Pope Francis has appointed new bishops of Queenstown and Kimberly, South Africa.
Appointment of bishop of Queenstown, South Africa
The Holy Father has appointed as bishop of the diocese of Queenstown, South Africa, the Reverend Fr. Paul Siphiwo Vanqa, S.A.C., until now diocesan administrator of the same see.
Msgr. Paul Siphiwo Vanqa, S.A.C., was born on June 15, 1955, in Xonxa, in the diocese of Queenstown. In 1979 he entered the Society of the Catholic Apostolate (Pallottini), and completed his novitiate in Germany, where he gave his first vows on October 11, 1982. He then concluded his priestly formation at Saint Joseph’s Theological Institute in Cedara, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, affiliated to the Pontifical Urban University.
He gave his perpetual vows on October 6, 1985, and was ordained a priest on July 5, 1986.
He subsequently held the following offices: parish vicar of the Holy Family parish in Dutywa (1986-1988), parish priest of Saint Thomas More in Tsomo (1988-1992) and parish priest of Our Lady Queen of Apostles at the Pallotti Farm, Queenstown (1993-1995), formator at Saint Vincent Pallotti House in Merrivale and Pietermaritzburg, and at the same time parish priest of Imbali (metropolitan archdiocese of Durban) (1995-2010), parish priest of Saint Mary’s and Saint Joseph’s in Stutterheim (2011-2015), administrator of the Christ the King Cathedral, Queenstown (2015 to the present), vicar general (2011-2019) and, from 2019 to the present, diocesan administrator of Queenstown.
Within the Institute he has also held the offices of counselor (1996-2002) and vice delegate (2002-2010).
The Diocese of Queenstown has been vacant since Bishop Mphako was appointed the Archbishop of Pretoria on April 30, 2019.
Bishop Duncan Tsoke – SABC PhotoAppointment of bishop of Kimberley, South Africa
The Holy Father has appointed as bishop of the diocese of Kimberley, South Africa, Bishop Duncan Theodore Tsoke, until now titular of Orreacelia and auxiliary of the metropolitan archdiocese of Johannesburg.
The Diocese of Kimberly has been vacant since the late Archbishop Gabuza was appointed the Coadjutor Archbishop of Durban on December 9, 2018.
