Pope Francis Appoints Nigerian Priest As Adviser For Religious Relations With Muslims

Pope Francis has appointed Rev. Fr. Joseph Ogundipe of the Catholic Diocese of Oyo as one of the six new consultors that will be advising him on relations between Christians and Muslims in Nigeria.

Rev Sr. Eunice Ikufisile, the Director of Social Communications in the Catholic Diocese of Oyo, stated this in a statement she e-mailed to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Tuesday.

Ikufisile said that Bishop Emmanuel Badejo of the Catholic Diocese of Oyo received the message on March 9, 2020 from the Vatican City and conveyed the appointment to Fr Ogundipe same day.

The statement said that Fr Ogundipe would serve with the Commission for Religious Relations with Muslims at the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (PCDI) based at the Vatican.’

The statement also quoted Badejo to have said that the appointment of Ogundipe as a consultor to the Commission for Relations with Muslims was for a period of five years.

“As you know, the Apostolic Constitution Pastor Bonuson the Roman Curia (1988) makes provision for this Commission within the ambit of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue,’’ he said.

The statement quoted the letter as saying: “The Commission meets once a year and the agenda provides for communications from individual Consultors on the situation of Islam and Christian-Muslim relations in their respective countries.

“The principal purpose of the Commission is to provide time for reflection on the church’s relations with Muslims.”

Badejo also congratulated Ogundipe for the commitment and initiative with which he had served Oyo Diocese, especially, in the field of interreligious relations.

He urged Ogundipe to do more to justify the confidence which Pope Francis had reposed in him that led to appointing him to the exalted position.

The statement also said that other priests from the diocese who were present when the bishop announced the appointment rejoiced with Fr. Ogundipe.

They prayed that God would grant him wisdom and humility to give a good account of himself in the new position.

NAN reports that Ogundipe had his priestly formation at St. Peter’s Spiritual year Seminary in Eruku, Kwara and at the Seminary of All Saints, Ekpoma in Edo.

He was ordained a priest in 2007 by Bishop Emeritus Julius Babatunde Adelakun of Oyo Diocese) and has worked in several parishes in the diocese.

The statement said that Ogundipe is currently the Chaplain of St. Thomas Moore Catholic Chaplaincy, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso.

The statement added that Ogundipe, would continue to serve as the Director of the Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Dialogue Commission for the Diocese of Oyo.