Msgr. Richard Baawobr, M. Far. has been appointed by Holy Father Pope Francis as bishop-elect of the Wa Diocese of the Catholic Church.

Bishop-Elect Richard Baawobr takes over from Most Rev. Paul Bemile who has reached the canonical retirement age of 75.

The news was broken by the National Catholic Secretariat on Wednesday.

According to the secretariat, the information was carried in a letter from the Apostolic Nunciature in Ghana dated 16th February 2016.

“I wish to inform you that His Holiness Pope Francis has appointed Rev. Fr. Richard Kuuia Baawobr, M.Afr. as new Bishop of the Dioceses of Wa.The appointment will be officially announced in the Vatican on Wednesday, February 17,” the letter stated.

Rev. Dr. Richard K. Baawobr, M. Afr., was born in 1959. He is a priest and member of the Society of Missionaries of Africa, popularly known as “White Fathers”.

He studied Philosophy in Ghana, Spirituality in Switzerland, Theology at the Missionary Institute of London.

After his priestly ordination, he worked in the Democratic Republic of Congo then studied Bible at the Pontifical Biblical Institute (Rome) before teaching in Tanzania and at the Faculty of Theology of the Catholic Institute of Toulouse (France).

He obtained a Doctorate in Biblical Theology from the latter with a Thesis entitled “Quand Jésus prend la parole. Identité du Maître et naissance du disciple en Luc 4,16-30” (2004).

He has published commentaries on the Sunday Gospels (Years A B C) and on the Second Reading of Sundays for Christian Communities (Years A B C) and Guidelines for Facilitators for Bible Study and Sharing Groups.

Fr. Richard has also published articles in other scientific journals since 2004.

He has been serving on the General Council of the Missionaries of Africa, first of all as Vicar General and since 2010 as Superior General.

This has enabled him to measure the vitality of the Church in different parts of the world and the impact of the renewal that Vatican II brought in terms of the way Mission is conceived and lived by our members and other Missionary Institutes.