Patrick
Decloitre, Correspondent French Pacific
Desk
17 April 2025
Monsignor Susitino Sionepoe,
60, from Wallis-and Futuna, was officially installed on
Saturday as the new Archbishop of Nouméa,
Wallis-and-Futuna, and Vanuatu.
He is the first
Pacific Islander to access this key position, which had been
held by 81-year-old Monsignor Michel-Marie Calvet since
1981.
Monsignor Sionepoe’s inaugural mass was held in
the Saint Joseph Cathedral of Nouméa, in presence of
thousands of Catholics, some of them coming from as far as
New Zealand, where Wellington-based Mgr Gábor Pinter, the
Nuncio of the Vatican, is based for the whole
region.
Eleven bishops from the region, including
Guam, Papeete, Port Vila, Kiribati and Wallis-et-Futuna,
were also in attendance.
Officials from New Caledonia
also included French High Commissioner Louis Le Franc,
Senator Georges Naturel, Congress President Veylma Falaeo,
Southern Province President Sonia Backès, the mayors of
Nouméa Mayor (Sonia Lagarde), Mont-Dore (Eddie Lecourieux)
and Dumbéa (Yoann Lecourieux) and pro-independence leader
Roch Wamytan.
During his inaugural homily, the new
archbishop appealed to all Catholics, especially in New
Caledonia, to remain “artisan of peace”.
Catholicism
is a major religious denomination in New Caledonia, with a
182-year history in the French Pacific territory.
Advertisement – scroll to continue reading
In
the weeks following destructive riots that broke out on 13
May 2024, several Catholic missions throughout New Caledonia
were targeted by arson and largely destroyed.
As he
was officially and liturgically intronised and ushered into
the Cathedral, 60-year-old Mgr Sionepoe, who was elevated to
the position by Pope Francis on 15 January 2025, was
surrounded by conches and drums from Lifou Island, as well
as traditional singing and dancing from his native islands
of Wallis-et-Futuna.
The ceremony was also attended by
over six hundred Catholics outside the Cathedral on a giant
screen.
Back in Wallis-and-Futuna, the live broadcast
was followed by thousands.
Monsignor Sionepoe, from
Wallis-and-Futuna, was ordained priest in 1993 and became
Bishop of Wallis in 1998.
During his career, he has
also served in Tonga, in the North of New Caledonia and
Fiji.
New Zealand’s public broadcaster, providing comprehensive NZ news and current affairs, specialist audio features and documentaries.
Radio New Zealand is a Crown entity established under the Radio New Zealand Act 1995. Radio New Zealand News are vital elements in our programming, providing impartial news and information to New Zealanders every day. Radio New Zealand (RNZ) provides listeners with exciting and independent radio programmes in accordance with the Radio New Zealand Charter.
