The basilica, therefore, stands as a witness not only to the presence of the Catholic Church in Africa but also to the efforts of African leaders to challenge the slave trade.
“Therefore, that basilica has its importance as a witness to the presence of the church in black Africa and the efforts of the kings of Africa to fight the transatlantic slave trade,” he said.
The Vatican official, who also serves as the representative of the Holy See to the United Nations and Specialized Institutions in Geneva following his December 2021 appointment, said he became more familiar with Nvunda’s story during his service as head of protocol at the Vatican Secretariat of State.
Reflecting on his work there from 2007 to 2012, he said he sought to strengthen African representation at the Holy See.
“Since my time in 2007 to 2012, the number of African ambassadors to the Holy See, the resident in Rome, has more than doubled,” he said.
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Archbishop Encourages Visit to Shrine of Our Lady of Sorrows in Kibeho
Archbishop Nwachukwu also encouraged participants at the SIGNIS World Congress to visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Sorrows in Kibeho, the Rwandan site associated with reported apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
He said he had hoped to visit the site during his stay in Rwanda but would be leaving early the following day for another conference.
Recalling when he first heard about Kibeho, the Catholic Archbishop said he wondered what the Virgin Mary looked like.
“Was she like an Australian? Or was she like a Norwegian? White, blue-eyed, long, flowing golden hairs? Or was she like an African?” he asked.
Antoine Cardinal Kambanda, Local Ordinary of Kigali Catholic Archdiocese, responded by explaining how the young women associated with the Kibeho apparitions described Mary.
According to Cardinal Kambanda, when the girls were asked whether Mary was white, black or Asian, they answered no.
Instead, they described her as possessing extraordinary beauty that brought together the beauty of different peoples.
Archbishop Nwachukwu reflected on the response by noting that even within Africa, people have different complexions.
“Mary could not just be one colour. She had to be a sum total of all of them. And that is why she is the mother of all of us,” he said.
Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.