Bulletins, Newsletters, and Flocknotes

Resignation and appointment of metropolitan archbishop of Bamako, Mali

Appointment of metropolitan archbishop of Bouaké, Cote d’Ivoire

Appointment of auxiliary bishop of the metropolitan archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, U.S.A.

 

Resignation and appointment of metropolitan archbishop of Bamako, Mali

The Holy Father has accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the metropolitan archdiocese of Bamako, Mali, presented by His Eminence Cardinal Jean Zerbo.

The Holy Father has appointed Bishop Robert Cissé of Sikasso as metropolitan archbishop of the same archdiocese.

Curriculum vitae

Archbishop-elect Robert Cissé was born on 7 June 1968 in Bamako. He studied philosophy at the Saint Augustin Major Seminary of Bamako and theology at the Saint Pierre Claver Major Seminary of Koumi, in Burkina Faso.

He received priestly ordination on 10 July 1993 in Koutiala, and was incardinated in the diocese of Sikasso.

After ordination, he held the roles of parish vicar and parish priest of Sikasso (1993-2000), head of the diocesan Commission for Vocations (1993-1998), chaplain of the laity (1997-1999), national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Mali (2006-2009), and vicar general of Sikasso (2005-2011). He was awarded a doctorate in philosophy at the Pontifical Urbaniana University of Rome (2012-2017), and went on to serve as dean of the Faculty of Philosophy of the Université Catholique de l’Afrique de l’Ouest (2018-2022) and interim rector of the Saint Augustin Major Seminary of Bamako (2021-2022).

On 14 December 2022 he was appointed bishop of Sikasso, and received episcopal ordination on 11 February 2023.

 

Appointment of metropolitan archbishop of Bouaké, Cote d’Ivoire

The Holy Father has appointed Bishop Jacques Assanvo Ahiwa, until now apostolic administrator of the metropolitan archdiocese of Bouaké, Cote d’Ivoire, as metropolitan archbishop of the same archdiocese.

Curriculum vitae

Archbishop-elect Jacque Assanvo Ahiwa was born on 6 January 1969 in Kuindjabo, in the district of Aboisso, diocese of Grand-Bassam. After completing his formation at the major seminary of Bouaké and the Saint Cœur de Marie Major Seminary of Anyama, he was ordained a priest on 13 December 1997 for the diocese of Grand Bassam.

After ordination, he held the offices of parish vicar of Saint François Xavier , Aboisso (1997-1998), secretary general of the diocese of Grand Bassam and diocesan director of the Pontifical Mission Societies (1998-2002). He was awarded a master’s degree in biblical theology from the Université Catholique de l’Afrique de l’Ouest (2002-2004) and a doctorate in biblical theology in Strasbourg (2004-2011), and went on to serve as vicar general of Grand Bassam (2011-2018), and maître de conférences at the University of Strasbourg (2018-2020).

On 5 May 2020 he was elected titular bishop of Elephantaria in Mauretania and auxiliary of Bouaké; he received episcopal consecration the following 3 October and has been apostolic administrator of the same archdiocese since 2024.

 

Appointment of auxiliary bishop of the metropolitan archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, U.S.A.

The Holy Father has appointed the Reverend Kevin T. Kenney, of the clergy of the archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, United States of America, until now parish priest of Saint Olaf and administrator of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Minneapolis, as auxiliary bishop of the same archdiocese, assigning him the titular see of Cunavia.

Curriculum vitae

Msgr. Kevin T. Kenney was born on 29 December 1959 in Minneapolis.

He was awarded a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Saint Thomas University in Saint Paul, completing his ecclesiastical studies at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, where he was awarded a Master of Divinity, and continuing his studies at Saint Paul Seminary in Saint Paul.

He received priestly ordination on 28 May 1994, and was incardinated in the archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.

He has held the following offices: parish vicar of Saint Olaf (1994-1998), parish priest of Our Lady of Peace in Minneapolis (1998-2004), Our Lady of Guadalupe in Saint Paul (2004-2015), Saint Michael in Kenyon (2015-2019) and Divine Mercy in Faribault (2015-2019). He is currently parish priest of Saint Olaf and administrator of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Minneapolis.

Appointment of board member of the Financial Supervision and Information Authority

The Holy Father has appointed the distinguished Professor Concetta Brescia Morra, lecturer in economic law at the Department of Jurisprudence of Roma Tre University, Italy, as member of the board of the Financial Supervision and Information Authority.

Telegram of the Holy Father

HIS EXCELLENCY GENERAL TÔ LÂM PRESIDENT OF THE SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIET NAM HANOI

HAVING LEARNED OF THE DEATH OF HIS EXCELLENCY NGUYỄN PHÚ TRỌNG, GENERAL SECRETARY OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY AND FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIET NAM, HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS SENDS CONDOLENCES TO ALL WHO MOURN HIS LOSS, ESPECIALLY HIS FAMILY, TOGETHER WITH THE ASSURANCE OF HIS PRAYERS FOR THEIR CONSOLATION AND PEACE.  WITH PARTICULAR APPRECIATION FOR HIS ROLE IN FOSTERING AND PROMOTING THE POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT OF THE RELATIONS BETWEEN VIET NAM AND THE HOLY SEE, POPE FRANCIS WILLINGLY SENDS THE PLEDGE OF HIS SPIRITUAL CLOSENESS TO YOUR EXCELLENCY AND ALL YOUR FELLOW CITIZENS AT THIS TIME OF SORROW FOR THE NATION.

CARDINAL PIETRO PAROLIN SECRETARY OF STATE

 

 

 

Appointment of apostolic nuncio to Yemen and apostolic delegate to the Arabian Peninsula

Elevation of the diocese of Santiago del Estero, Argentina, to the rank of archdiocese, and appointment of first archbishop

 

Appointment of apostolic nuncio to Yemen and apostolic delegate to the Arabian Peninsula

The Holy Father has appointed Archbishop Christophe Zakhia El-Kassis, titular of Roselle and apostolic nuncio to the United Arab Emirates, as apostolic nuncio to Yemen and apostolic delegate to the Arabian Peninsula.

 

Elevation of the diocese of Santiago del Estero, Argentina, to the rank of archdiocese, and appointment of first archbishop

The Holy Father has elevated the diocese of Santiago del Estero, Argentina, to the rank of archdiocese, making it a suffragan of the metropolitan See of Tucumán.

The Holy Father has appointed Bishop Vicente Bokalic Iglic, C.M., hitherto bishop of the same See, attributing to him the title of Primate of Argentina, until now held by the pro tempore archbishop of Buenos Aires.

At midday today, the Holy Father Francis appeared at the window of his study in the Vatican Apostolic Palace to pray the Angelus with the approximately twelve thousand faithful and pilgrims gathered in Saint Peter’s Square.

The following are the Pope’s words of introduction to the Marian prayer:

 

Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday !

The Gospel of today's liturgy (Mk 6:30-34) tells us that the apostles gather around Jesus after returning from their mission. They tell Him what they have accomplished. He then says to them, “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” (v. 31). However, the people understand where they are headed and, when they get off the boat, Jesus finds the crowd waiting for Him. He feels compassion for them, and He begins to teach (cf. v. 34).

So, on the one hand, there is an invitation to rest, and on the other, Jesus’ compassion for the crowd. It is very beautiful to stop in order to meditate on Jesus’ compassion. These may seem like two incompatible things, while they actually go together: resting and being compassionate. Let us look more closely.

Jesus is concerned about the disciples’ tiredness. Perhaps He is aware of a danger that can also concern our lives and our apostolate. This danger can threaten us when, for instance, our enthusiasm in carrying out our mission or our work, as well as the roles and tasks entrusted to us, make us fall victims to a kind of activism which is overly concerned with things to do and with results, and this is a bad thing. We become overly preoccupied with the things to be done, overly preoccupied with results. It then happens that we become agitated and lose sight of what is essential. We risk exhausting our energies and falling into bodily and spiritual fatigue. This is an important warning for our life and for our society which is often held prisoner by haste, but also for the Church and pastoral service: brothers and sisters, let us beware of the  dictatorship of doing ! And this can also happen out of necessity, within our families, for example when the father has to be away for work to earn a living, thus having to sacrifice the time he could have spent with the family. Often, parents leave early in the morning when the children are still sleeping and return late in the evening when they are already in bed. And this is a social injustice. In families, fathers and mothers should have time to share with their children, to let love grow within their family and in order not to fall into the dictatorship of doing. Let us think about what we can do to help people who are forced to live in this way.

At the same time, the rest proposed by Jesus is not an escape from the world, a retreat into a merely personal well-being. On the contrary, when He is confronted with the bewildered people, He feels compassion. And so, from the Gospel, we learn that these two realities— resting and being compassionate —are linked:  only if we learn how to rest can we have compassion . Indeed, it is only possible to have a compassionate gaze, which knows how to respond to the needs of others, if our heart is not consumed by the anxiety of doing, if we know how to stop and how to receive the Grace of God, in the silence of adoration.

Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, we can ask ourselves: am I able to stop during my days? Am I capable of taking a moment to be with myself and with the Lord, or am I always in a hurry, in a constant hurry for the things to do? Can we find some kind of an "inner desert" amidst the noise and activities of each day? May the Holy Virgin help us to "rest in the Spirit" even in the midst of all daily activities, and to be available to and compassionate towards others.

 

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After the Angelus

Dear brothers and sisters!

This week, the Olympic Games will begin in Paris, and they will be followed by the Paralympic Games. Sport also has a great social power, and it can peacefully unite people from different cultures. I hope that this event may be a beacon of the inclusive world we want to build and that athletes, with their sporting testimony, may be messengers of peace and authentic models for young people. In particular, as is the custom of this ancient tradition, may the Olympic Games be an occasion to call for a cease-fire in wars, demonstrating a sincere desire for peace.

I greet all of you, Romans and pilgrims from Italy and many countries. In particular, I greet the Notre Dame Équipe from the diocese of Quixadá in Brazil, and the "Assumpta Science Center Ofekata" Association, which is working on solidarity projects for Africa.

I also greet the Silent Workers of the Cross and the Center of Volunteers of Suffering, gathered in remembrance of their founder, the Blessed Luigi Novarese; the aspirants and the young professed women of the Institute of the Missionary Sisters of Christ the King; the young men from the vocational group of the Minor Seminary of Rome, who have walked the way of St. Francis from Assisi to Rome.

Let us pray, brothers and sisters, for peace. Let us not forget tormented Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Myanmar, and many other countries that are at war. Let us not forget, let us never forget, war is a defeat!

I wish everyone a good Sunday. And please do not forget to pray for me. Have a good lunch and  arrivederci !