Pope Leo has appointed two Nigerian Catholic clerics to senior positions in the Vatican’s Dicastery for Evangelization, a development that further strengthens Africa’s role in the missionary leadership of the global Catholic Church.
The appointments, announced by the Vatican and reported by the Fides News Agency, include Archbishop Alfred Adewale Martins of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos and Father Wenceslaus C. Madu, C.M.F., Vice-Chancellor of the Claretian University of Nigeria in Nekede.
Archbishop Martins has been named a member of the Dicastery for Evangelization’s Section for First Evangelization and New Particular Churches. The Vatican department oversees missionary activities worldwide and supports the establishment and growth of new local Churches in emerging Catholic communities.
Father Madu will serve as a consultor to the same Dicastery, where he will provide expert guidance on matters relating to evangelization and the Church’s missionary outreach.
The latest appointments also include other prominent African Catholic leaders. Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Archbishop Andrew Nkea Fuanya of Cameroon were appointed as members of the Dicastery, while Archbishop François Sylla of Guinea was named a consultor.
According to the Vatican, the appointments form part of a broader effort to increase African participation in the governance of the Catholic Church and strengthen the continent’s contribution to its global evangelization mission.
The Dicastery for Evangelization is one of the Holy See’s most significant departments, coordinating missionary initiatives and supporting the development of new dioceses and local Churches around the world. The inclusion of more African leaders reflects the growing influence of the continent within the Catholic Church as its membership continues to expand.
