Pope Leo XIV has appointed Father John Berinyuy Tatah, who was among six Catholic priests abducted in Cameroon's Bamenda Archdiocese on Nov. 15, 2025, and later released, as auxiliary bishop of the archdiocese.
The appointment of Berinyuy, rector of the Catholic University of Cameroon in Bamenda, to assist Archbishop Andrew Nkea Fuanya in shepherding the archdiocese was made public on Feb. 13 by the Holy See Press Office.
Born on Dec. 18, 1975, in Mbuluf-Shisong in the Diocese of Kumbo, the bishop-elect studied philosophy and theology at St. Thomas Aquinas Interdiocesan Major Seminary in Bambui, Bamenda. He was ordained a priest for the Kumbo Diocese on March 30, 2005.
The priest pursued further studies in spirituality at the Dominican monastery of Bambui and was awarded a doctorate in theology, specializing in Christian anthropology, at the Pontifical Theological Faculty Teresianum in Rome.
Following his priestly ordination, Berinyuy served as parish vicar of St. Joseph in Bafut (2005–2006) and parish priest of St. Patrick in Babanki-Tungo (2006–2010).
Before being appointed to his current position, he served as spiritual director and lecturer at St. Thomas Aquinas Major Seminary in Bambui and chaplain of the diocesan charismatic movement.
The bishop-elect was the last of the six priests to regain freedom on Dec. 2, 2025, after being held captive for over two weeks.
In a video circulated on Facebook shortly after his release, the Cameroonian priest recounted how he and his brother priests were abducted and appealed for peace in Cameroon's troubled Anglophone regions.
"I was arrested with my brothers because the forces of La Republic accompanied us to Ndop for the opening of the university. During the Mass, the nuncio came to inaugurate the university in the war zone, and we say that we are very sorry that that happened, and that it will not happen again," Berinyuy said.
He added: "We are praying that there should be dialogue to see to the solution of the southern Cameroonian, and that there should be justice and peace, so that a lasting solution should be brought to these problems that we are facing."
Following the incident, Pope Leo XIV expressed sorrow over the kidnappings of priests, Christians, and students in Nigeria and Cameroon, urging authorities to act swiftly to secure their freedom.
Once consecrated bishop, Berinyuy will assist 60-year-old Nkea in shepherding 615,015 Catholics out of the total population of 1,460,253, representing 42.1% of the population, according to 2022 statistics.
This story was first published by ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, and has been adapted by EWTN News English.
