The Diocese of Ho has a new bishop. Pope Francis, head of the Roman Catholic Church has named Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Fianu to the position.

He takes over from Monsignor Francis Lodonu who has resigned from the pastoral care of the Ho diocese.

The new bishop of Ho, Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Fianu is the Secretary General of the council of the Divine Word Fathers.

He was born in 1957 in the Volta Region and ordained a priest on July 14 1985 in Accra.

He has served in various academic and pastoral roles in Ghana, Togo and in Rome seat of the Vatican.

From 1963 he attended elementary and secondary schools in Tegbi, Ada-Foah and Accra. For three
years (1976-1979) he was a student at the Major Seminary in Tamale.

He entered the Congregation of the Missionaries of the Divine Word (SVD).

He was ordained a priest on July 14, 1985 in Accra. Since ordination, he has served in the following academic and pastoral roles:

Between 1986-1990 he was assistant parish in Togo, Chaplain of the young and in charge of the lay apostolate; teacher in the College d'Enseignement General in Kante; 1990-1994: student of Biblical Theology at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome;

Between 1994-1996: Admonitor of the SVD District in Lome, professor of Biblical Studies at St. Jean Paul II Seminaire and at the Institut St. Paul in Lome, Secretary of the Commission for the liturgical publications Ghana-Togo; He was the Director of the Divine Word College in Rome from 1996-1998:

Between 1998-2000 he was also the Admonitor of the Divine Word College in Rome; 2000-2004: Rector of the College of the Divine Word in Rome, professor and formator at St. Victor's Major Seminary in Tamale;

He was also the Secretary for the formation of the SVD Provinces Africa-Madagascar Between 2001-2003.

Between 2004-2006 he was the Coordinator for the AFRAM area based in Accra and has since 2006 been the Secretary of the General Council of his Congregation.

The Diocese of Ho, erected in 1994, a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Accra, has an area of 5,893 square kilometers and a population of 658,845 inhabitants, of whom 200,670 are Catholics.

There are 28 parishes, 82 priests (78 diocesan and 4 religious), 11 religious brothers, 81 nuns
and 19 seminarians. (SL) (Agenzia Fides)