Originally published at The Crux
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DHAKA, Bangladesh – Building a whole Catholic diocese almost from scratch is a daunting task, but the first bishop of Bangladesh’s ninth and newest Catholic diocese is game for the challenge.
It was only in March of this year that Pope Leo XIV erected Joypurhat in the northern Bangladesh and appointed the 64-year-old Paul Gomes as bishop.
Gomes received consecration as bishop on June 5 at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Beneedwar, with the papal nuncio on hand.
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Composed from territory taken from the diocese of Rajshahi and the diocese of Dinajpur, Joypurhat is a suffragan see under the capital archdiocese, Dhaka, with 11 parishes serving more than 24,000 Catholics.
There are 15 priests serving in Joypurhat – eight diocesan and seven religious – and the territory of the diocese is inhabited primarily by indigenous minorities.
Bangladesh is a country of 180 million people, only 600,000 of whom are Christian, a tiny minority.
Education, healthcare, and justice for all people are the priorities for Gomes, who understands he has his work cut out for him.
He tells Crux Now he isn’t planning on making a go of
