The Bishop of the Diocese of Mamfe Rt Rev Dr Andrew Nkea Fuanya has been elected into the Ordinary Council of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops. The 16 prelates elected recently as members of the Ordinary Council of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops, an influential group responsible for the preparation of the next synod, include some well-known names and a larger representation from Africa and Asia than in the past.
The council whose total number of members has been enlarged from 15-21, includes eight from Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Among those elected are cardinals Joseph Tobin of Newark, Maung Bo of Yangon, Myanmar and Bishop Andrew Nkea Fuanya of Mamfe-Cameroon, a rising star whose clear defense of the Church’s teaching during the Synod caught many people’s attention.
The full list of elected names: Africa- Cardinal Dieudonne Nzapalainga , Arch Bishop of Bangui, Central African Republic; Arcbishop Gabriel Mbilingi of Lubango, Angola; Bishop Andrew Nkea Fuanya of Mamfe, Cameroon- Middle East- Syriac Patriarch Ignace Joseph III Younan of Antioch and all the East- Latin America; Bishop Jaime Calderon of Tapachula, Mexico; Cardinal Sergio da Rocha of Brasilia, Brazil; Cardinal Daniel Fernando Sturla Berthouet of Montevideo, Uruguay; North America- Cardinal Gerald Lacroix of Quebec, Canada; Cardinal Joseph tobin of Newark, New Jersey, USA; Asia-Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila, Philippines; Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Mumbia, India; Cardinal Maung Bo of Yangon, Myanmar; Europe- Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn of Vienna, Austria; Archbishop Matteo Zuppi of Bologna, Italy; Cardinal Juan Jose Omella of Bacelona, Spain; Oceania: Archbishop Anthony Fisher of Sydney, Australia.
The General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops should be underscore is a permanent institution in service of the Synod, and established as a connection between the various Synodal assemblies. It is tasked with carrying out the directives of the Roman Pontiff and to communicate to him all matters related to the Synod of Bishops and to prepare the work of the Council of the Secretariat and to serve as moderator at the meetings, amongst others.
