The Holy Father has appointed Rev. Hailemariam Medhin Tesfay, SDB, as the Coadjutor Apostolic Vicar of Gambella.

On March 21, 2026, the Holy See Press Office announced that the Holy Father had appointed Rev. Hailemariam Medhin Tesfay, SDB, as Coadjutor Apostolic Vicar of the Apostolic Vicariate of Gambella, Ethiopia.

Rev. Hailemariam Medhin Tesfay was born on 1 October 1973 in Alitena, Ethiopia. A member of the Salesians of Don Bosco, he made his perpetual vows in Addis Ababa in 2001 and was ordained a priest on 4 May 2003 in Adigrat.

Following his ordination, he served in various pastoral and administrative roles, including vicar, parish priest, and bursar in Adwa. He later completed advanced theological studies at the Salesian Pontifical University in Rome, earning both a licentiate and a doctorate in theology.

His ministry includes teaching theology in Utume, Kenya, and serving as rector and parish priest in Mekanissa, Addis Ababa. From 2019 to 2025, he was provincial superior of the Salesian Visitation “Kidane Mehret” for Ethiopia–Eritrea and concurrently served as president of the Conference of Major Religious Superiors in Ethiopia.

As Coadjutor Apostolic Vicar, Msgr. Hailemariam Medhin Tesfay will assist and, in due time, succeed Bishop Roberto Bergamaschi, SDB, the current Apostolic Vicar of Gambella.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Ethiopia expressed its joy at the appointment and conveyed its heartfelt wishes for a blessed and fruitful ministry to Msgr. Hailemariam Medhin.