Bishop of Lisala
Joseph-Bernard Likolo Bokal’Etumba was born on August 29, 1967, in Kinshasa. He attended the Propedeutic Seminary in Kinshasa from 1987 to 1988. He studied Philosophy at the Saint André Kaggwa Major Seminary (1988–1991) and Theology at the Saint Jean XXIII Major Seminary (1991–1996) in Kinshasa. From 1996 to 1999, he completed a pastoral internship at Sainte Angèle Parish in Kinshasa. He was ordained a priest on May 30, 1999, for the Archdiocese of Kinshasa. Following his ordination, he held the following positions and pursued further studies: Parochial Vicar and later Parish Priest of Sainte Angèle (1999–2004) and Director of the parish's primary school (1996–2004); Licentiate in Theology from the Institut Catholique de Paris, France (2004–2008); Doctorate in Liturgy from the Pontifical Atheneum of Saint Anselm in Rome (2008–2013); Coordinator for Vocations, Seminarians, and Priests for the Emmanuel Community in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (since 2010); Professor of Liturgy at the Saint Jean XXIII Major Seminary (since 2013); Director of the Maison Jean-Jacques Olier for the formation and support of priests facing difficulties (2014–2020); and Secretary of the Episcopal Commission for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments of the National Episcopal Conference of the Congo (C.E.N.C.O.) (since 2016).