The latest administrative changes in the Indian Ocean Island nation were made public on Thursday, October 31 and published by the Holy See Press Office.
Catholic Bishops are expected to submit their respective letters of retirement at the age of 75. Compelling reasons such as “ill-health or other grave problems” justify a request in writing to resign.
Bishop Di Pierro, a member of the Congregation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart (SCI/Dehonians) will turn 76 on December 1. He had been at the helm of Farafangana Diocese since his installation in April 2018 following his transfer from Madagascar’s Catholic Diocese of Moramanga.
His newly appointed successor, Bishop Randriamamonjy, was born on 12 April 1963 in Sandrandahy in the Catholic Diocese of Ambositra in Madagascar.
He was ordained a Priest for the Diocese of Ambositra on 30 August 1992. He had his initial pastoral ministry in two districts of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Fianarantsoa.
He obtained a Licentiate in Theology in Ambatoroka, Antananarivo and a degree in Theology from Lyon in France.
As a Priest, he also served as an educator, a teacher, and Prefect of the Interdiocesan Major Seminary of Vohitsoa, Fianarantsoa, and Rector of the same Seminary.
When installed, the Catholic Church leader who has been at the helm of Fenoarivo Atsinanana Diocese since he started his Episcopal Ministry in May 2009 will become the sixth Local Ordinary of Farafangana Diocese.
The Malagasy Diocese that is among the four Suffragan Dioceses of Fianarantsoa Ecclesiastical Province was erected in April 1957 as the Diocese of Fort-Dauphin before it was renamed Farafangana Diocese in June 1969.
The Diocese that measures 23,176 Kilometers has a population of 194,600 Catholics representing 13.1 percent of the total population, according to the 2021 statistics.