Authority is not an honour but a call to service – Nuncio tells newly installed Bishop of Donkorkrom

The authority entrusted to Most Rev. John Alphonse Asiedu, SVD, as the first Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Donkorkrom is not an honour for its own sake, but a call to humble service, Apostolic Nuncio to Ghana, Most Rev. Julien Kaboré has said.

“This sacred authority (sacra potestas) is never an honour bestowed for its own sake, but a gift received in humble service, to build up the People of God and to lead them along the path of salvation,” Archbishop Kaboré said in a message for Bishop Asiedu’s installation on 8 August.

Bishop Asiedu’s installation comes less than three months after Pope Leo XIV elevated the Apostolic Vicariate of Donkorkrom to a diocese on 12 May 2026, marking a new chapter in the life of the Catholic Church in the Afram Plains.

Vatican elevates Donkorkrom Vicariate to diocese, appoints Vicar John Asiedu as first bishop

Archbishop Kaboré congratulated Bishop Asiedu and the clergy, religious and lay faithful of the new diocese, commending their faith, perseverance and missionary spirit.

He called on the faithful to accompany their Bishop through prayer, collaboration and active participation in the mission of the Church.

For Bishop Asiedu, the new office represents a transition from exercising pastoral governance as Apostolic Vicar to serving as the proper pastor of the particular Church of Donkorkrom.

The Apostolic Nuncio expressed confidence that the Bishop would exercise his ministry in the spirit of Christ, the Good Shepherd.

“I am confident that you will continue to fulfil this ministry with generosity, wisdom and evangelical charity, following the example of Christ, the Good Shepherd, who came ‘not to be served but to serve’ (Mk 10:45),” he said.

Archbishop Kaboré also placed particular emphasis on Bishop Asiedu’s relationship with the priests, consecrated persons and lay faithful entrusted to his pastoral care.

He recalled the call for a Bishop to be a father to his priests, accompanying them in their human, spiritual and pastoral growth, while also encouraging the participation of consecrated persons and lay faithful in the life and mission of the Church.

The Nuncio acknowledged the distinctive pastoral circumstances of the new diocese, which covers a vast territory in the Afram Plains and includes communities scattered across the islands of Lake Volta.

Difficult travel conditions, economic challenges and the limited number of priests and religious present significant pastoral demands, he said.

These circumstances, Archbishop Kaboré noted, call for pastoral creativity, missionary zeal and perseverance. He also highlighted the need for the formation of catechists, stronger lay leadership and the promotion of priestly and religious vocations.

He urged the new diocese to pursue an evangelisation rooted in the language, culture and aspirations of its people, while continuing the Church’s contribution to their integral human development.

Archbishop Kaboré also called on the Diocese of Donkorkrom to make ecclesial communion a defining feature of its life.

He encouraged Bishop Asiedu to foster relationships marked by peace, mutual trust and fraternal collaboration with priests, religious and pastoral co-workers.

The Nuncio described the presbyterate as the Bishop’s closest family in ministry and stressed the importance of ensuring that priests experience the Bishop’s paternity, fraternity and friendship.