Pope Leo XIV has appointed Rev. Fr. Bonaventure Bosco Gubazire as the new Bishop of Kabale Diocese, ushering in a new chapter of leadership for the Catholic Church in southwestern Uganda.
The appointment was announced by Rev. Fr. Georges Kwami Kouwonou, who is overseeing the affairs of the Apostolic Nunciature in Uganda.
During the announcement, Rev. Fr. Kouwonou also revealed that Pope Leo XIV had accepted the resignation of Rt. Rev. Callist Rubaramira from the pastoral care of Kabale Diocese after more than 20 years of episcopal service.
Thousands of Catholics gathered at Rushoroza Cathedral to witness the announcement, marking the end of Bishop Rubaramira’s tenure and the beginning of a new episcopate under Bishop-elect Gubazire.
According to the Vatican, Bishop-elect Gubazire has been serving as Rector of St. Martin of Tours Formation House in Ejisu, Ghana.
Who is Rev Gubazire
Born on March 3, 1974, in Kitumba, Kabale, within Kabale Diocese, Gubazire attended St. Paul’s Minor Seminary in Rushoroza before pursuing higher education in philosophy and theology.
He obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Religious Studies from the Philosophy Centre in Jinja before earning a Bachelor of Arts in Theology from the Institut Catholique de Toulouse in France.
He later joined the Missionaries of Africa and was ordained a priest on August 10, 2003.
Over the past two decades, Gubazire has served in pastoral, academic and missionary assignments across Africa, Europe and Asia.
He began his priestly ministry as Parochial Vicar at Nossa Senhora de Fatima Parish in Murraça, Mozambique. While there, he also directed adult education programmes and served on the Council of the Missionaries of Africa in Mozambique.
He later undertook specialised training in the formation of formators and spiritual accompaniment at the Jesuit Spiritual Centre Le Châtelard in Lyon, France. He also obtained a Licentiate in Philosophy from the Milltown Institute of Philosophy and Theology in Dublin, Ireland.
Between 2010 and 2016, he served at the Lechaptois Formation House in Balaka, Malawi, where he worked as a professor, Dean of Studies, Acting Rector and Delegate for the Protection of Minors.
During this period, he also completed a biblical formation course at St. Anne’s Formation Centre in Jerusalem.
From 2016 to 2020, Gubazire pursued a Doctorate in Philosophy at the University of San Carlos in Cebu, Philippines.
While in the Philippines, he also served as Coordinator and Chaplain of the Friends of Missionaries of Africa, was a member of the Council of the Asia Section of the Missionaries of Africa and later became Rector of Our Lady of Africa Formation House.
Since 2021, he has served as Dean of Studies at Spiritan University College in Ejisu, Ghana.
