Paul Mea

Paul Eusebius Mea Kaiuea (born 16 December 1939 in Beru) was the Roman Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Tarawa and Nauru from 1978 to 2020. Mea was born in Gilbert and Ellice Islands and 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. In 1978 he succeeded him 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, he became "emeritus" after resignation and was replaced by elected Koru Tito.