Théophile Naré (born 7 July 1966) is a Burkinabe Catholic prelate who is the bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kaya,

Burkina Faso Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa, bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Ivory Coast to the southwest. It covers an area of 274,223 km2 (105,87 ...

since 7 December 2018. Before that, from 8 July 1995 until 7 December 2018, he was a priest of the Catholic Archdiocese of Koupéla. He was consecrated and installed at Kaya on 2 March 2019 by Archbishop

Piergiorgio Bertoldi Piergiorgio Bertoldi (born 26 July 1963) is a Catholic archbishop and Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See. Biography He was born in Varese, capital of the Province of Varese, on 26 July 1963. He received his priestly ordination by cardinal ...

, Titular Archbishop of Hispellum. Bishop Théophile Naré was appointed

Apostolic Administrator An apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic admi ...

of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dori, Burkina Faso, since 2 February 2925.

Background and education

He was born on 7 July 1966 in Yargo, in the diocese of Koupéla. He studied

philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

at ''Saint Jean Baptiste de Wayalghin Interdiocesan Seminary'', in

Ouagadougou Ouagadougou or Wagadugu (, , , ) is the capital city of Burkina Faso, and the administrative, communications, cultural and economic centre of the nation. It is also the List of cities in Burkina Faso#Largest cities, country's largest city, wi ...

. He then studied

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

at the ''Saint Pierre Claver de Koumi Interdiocesan Major Seminary'', in

Bobo-Dioulasso Bobo-Dioulasso ( , ) is a city in Burkina Faso with a population of 1,129,000 (); it is the second-largest city in the country, after Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso's capital. The name means "home of the Bobo- Dioula". The local Bobo-speaking pop ...

. He was ordained a priest of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Koupéla on 8 July 1995. He also holds a degree in

Sacred Scripture The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) biblical languages ...

, awarded by the

Pontifical Biblical Institute The Pontifical Biblical Institute (also known as Biblicum) is a research and postgraduate teaching institution specialised in biblical and ancient Near Eastern studies located in Rome. Founded in 1909 by Pope Pius X, it is an institution of the ...

(Biblicum), in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, Italy, where he studied from 2000 until 2005. As part of that degree, he also studied at the École Biblique de Jérusalem in

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

. Between 2005 and 2006, he studied at the Institute for the Training of Clergy Educators (IFEC), in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, France, where he obtained a "certificate in training for clergy educators".

Priesthood

On 8 July 1995, he was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Koupéla. He was a priest until 7 December 2018. He served in many roles during his priesthood including: * Vicar at the cathedral of Koupéla from 1995 until 2000. * Parish administrator of the cathedral of Koupéla from 2006 until 2011. * Professor of exegesis at the Saint John the Baptist Theological Major Seminary in Wayalghin from 2006 until 2011. * Rector and lecturer at the Saint Pierre Claver de Koumi Theological Major Seminary in Bobo-Dioulasso from 2011 until 2018.

As bishop

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

appointed him as bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kaya, on 7 December 2018. He was consecrated and installed at Kaya on 2 March 2019 by the hands of Archbishop

, Titular Archbishop of Hispellum assisted by Archbishop Séraphin François Rouamba, Archbishop of Koupéla and Bishop Thomas Kaboré, Bishop Emeritus of Kaya. While bishop of Kaya, he was concomitantly appointed

of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dori since 2 February 2025.

References

Succession table

External links