Pope Francis has appointed Bishop George Desmond Tambala, O.C.D., of Zomba, as metropolitan archbishop of Lilongwe, Malawi.
Bishop Tambala was born in Zomba in 1968. He has served as bishop of Zomba in Malawi since 2016. He is a member of the Order of the Discalced Carmelites, first professed in 1991 in Enugu, Nigeria where he did his noviciate. He did philosophical studies at the Intercongregational Institute, Balaka, Malawi. He did theological studies at Tangaza College, Nairobi, Bachelor of Arts in Theology. He earned a Diploma of Specialization in Mysticism and Carmelite Spirituality at Centro Internacional Teresiano Sanjuanista, Ávila, Spain (1999), a Licenciate in Theology, Facultad de Teologia del Norte de España, Vitoria, Spain (2000) with a research on African Theology in Engelbert Mveng SJ. He served as a member of the General Council of the Order of the Discalced Carmelites in Rome ( 2009-2015).
The Vicariate of Nyasa was erected on February 12, 1897, including the whole of Malawi. The name Nyasa Vicariate was changed to Likuni on July 12, 1951, and finally, it became Lilongwe on June 20, 1957. It was raised to the status of Diocese on April 25, 1959. Lilongwe was created Metropolitan Circumscription on February 9, 2011. The Archdiocese of Lilongwe covers seven districts of the Central Region of Malawi: – Dowa, Kasungu, Lilongwe, Mchinji, Nkhotakota, Ntchisi, and Salima. It has a population of 6,200,000, of which 1,830,750 are Catholic.
Appointment of auxiliary bishop of Meaux, France
The Holy Father has appointed as an auxiliary bishop of Meaux, France, the Reverend Guillaume Leschallier de Lisle, until now vicar general of the same see, assigning him the titular see of Pisita.
Msgr. Guillaume Leschallier de Lisle was born on December 8, 1971 in Pau, diocese of Bayonne. After completing the first cycle in the Seminaire des Carmes in Paris, he completed his studies at the Pontifical French Seminary in Rome and was awarded a licentiate in dogmatic theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University.
He was ordained a priest for the diocese of Meaux on June 25, 2000.
He has held the following offices: parish vicar of the Savigny-le-Temple, Cesson, Nandy and Vert-Saint-Denis sector (2001-2004); accompanist of the chaplaincies of state schools and spiritual assistant for the pastoral care of Catholic Education; accompanist for the diocesan Catechetical Service (2006-2010); cooperator of the Marne-la-Vallée missionary pole; member of the Presbyteral Council and the College of Consultors; responsible for the Vocations Service; parish priest in solidum of the Val d’Europe missionary pole and member of the Fraternité Missionaire des Prêtres pour la Ville (FMPV); parish priest of the Melun missionary pole; member of the diocesan Pastoral Council; episcopal vicar for the organisation of the famille-jeunesse year; member of the Episcopal Council; vicar general, moderator of the diocesan Curia, president of the Association for the Direction of Catholic Teaching, member of the Council for Economic Affairs, canon of the Chapter (from 1 January 2020) and rector of Meaux Cathedral (from September 1, 2020 until now).
