Nigerian archbishop will be Vatican’s diplomat in Ireland
POPE Francis has appointed a new Papal Nuncio to Ireland, the Nigerian Vatican diplomat Archbishop Jude Thaddeus Okolo.
The 60-year-old cleric will take up the role this summer. He is replacing New Yorkborn Archbishop Charles Brown who left in March.
He will be coming to Ireland from his current posting as the Apostolic Nuncio to the Dominican Republic and Apostolic Delegate in Puerto Rico. It will be the first time the role in Ireland has been held by an African.
Martin Long, of the Catholic Communications Office in Maynooth, said the appointment marked a ‘special time for the Nigerian communities in Ireland’. According to the 2011 Census, there were 17,642 Nigerians living in Ireland. Archbishop Okolo had a long career with the diplomatic service of the Holy See and speaks seven languages. Primate of All Ireland Archbishop Eamon Martin praised him for his rich experience.
The liberal Association of Catholic Priests welcomed the news but issued a stinging statement aimed at Archbishop Brown. It said: ‘In the appointment of bishops in recent years, men with either vision or leadership ability were largely excluded from consideration’.