Bishop of Mouila
Mathieu Madega was born on July 6, 1960, in Mbigou, in the Diocese of Mouila. After his primary education, he attended the Minor Seminary in Mouila, where he obtained his BPC; subsequently, as a seminarian at the "Saint Jean" Minor Seminary in Libreville and a student at the "Mgr. Bessieux" Catholic College, he earned his Baccalaureate (BAC) in 1983. Before beginning his philosophical studies, he spent two years (1983–1985) at the Faculty of Engineering of the "Omar Bongo" State University in Libreville. In 1985, he was sent to Rome to the Pontifical Urban College and attended philosophy and theology courses at the Pontifical Urban University. He was ordained a priest on December 29, 1991, in Mouila, where he was incardinated. From 1991 to 1995, he continued his studies in Rome—again at the Urban University—and subsequently in Strasbourg, obtaining Licentiate degrees in Philosophy, Theology, and Canon Law. After returning to Gabon, he was appointed the first Rector of the new "Saint Augustin" National Seminary in Libreville in 1995.