Many Nigerians have lauded Pope Francis for the appointment of three women to Dicastery for Bishops. Recall the Holy Pontiff had penultimate Wednesday, announced the appointment of three women to Dicastery for Bishops. They are Raffaella Petrini, a nun and Secretary-General of the governorate of the Vatican City State; Yvonne Reungoat, a nun and former Superior-General of the Daughters for Mary Help of Christians; and Maria Lia Zervino, President of the World Union of Catholic Women Organisations. Sir Thomas Folu Adekoya, immediate Past National President and National Patron of Catholic Laity Council of Nigeria; Lady Juliet Osuigwe, Metropolitan President, Ladies of St. Mulumba, Nigeria, Lagos Metropolitan Council and Mrs. Chizube Igboanugo, Chairperson, Lagos Archdiocesan Laity Council in separate chats with The Catholic Herald Weekly newspaper described the appointments as historic with deep sense of pride to all women. Sir Adekoya said the appointment of the women to the Dicastery underlines the vital role women play in the Church.
He said, “His Holiness Pope Francis appointment of women for the Dicastery for Bishops is a great innovation, indicating the importance of women in the Church. He must have been motivated by the Holy Spirit that Mary played a significant role in the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ because She was an outstanding disciple throughout the life time of our Lord in the world. May the Holy Trinity inspire them for their evaluation whenever they are required to participate in their new assignments. Congratulations to the appointees.” Speaking in same vein, Mrs. Osuigwe who congratulated Pope Francis on the appointments said it is a positive step and in the right order. She went on, “The Vatican is a country of its own with the Pope as Head of State and its ‘ ministries’. All along women have been working in the Vatican and it’s not out of place to have them in high ranking positions. The Catholic Church’s position on women ordination notwithstanding, their role in critical church matters cannot be overemphasised, check out the EWTN. I think the Pope in his wisdom did a nice job in the appointment of the three women in the Dicastry for Bishops.
Women representation on the hierarchy at Vatican is a welcome development. Let’s refer ourselves to the women who followed Our Lord Jesus, helping out in various ways. No government is complete without women to avoid gender discrimination.” For Mrs. Igboanugo, the historic appointment of the three women is a welcome development. “Women have always been in the forefront of evangelisation and have zeal for mission work. I believe that they will bring more balanced views and approach to issues concerning the offices they are now members of. May the Holy Spirit direct all their decisions,” she prayed. The members of the Dicastery assist in choosing Bishops for the dioceses. They analyse position papers, called ponenze, providing an opinion on candidates. The ultimate decision in appointing Bishops rests with the Pope, and he is free to select anyone he chooses. Usually, the Pope’s representative in a country, the Apostolic Nuncio, forwards recommendations and documents to the Vatican.
The Dicastery for Bishops then discusses the appointment in a further process and takes a vote. On being presented with the recommendations, the Pope makes the final decision. In an interview with Reuters earlier in July, the Pope said he wanted to give women more senior and influential positions in the Holy See. “This way, things are opening up a bit,” the Pope had said. The three women were among 14 other people appointed to the Dicastery for Bishops and the appointment lasts for five years. The other 11 appointed are Cardinals, Bishops and Priests. The development comes months after Petrini was appointed as the first female Secretary-General of the governorate of Vatican city state. The Secretary-General is the “second-ranking position in the government of the Vatican City State”.
