AFRICA/NAMIBIA The Pope appoints new Bishop of Keetmanshoop

Vatican City (Fides Service) - The Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI on 31 May 2007, appointed Rev. Phillip Pöllitzer, O.M.I., Bishop of Keetmanshoop (Namibia), until now the Bishop elect was Provincial of the Oblate Missionaries of Mary Immaculate for Namibia.
Rev. Phillip Pöllitzer, O.M.I., was born in Mörtelsdorf (parish of Tamswe, in the archdiocese of Salzburg, in Austria) on 18 January 1940. He studied philosophy and theology at the Oblate Missionaries of Mary Immaculate Institute at Hünfeld, in Germany (Ordenshoch schule der Oblaten der Makellosen Jungfrau). He made his first religious profession in 1960 and his perpetual profession in 1965. He was ordained a priest on 17 December 1965 at Hünfeld. He was then sent on mission to Namibia in 1966 for pastoral work in the eastern part of the archdiocese of Windhoek, called Gobabis. He lived at Dornfeld, but served many missions in that vast area until 2001. From 2001 to January 2007 he was Provincial Superior Oblate Missionaries of Mary Immaculate, with several diocesan charges at the same time: responsible for the formation of permanent deacons, Vicar Forein of Omaheke region, diocesan pastoral coordinator and teacher at St. Charles Lwanga inter-diocesan seminary at Windhoek.
The diocese of Keetmanshoop, suffragan of Windhoek, was created in 1994, it has an area of 264,110sq km, a population of about 142,000 including 39,400 Catholics gathered in 21 parishes assisted by 25 priests (2 diocesan and 23 religious), 9 permanent deacons, 46 women religious and there are 2 major seminarians. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 31/5/2007; Righe 19; Parole 258)