Pope Francis appoints new Bishop for Sudan’s El-Obeid diocese

February 18, 2017 (KHARTOUM) – Pope Francis has appointed a new Bishop for El-Obeid diocese which had been vacant since then-Bishop Michael Didi Adgum Mangoria was named Coadjutor Archbishop of Khartoum in August 2015.

“The Holy Father has appointed Fr. Yunan Tombe Trille Kuku Andali as bishop of Obeid (area 888,938, population 9,006,000, Catholics 100,000, priests 30, religious 19), Sudan.,” reads a Pontifical Act issued on 13 February seen by Sudan Tribune.

Even if the ultimate decision to appointing a bishop rests in the hands of the Pope, the long process of appointment involves a series of consultations to pick the right candidate who will represent the Pope in his province.

Since the independence of South Sudan, there are only two dioceses in the Sudan, a Muslim-majority country: Khartoum and El-Obeid. With the seven dioceses in South Sudan, the two ecclesiastical administrations constitute the Sudan Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SCBC).

Bishop Andali was born in Tojoro in 1964 and ordained a priest in 1991.

He holds a doctorate in canon law from the Catholic University of Nairobi, Kenya.

Until his appointment, he served as the rector of the inter-diocesan St. Paul’s Seminary in Juba. He also served as rector of the minor seminary of El Obeid, and as parish collaborator in El Nahud, Nayala, El Fasher and Kadaguli.

(ST)