City bishop appointed as archbishop

BISHOP of the Catholic Diocese of Kimberley, Bishop Abel Gabuza, has been appointed by Pope Francis as the Archbishop Coadjutor of the Archdiocese of Durban. The official announcement was published in Rome yesterday.

Sixty-two-year-old Bishop Gabuza was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Pretoria on December 15 1984.

He studied in South Africa and did postgraduate studies in Berkeley, California.

Bishop Gabuza was appointed to Kimberley by Pope Benedict XVI on December 23 2010 and ordained as the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Kimberley on March 19 2011.

As bishop of Kimberley he served two terms as the chairperson of the Justice and Peace Commission and chairperson of the Catholic Social Action within the South African Catholic Bishops Conference.

According to a statement issued by the Catholic Diocese of Kimberley yesterday, Bishop Gabuza will take possession of the office of Coadjutor on February 10 2019 and on this day the Diocese of Kimberley will be vacant.

“Within eight days after taking possession of the office of Coadjutor, a senior priest among the priests of Kimberley will be elected as the Diocesan Administrator,” the statement said.

“This Administrator will be in office until a Bishop is appointed for the Catholic Diocese of

Kimberley.”