WORKING in Rome has been a life-changing experience, former Brisbane priest Monsignor Anthony Ekpo has said in an interview about his latest book, The Roman Curia: History, Theology, and Organisation.
Msgr Ekpo started on the book after he discovered how much confusion there was around what the Roman Curia was and how it worked.
“Pope Francis’ reform of the Roman Curia gave me the encouraging nudge I needed to begin my research, or what would later become the first comprehensive treatment in English on the reforms enacted by Pope Francis’ Praedicate Evangelium,” he said.
Msgr Ekpo is undersecretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development but previously served in Brisbane archdiocese, including as Archbishop Mark Coleridge’s master of ceremonies and pastoral assistant, before his appointments in Rome.
He said he missed working in parishes and hoped to return someday.
“Having said that, working in the Roman Curia has helped to deepen my understanding of my priestly calling and ministry,” he said.
“The work we do is often hidden, but it is always in the service of the pastoral ministry of the Holy Father as the pastor of the Universal Church.
“This is both a privilege and a great responsibility.
“The personality and style of the present pontiff has also enriched my understanding of the priesthood.
“I see in him a servant leader.”
He said if Pope Francis was in a room with others and did not have enough water to go around, he would offer it to others first “without a second thought”.
“He’s always thinking about others – so much so that sometimes he forgets that he’s Pope,” he said.
“I have never seen such radical simplicity and humility, and it inspires me.”
Msgr Ekpo, who arrived in Brisbane from his home country of Nigeria in 2007, left for Rome in 2015 for study and went on to work in the curia.
“Rome is a great city of many layers,” he said.
“Unfortunately, because of the nature of my work, I haven’t had time to explore it as I would like to.
“But Rome has afforded me the rare opportunity to see how the Church works at the universal level, an experience that has changed my life.”
Msgr Ekpo said he hoped readers of his new book would come away with an appreciation for the innovations of Praedicate Evangelium, including the power of governance and the role of laypeople in the Roman Curia.
He also wanted to share “Pope Francis’ emphasis on evangelisation as the chief mission of the Curia, with synodality and subsidiarity as its operating principles”.
He said that went “alongside a simple explanation of the similarities and differences between the Roman Curia, the Vatican City State, and the Holy See”.
He said it was a “dynamic moment in the life of the Roman Curia” and his latest book would be useful for curial officials, seminarians, ambassadors, journalists, academics, professors, theology students, canon law students and more.
To find out more about his latest book, visit: https://www.amazon.com.au/Roman-Curia-History-Theology-Organization/dp/1647124352
