served as a missionary in Vanimo, where he held the following positions: rector of Saint John Vianney Minor Seminary (1998 - 2003); lecturer at Saint Charles Borromeo Major Seminary (1999 - 2004); vicar general of the diocese of Vanimo (2003 - 2004); rector of Saint Joseph's Major Seminary and parish priest of Pallegudem parish in Khammam (2004 - 2008); and provincial superior of the Saint Paul Province of the H.G.N. Congregation, India (2008 - 2014). Since 2014 he has been parish priest of the Saint Bruno parish, episcopal vicar for pastoral care and member of the College of Consultors, since 2015 lecturer at the Saint Charles Borromeo Major Seminary and again from 2018 to the present, vicar general of the diocese of Vanimo. (SL) (Agenzia Fides, 14/5/2021)