*Places him in-charge of the laity, family and life
The Supreme Pontiff, His Holiness, Pope Francis, has appointed Peter Cardinal Ebere Okpaleke, a member of the ‘Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life’.
The Vatican announced that Cardinal Okpaleleke’s appointment came in as the Holy Father appointed some recently created Cardinals to be members of different dicasteries of the Roman Curia.
It would be recalled that Cardinal Okpaleke was among the 20 prelates welcomed into the College of Cardinals by Pope Francis on Aug. 27, 2022.
“The Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life was established by Pope Francis on 15 August 2016 with the Motu Proprio ‘Sedula Mater’ that describes the responsibilities and functions that previously pertained to the Pontifical Council for the Laity and the Pontifical Council for the Family,” the Vatican stated.
Amongst new Cardinals appointed into new Dicasteries were Cardinal Robert McElroy of San Diego who will equally serve as a member of the Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life, as well as the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.
Cardinal Arthur Roche of Britain, the prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, was named a member of the dicasteries for Evangelization, for Bishops and for Culture and Education.
Pope Francis named Korean Cardinal Lazarus You Heung-sik, prefect of the Dicastery for Clergy, as a member of the dicasteries for Evangelization, for Bishops and for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.
He also appointed new members to the following dicasteries:
Dicastery for Evangelization: Cardinals Filipe Neri Ferrão of Goa, India; and Giorgio Marengo, apostolic prefect of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
Dicastery for Bishops: Cardinals Jean-Marc Aveline of Marseille, France; and Oscar Cantoni of Como, Italy.
Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life: Cardinals Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, president of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State; Leonardo Ulrich Steiner of Manaus, Brazil; and Virgílio do Carmo da Silva of Dili, East Timor.
Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life: Cardinals Peter Ebere Okpaleke of Ekwulobia, Nigeria; and William Goh Seng Chye of Singapore.
Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity: Cardinals Paulo Cezar Costa of Brasília, Brazil; and Richard Kuuia Baawobr of Wa, Ghana.
Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development: Cardinal Anthony Poola of Hyderabad, India.
Pontifical Commission for Latin America: Cardinals Paulo Cezar Costa of Brasília, Brazil; and Adalberto Martínez Flores of Asunción, Paraguay.
