Pope Leo XIV has appointed the Reverend Father Lawrence Ofentse Pheto, a priest of Gaborone Diocese, as the new Bishop of the Diocese of Francistown, making Monsignor (Mons) Pheto the third bishop of the local Church in the second largest city in Botswana.

The announcement was made public on Friday, 10 April 2026, by the Apostolic Nuncio to Southern Africa, Archbishop Henryk Mieczysław Jagodziński. Until the time of this appointment, Francistown Diocese had been vacant and under the pastoral care of Father Gabriel Lionel Afagbegee SVD, who served as Apostolic Administrator following the passing of Bishop Anthony Pascal Rebello SVD in May 2024.

Born on 12 March 1976 in Ramotswa, Botswana, Bishop-elect Lawrence Ofentse Pheto was ordained a priest on 8 October 2005 by Bishop Boniface Tshosa Setlalekgosi at St Conrad’s Catholic Mission in Ramotswa.

From 1998 to 2005, Mons Pheto pursued his philosophical and theological formation in Zimbabwe, completing a Diploma in Philosophy at St Augustine Major Seminary in Bulawayo (1998–2000) and a Diploma in Theology at Chishawasha Regional Major Seminary in Harare (2001–2005). Seeking to deepen his service to the Church, he later obtained a Licentiate in Canon Law from the Pontifical Urbaniana University between 2009 and 2012.

Over the course of his priestly ministry, Mons Pheto has served in various pastoral and leadership roles within the Diocese of Gaborone. These include parish ministry in Mmankgodi and Tlokweng, as well as service in priestly formation as Rector of the Minor Seminary and Pre-Major Seminary and as Vocation Director.

The 50-year-old Monsignor has also contributed to the Church’s judicial ministry as Judicial Vicar at the Diocesan Tribunal in Gaborone, Botswana, since 2013. Since February 2017, he has served as the Parish Priest of St Theresa Parish in Lobatse, where he has accompanied families, promoted youth ministry, and strengthened parish life.

According to 2023 statistics, the Diocese of Francistown, which falls under the Metropolitan jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Pretoria, serves approximately 31,100 Catholics, spread across vast rural and urban communities. The appointment of Bishop-elect Pheto represents a new chapter of pastoral leadership and missionary commitment for the Church in Botswana.