Bishop Christopher Cardone, OP of the Diocese of Auki has been nominated as the Archbishop of Honiara, Solomon Islands.
He succeeds Archbishop Adrian Thomas Smith, S.M., whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese, upon reaching the age limit, was accepted by the Holy Father.
Bishop Cardone was born in 1957 on Long Island, New York, USA. After his studies at the Dominican College, Rode Island, he made his first profession in the Order in 1981. He had his basic formation and studies at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington DC after which he was ordained to the priesthood in 1986.
He worked as a parochial vicar for two years at Madeira, Cincinnati after his ordination. In 1988, he was transferred to the Dominican mission at the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea where he severed in various capacities. In 2001, he was ordained as the Titular Bishop of Tuburnica and the Auxiliary of Gizo. In 2004, he was transferred to the Diocese of Auki.
The Diocese of Honiara covers a land mass of about 10,728 Sq. km., with a population of about 270,000. It has a population of about 60,000 Catholics, 48 priests and 100 religious.
(23 June 2016)