A former Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Tarawa and Nauru, Paul Eusebius Mea Kaiuea has passed away aged 82 years.
Mea was the Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Tarawa and Nauru from 1978 to 2020.
Born on 16 December, 1939 in Beru, Mea served the church for 42 years.
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, who was the Bishop of the Diocese then.
In 1978 Mea succeeded Guichet 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, Mea became emeritus after resignation and was replaced by elected Koru Tito.
The funeral mass will be celebrated at the Sacred Heart Cathedral, Teaoraereke, in Tarawa at 10am, Friday, 25 June, 2021.
Photo supplied