Soane Patita Paini Mafi () (born 19 December 1961) is the fourth

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Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...

. At the age of 53, on 14 February 2015, he was appointed by

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

as the first ever cardinal from Tonga and he became on that date the youngest member of the

College of Cardinals The College of Cardinals, or more formally the Sacred College of Cardinals, is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church. its current membership is , of whom are eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope. Cardinals are app ...

Christopher Lamb, "Red hats for a global Church", ''The Tablet'', 8 January 2014
(Retrieved 11 January 2015) with the title of

cardinal priest A cardinal ( la, Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae cardinalis, literally 'cardinal of the Holy Roman Church') is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are created by the ruling pope and typically hold the title for life. Col ...

assigned to the

titular church In the Catholic Church, a titular church is a church in Rome that is assigned to a member of the clergy who is created a cardinal. These are Catholic churches in the city, within the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Rome, that serve as honorary des ...

of Santa Paola Romana.

Early life

Mafi was born into a strongly Catholic family. His father and grandfather were catechists. He grew up in Tonga and, as a young man, joined a youth group at his parish in Kolofo'ou near the capital Nuku'alofa on the main island of

Tongatapu Tongatapu is the main island of Tonga and the site of its capital, Nukualofa. It is located in Tonga's southern island group, to which it gives its name, and is the country's most populous island, with 74,611 residents (2016), 70.5% of the nation ...

. He studied for the priesthood at the Pacific Regional Seminary in Suva, Fiji. He was ordained a priest in 1991 at the age of 29.Peter Grace, First-ever cardinal appointed for Tonga", ''NZ Catholic'', 15 January 2015, p. 1.

Priesthood

He then spent four years in parish work on the Tongan island of Ha'apai. In 1995 Bishop Foliaki appointed him

Vicar-General A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ...

of the diocese at the age of 34. He was only 5 years ordained. He spent three years studying religious education at Loyola University,

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, graduating in 2000. He was then stationed for six years in Suva ( Fiji), engaged in the formation training of local priests. Diocese of Tonga Coat of arms

Bishop

Mafi was appointed coadjutor bishop of Tonga in June 2007 and was consecrated bishop in that year. When he succeeded Bishop Soane Lilo Foliaki as Bishop of Tonga on 18 April 2008, he became the first

diocesan priest In Christianity, the term secular clergy refers to deacons and priests who are not monastics or otherwise members of religious life. A secular priest (sometimes known as a diocesan priest) is a priest who commits themselves to a certain geogr ...

to be bishop of the diocese of Tonga. His three predecessors were members of the Society of Mary. He participated in the Third Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the Pastoral Challenges of the Family in the Context of Evangelization held on October 5–19, 2014. Mafi has been president of the Episcopal Conference of the Pacific since 2010.

Cardinal

On 14 February 2015, Pope Francis appointed Mafi a cardinal with the title of

Cardinal-Priest A cardinal ( la, Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae cardinalis, literally 'cardinal of the Holy Roman Church') is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are created by the ruling pope and typically hold the title for life. Col ...

of '' Santa Paola Romana''. On 13 April 2015, he was appointed a member of the

Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples A congregation is a large gathering of people, often for the purpose of worship. Congregation may also refer to: * Church (congregation), a Christian organization meeting in a particular place for worship *Congregation (Roman Curia), an administr ...

and of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum for Human and Christian Development.

Honours and awards

;National honours * The_Most_Illustrious_Order_of_Queen_Salote_Tupou_III_Member

Order of Queen Sālote Tupou III, Commander (31 July 2008). ;Nongovernmental organizations * Slovakia, Servare_et_Manere_flag

Servare et Manere: Friend of Peace, honorable recognition.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mafi, Soane Patita Paini 1961 births 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Tonga Tongan cardinals Cardinals created by Pope Francis Living people Members of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples People from Nukuʻalofa Roman Catholic bishops of Tonga Knight Commanders of the Order of Queen Sālote Tupou III Tongan Roman Catholic bishops