The Holy Father has appointed Fr. Celestin Hakizimana as bishop of Gikongoro (area 2,057, population 582,159, Catholics 248,471, priests 51, religious 70), Rwanda. The bishop-elect was born in Kigali, Rwanda in 1963 and was ordained a priest in 1991. He holds a doctorate in theology from the San Tommaso Faculty of Theology in Naples, Italy, and has served in a number of pastoral roles, including parish vicar in Rutongo, diocesan representative for Catholic education, director of the St. Paul National Pastoral Centre in Kigali, and director of GEMECA-Rwanda. He is currently secretary general of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Rwanda.
