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.
βPope Francisβ 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 Francisβ Praedicate Evangelium,β he said.
Msgr Ekpo is undersecretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development but previously served in Brisbane archdiocese, including as Archbishop Mark Coleridgeβs master of ceremonies and pastoral assistant, before his appointments in Rome.
He said he missed working in parishes and hoped to return someday.
βHaving said that, working in the Roman Curia has helped to deepen my understanding of my priestly calling and ministry,β he said.
βThe 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.
βThis is both a privilege and a great responsibility.
βThe personality and style of the present pontiff has also enriched my understanding of the priesthood.
βI see in him a servant leader.β
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 βwithout a second thoughtβ.
βHeβs always thinking about others β so much so that sometimes he forgets that heβs Pope,β he said.
βI have never seen such radical simplicity and humility, and it inspires me.β
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.
βRome is a great city of many layers,β he said.
βUnfortunately, because of the nature of my work, I havenβt had time to explore it as I would like to.
βBut Rome has afforded me the rare opportunity to see how the Church works at the universal level, an experience that has changed my life.β
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 βPope Francisβ emphasis on evangelisation as the chief mission of the Curia, with synodality and subsidiarity as its operating principlesβ.
He said that went βalongside a simple explanation of the similarities and differences between the Roman Curia, the Vatican City State, and the Holy Seeβ.
He said it was a βdynamic moment in the life of the Roman Curiaβ 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
