Pope Francis appoints Bishop of Tarawa and Nauru

By Vatican News

The Holy Father on Monday accepted the resignation of Bishop Paul Eusebius Mea Kaiuea, MSC, from the pastoral care of the Diocese of Tarawa and Nauru.

At the same time, Pope Francis appointed Monsignor Koru Tito as the new Bishop of Tarawa and Nauru.

He currently serves as the Vicar General of the same Diocese.

Tarawa and Nauru Diocese lies in the central Pacific Ocean nation of Kiribati.

Brief Biography

Bishop-elect Tito was born on 30 September 1960 in Tabiteuea, Kiribati.

He received a Diploma in Education at the University of the South Pacific of Fiji (1977-1979). He completed his philosophical and theological studies at the Pacific Regional Seminary of Fiji (1981-1985).

Mgsr. Tito spent one year at St. Paul’s National Seminary in Kensington, Australia (1990-1991).

He obtained a Doctorate in Theology with a specialization in Spirituality at the Pontifical Angelicum University in Rome.

Fr Tito was ordained a priest on 20 June 1987 for the Diocese of Tarawa and Nauru.

After ordination he served in the following roles:

-          1987-1989: Parish priest in the Beru Islands, Nikumanu and Onotoa;

-          1990-1991: Assistant in St. Andrew’s South Clayton Parish, in Victoria, Australia;

-          1991-1993: Parish priest in the Kuria Islands, Aranuka and Abemana;

-          1993-2000: Licentiate and Doctoral studies in Spiritual Theology at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Rome;

-          2001-2008: Professor at the Pacific Regional Seminary;

-          2008-2010: Assistant at the Parish Cathedral of Tarawa and Nauru;

-          From 2010: Vicar General of the Diocese of Tarawa and Nauru.