The head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis has appointed Reverend Bob John Hassan Koroma as the new bishop of the diocese of Makeni.

Father Koroma was serving the Makeni mission as vicar general since 2016 and administrator general of the Cathedral until his latest appointment as the new bishop on Sunday.

The new bishop studied at the Pontifical Urban University of Rome and served the Catholic Church as a priest and dean of studies at Saint Paul Major Seminary in Freetown since he joined the diocese of Makeni in 1999.

His appointment has been cheered by Catholic members in Makeni and the entire mission in Sierra Leone.

There are approximately over 170,000 Catholics in Sierra Leone constituting about 3 per cent of the entire population. The mission has devout followers including the president, Julius Maada Bio.