The President of the Republic, Mr Danny Faure, welcomed the Roman Catholic Bishop Denis Wiehe at State House this morning. The courtesy call comes following the recent announcement by Pope Francis appointing Bishop Alain Harel as the new Bishop of the Diocese of Port Victoria, Seychelles.

During the meeting, the President conveyed the sincere gratitude of the Government and people of Seychelles to Bishop Wiehe for his many years of service to the Roman Catholic Church and to the country. "For the past 18 years you have worked hard to strengthen the relations between the State and the Church as well as made great progress in the religious education domain. Today on behalf of the people of Seychelles, I would like to express our deepest appreciation to you for your dedication and efforts to maintain the excellent relations that exist between Government and the Church. I wish you the very best for the future," said President Faure.

President Faure also thanked Bishop Wiehe for his instrumental role in improving relations with all the other religious denominations in the country through his role as the Chairperson of the Seychelles Interfaith Council (SIFCO) since its inception.

Bishop Wiehe turned 80 years of age in May 2020 and has been the Bishop of Port Victoria since 2002.

He will remain active in his duties until the arrival of his successor Bishop Harel upon which there will be a formal handing-over ceremony.