Most Rev. John Alphonse Asiedu
The Catholic Church in Ghana has marked a major ecclesiastical milestone following the elevation of the Apostolic Vicariate of Donkorkrom to the status of a diocese by Pope Leo XIV, with the appointment of Most Rev. John Alphonse Asiedu, as its first diocesan bishop.
The historic announcement was communicated through the Apostolic Nunciature in Ghana and officially made public by Rev. Fr. Clement Kwasi Adjei, Secretary-General of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference.
The newly created Diocese of Donkorkrom retains the same name and territorial boundaries of the former Apostolic Vicariate and has been constituted as a suffragan diocese under the ecclesiastical province of Accra.
The elevation is widely regarded as recognition by the Vatican of the remarkable pastoral growth, institutional development and increasing vitality of the Catholic Church in the Afram Plains enclave over the years.
Most Rev. John Alphonse Asiedu, who until now served as Apostolic Vicar of Donkorkrom, has consequently been appointed the pioneer bishop of the newly erected diocese. In his new role as diocesan bishop, he assumes ordinary pastoral and administrative authority over the local Church in accordance with Canon 381 §1 of the Code of Canon Law, which grants a bishop the “ordinary, proper and immediate power” necessary for shepherding the faithful entrusted to his care.
Born on May 12, 1962, at Adeemmra in the Afram Plains, Bishop Asiedu is a member of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD). He was appointed Apostolic Vicar of Donkorkrom by Pope Francis on February 11, 2019, and ordained bishop on May 4, 2019.
Since assuming leadership of the vicariate, Bishop Asiedu has overseen its pastoral and administrative affairs, while strengthening evangelisation, faith formation and missionary outreach across the territory.
Situated in eastern Ghana, the Diocese of Donkorkrom covers approximately 5,040 square kilometres and serves an estimated population of 228,754 people, including about 37,462 Catholics. The diocese currently comprises nine parishes, 14 educational institutions and three charitable organisations, reflecting the Church’s continued investment in education, social welfare and evangelisation.
The local Church is presently served by 14 diocesan priests, eight religious priests and 22 religious sisters, while two seminarians are undergoing priestly formation. Church leaders believe the elevation to diocesan status will further strengthen ecclesiastical administration, deepen pastoral outreach and enhance missionary activities within the area.
The Donkorkrom jurisdiction was first established in 2007 as an Apostolic Prefecture carved out of the Diocese of Koforidua before it was elevated to an Apostolic Vicariate in 2010. The latest elevation to a full diocese is therefore being viewed as a significant milestone in the ecclesiastical growth and maturity of the Catholic Church in the Afram Plains.
From Daniel K. Orlando, Ho