Most Rev. Ignatius Ayau Kaigama, Archbishop of Abuja, Most Rev. Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, Archbishop of Owerri and Bishop Donatus Ogun, OSA, Bishop of Uromi, among other delegates from Africa are to attend the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, “Synod on Synodality”, in the Vatican City, Rome, from October 4 to 29, 2023. The synod, which has Pope Francis as President, Cardinal Mario Grech of Malta as General Secretary, has delegates from all over the global Church, including the three Nigerians mentioned above.
The participants are made up of representatives selected by Bishops’ Conferences and Eastern Catholic Churches, leaders in the Roman Curia, and 120 delegates personally selected by Pope Francis from across the world. Countries from the African Church also selected for the conference, include; Northern Africa (CERNA), represented by Cardinal Cristóbal López Romero, SDB, Archbishop of Rabat, Morocco. Angola and Sao Tome has Bishop Joaquim Nhanganga Tyombe of Uíje, Angola; Benin, Archbishop Coffi Roger Anoumou, Bishop of Lokossa.

Others are Botswana, South Africa, and Eswatini, represented by Archbishop Anton Dabula Mpako, Archbishop of Pretoria, military ordinary of South Africa; Burkina Faso and Niger has Archbishop Gabriel Sayaogo of Koupéla, Burkina Faso; Burundi, Archbishop Georges Bizimana, Bishop of Ngozi; Cameroon, Archbishop Emmanuel Dassi Youfang of Bafia and Bishop Philippe Alain Mbarga of Ebolowa. Also nominated are Chad’s Bishop Nicolas Nadji Bab; Republic of Congo’s Bishop Ildevert Mathurin Mouanga; Democratic Republic of Congo, Archbishop Marcel Utembi Tapa and Bishop Pierre-Célestin Tshitoko Mamba; Côte D’ivoire (Ivory Coast); Archbishop Marcellin Kouadio Yao; Ethiopia, Archbishop Markos Ghebremedhin, CM; Gabon, Archbishop Jean-Patrick IbaBa and Gambia and Sierra Leone represented by Archbishop Edward Tamba Charles of Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Other countries are Ghana, represented by Bishop Emmanuel Kofi Fianu and Archbishop Gabriel Charles Palmer-Buckle. Guinea has Archbishop Vincent, Equatorial Guinea, Bishop Juan Domingo-Beka Esono Ayang, CMF, while Archbishop Martin Kivuva Musonde and Archbishop Anthony Muheria are representing Kenya. Other African countries with delegates at the synod, include; Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Indian Ocean (CEDOI), Central African Republic, Rwanda, Senegal, Mauritania, Cape Verde, and Guinea-Bissau, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The President’s delegates include; His Beatitude Ibrahim Isaac Sedrak, Patriarch of Alexandria, Head of the Synod of the Coptic Catholic Church, Egypt; Cardinal Carlos Aguiar Retes, Archbishop of Mexico City, Mexico; Archbishop Gerardo Cabrera Herrera, OFM, of Guayaquil, Ecuador. Others are Archbishop Timothy John Costelloe, SDB, of Perth, Australia; Bishop Daniel Ernest Flores of Brownsville, Texas, USA; Bishop Lúcio Andrice Muandula of Xai-Xai, Mozambique; Rev. Fr. Giuseppe Bonfrate, Italy; Sister Maria De Los Dolores Palencia, CSJ, Mexico and Momoko Nishimura, SEMD, Japan.
The Synod with the theme, “For a Synodal Church, Communion, Participation, Mission”, among other things, seeks ways for the people to journey together, live out the faith by speaking and listening to one another and the Holy Spirit, and addresses issues facing the Church in the present day and time, as the people carry out their mission of envangelisation.