Rest in Peace, Bishop Paul Mea MSC, Tarawa and Nauru
Shared from the Province of the Pacific Islands·
The first native and MSC Bishop of the Diocese of Tarawa and Nauru Bishop Paul Paul Eusebius Mea Kaiuea passed away at 5am this morning Thursday 24th June, Solemnity Feast of the Nativity of St John the Baptist. Bishop Paul Mea was born 16 December 1939 in Beru. He was ordained in 1969 a priest of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. Mea was then appointed as the parish priest of North Tarawa.
His work brought him to the attention of French Bishop Pierre Guichet. In 1978 he succeeded him as the bishop of the diocese when it encompassed all of Gilbert Islands soon independent Kiribati, Nauru, and Tuvalu. In 1982, Tuvalu was removed from the jurisdiction of the diocese. In 2020, he became emeritus after resignation and succeeded by the Bishop Elect Koru Tito.
Our deepest sympathy and condolences to the Diocese of Tarawa and Nauru and the people of Kiribati. Our prayers and masses are with you in this time of great grief and sorrow.
