A new archbishop in Bangui
By Yannick DORÉ | LNC Translated into English by Susan CARTER JONES l LNC
(Bangui, 25 April 2026 – LNC) A new archbishop in Bangui – only God knows, or as they say in Sango, ‘Nzapalainga’ – indeed, Pope Leo XIV has appointed Father Joseph Samedi, a Lobayen who until now was director of the ‘Pope Francis’ School Complex and Superior of the Society of Jesus in Bangui, as Coadjutor Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Bangui. It should be noted that a coadjutor bishop is a bishop appointed to assist a diocesan bishop, with an automatic right of succession. In the Catholic Church, he plays a key role in the transition of governance within a diocese or archdiocese. According to his biography, he was born on 20 December 1971 in Mongoumba, in the Diocese of M’Baiki’. After his novitiate in Bafoussam (Cameroon), he studied philosophy at the Saint-Pierre Canisius Faculty of Philosophy in Kinshasa, continued his Jesuit formation in Chad and, finally, studied theology in Brussels (Belgium). He then obtained a licentiate in Church History from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. From his CV, we know that he held the following positions: head of the library and curate at the French-speaking parish in Bangui (2008–2009); formator at the Saint-Marc National Major Seminary in Bangui (2009–2018); temporary superior of the Society of Jesus in Bangui and head of ongoing formation for the clergy of the Archdiocese of Bangui (2011–2018); director of Saint Charles Lwanga College in Sarh,(2018–2024); currently Headmaster of the Pope Francis School Complex and Provincial of the Society of Jesus in Bangui (since 2024).
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Date: 25 April 2026
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