Pope Francis has appointed Mons. Thomas Ifeanyichukwu Obiatuegwu, Clergy of the Catholic Diocese of Orlu Auxiliary Bishop of the Nigerian Episcopal See.
The appointment of the Bishop-elect who has been assigned the Titular See of Horrea Cœlia was made public by the Holy See Press Office Friday, January 5.
At the time of his appointment, Mons. Obiateugwu was serving as Parish Priest of St. Thomas Catholic Parish Umuna of Orlu Diocese.
Born in January 1966 in Nigeria’s Anambra State, the Bishop-elect was ordained a Priest in August 1995.
He is an alumnus of St. Joseph Major Seminary Ikot-Ekpene and the St. Bigard Memorial Seminary in Enugu.
Mons. Obiateugwu holds Masters Degrees in Philosophy and Public Management and Policy from the Universidad de Navarra in Pamplona, Spain and the United States of America - based Indiana University, respectively.
Once he is Consecrated Bishop, Mons. Obiateugwu will assist 70-year-old Bishop Augustine Tochukwu Ukwuoma who has been at the helm of the Nigerian Diocese since June 2008 in serving the people of God in the 929 square-kilometer See.
The Diocese erected in November 1980 has a population of 1,200,000 Catholics according to 2021 statistics and is part of the Ecclesiastical Province of Owerri.