CUEA: Bishop-elect Graduates after Pope’s Appointment: A Rare Scenario

Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA

When the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) graduated over 3,000 students on Friday, October 27, one of the graduates was a newly elected Bishop for the Catholic Diocese of Njombe, Tanzania whom Pope Francis appointed on October 19, 2023, just a week before the graduation.

When asked during an interview with AMECEA Online, what it means to graduate with an academic degree as a Bishop, Very Rev. Eusebio Samwel Kyando declared he had no idea of such a situation.

“I have no idea. I have never seen or heard of a Bishop-elect graduating. I know those who have graduated from Pontifical colleges in Rome and this is never so official,” Monsignor Kyando said adding, “That is why I did not want to attend the graduation physically but to graduate in absentia and watch everything online.”

According to the Bishop-elect, after clearing with the University, the very day he received the invitation letter for graduation, was the day announcement was made in Rome for his appointment to be a Bishop a coincidence he says is “God’s providence.”

The Bishop-elect graduated with a Doctorate in Business Administration and Management, with his research dissertation focusing on, “Business Ethics Education and Business Students Cognitive Moral Development in Institutions of Higher Learning in Tanzania.”

He appreciated his area of specialization and the management skills acquired which he acknowledges will help him manage the diocese better especially when “establishing policies and assigning responsibilities to clerics and other Christians.”

After gaining knowledge in accounting and finance and also served as an accountant and treasury in one of the banks in Tanzania, Msgr. Kyando intends to have a finance committee to help in the management of finances in his diocese.

“Canonically we need a few people with knowledge of finance to help in this area. So, with the College of Consultants, we will see the best strategy possible,” he said.

During the 42^nd graduation ceremony themed: ‘Transformed by Truth: Embarking on a life of Purpose,’ the Chancellor of the University Bishop Charles Sampa Kasonde of Zambia’s Solwezi Diocese urged the graduates to clothe themselves with truth as they reach out to serve the people of God in the society

“My plea to our graduates is to stand for the truth and always stand by your faith. If you pray, remain honest, and stand committed to serving society, you will have already given your life a purpose,” the Zambian prelate said and reminded the graduates who were conferred Diplomas, Bachelor’s Degrees, Master’s Degrees, and PhDs, that life is a journey that is determined by the path one takes urging them to opt for the path of truth.

Bishop-elect will be consecrated and installed on Sunday, January 14, 2024.