With a Ph.D. in philosophy and serving as a professor at UJKOL, he is taking the helm of a Franciscan academic institution dedicated to the intellectual, personal, and spiritual formation of future generations.

KOLWEZI — The Province of St. Anthony of Padua joyfully announces the appointment of Prof. Jean Claude CHARHONDAGWA METRE as the new rector of the University of John XXIII in Kolwezi (UJKOL), in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This appointment entrusts the leadership of the institution to a religious and academic who is already intimately familiar with its mission and operations.

A Career Already Tied to John XXIII University

Brother Jean Claude CHARHONDAGWA METRE in Rome, in front of St. Peter’s Basilica.

With a doctorate in philosophy and serving as a professor at Jean XXIII University, Fr. Jean Claude CHARHONDAGWA METRE has direct experience in the academic governance of the institution. From 2017 to 2020, during the time of the John XXIII Scholasticate, he served as academic secretary general there.

He succeeds Father Gervais BIRINGANINE KASOLE, who has reached the end of his term. The Province expresses its deep gratitude to him for the service he has rendered with generosity and dedication for the benefit of the University, formation, and the Franciscan family.

“An appointment that continues the Franciscan mission of serving the formation of new generations.”

From Studium Theologicum to the University

Founded in Kolwezi in 1982 as a Studium Theologicum dedicated to the theological formation of the Friars Minor (Franciscans), the institution gradually developed into the John XXIII Higher Institute of Philosophy and Theology (ISPT). It is placed under the patronage of Pope John XXIII, who convened the Second Vatican Council.

Its Faculty of Theology has been affiliated with the Pontifical Antonianum University in Rome since 2004. Since 2021, John XXIII University has been recognized as one of the private universities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

A Diverse Range of Programs

In addition to philosophy and theology, UJKOL now offers programs in several fields:

• Economics and Management
• Computer Science
• Development and Environmental Sciences
• Educational Psychology

A mission supported by three Franciscan Provinces

John XXIII University in Kolwezi is a Franciscan academic institution supported by three Provinces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: St. Benedict the African in Lubumbashi, St. Mary of the Angels in Mbuji-Mayi, and St. Anthony in Goma, Kivu. Its headquarters are located in Kolwezi.

As the university’s second rector since its reestablishment, Br. Jean Claude CHARHONDAGWA METRE continues a educational mission that aims to combine academic rigor, human formation, and spiritual guidance.

Congratulations and best wishes for this new mission

The Province rejoices at this appointment and extends to Br. Jean Claude its warm congratulations and fraternal best wishes for this new responsibility. It wishes him a fruitful ministry in the service of the university community, the formation of young people, and the Franciscan mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.