Reflecting on his work there from 2007 to 2012, he said he sought to strengthen African representation at the Holy See.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince my time in 2007 to 2012, the number of African ambassadors to the Holy See, the resident in Rome, has more than doubled,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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Archbishop Encourages Visit to Shrine of Our Lady of Sorrows in Kibeho<\/p>\n
Archbishop Nwachukwu also encouraged participants at the SIGNIS World Congress to visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Sorrows in Kibeho<\/a>, the Rwandan site associated with reported apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Recalling when he first heard about Kibeho, the Catholic Archbishop said he wondered what the Virgin Mary looked like.<\/p>\n \u201cWas she like an Australian? Or was she like a Norwegian? White, blue-eyed, long, flowing golden hairs? Or was she like an African?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n Antoine Cardinal Kambanda<\/a>, Local Ordinary of Kigali Catholic Archdiocese<\/a>, responded by explaining how the young women associated with the Kibeho apparitions described Mary.<\/p>\n According to Cardinal Kambanda, when the girls were asked whether Mary was white, black or Asian, they answered no.<\/p>\n Instead, they described her as possessing extraordinary beauty that brought together the beauty of different peoples.<\/p>\n Archbishop Nwachukwu reflected on the response by noting that even within Africa, people have different complexions.<\/p>\n \u201cMary 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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
![\"Jude](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/jude-atemanke_1647470026.jpg\")