On October 17, 2025, Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo celebrated Mass at St. Joseph Cathedral in Wamba, northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, urging local clergy to let Bishop Emmanuel Ngona Ngotsi formally assume leadership of the Diocese of Wamba. Despite being appointed by Pope Francis in January 2024 and consecrated in September 2024, Bishop Ngona Ngotsi has been prevented from taking possession of the diocese due to local opposition, as some priests and laypeople demand a bishop native to Wamba. The unrest mirrors the earlier Ahiara Diocese crisis in Nigeria, where similar local resistance blocked a papal appointment. In response to the current tensions, the Vatican Dicastery for Evangelization suspended seminarian formation in Wamba, advising students to continue studies elsewhere. Cardinal Ambongo, acting as Papal Envoy of Pope Leo XIV, visited Wamba in mid-October to mediate and called for prayer and reconciliation. Provincial officials also attended his Mass, emphasizing the …