Atlanta archbishop appointed to Synod for Africa

Vatican City, Sep 23, 2009 / 08:26 am

The Holy Father has appointed Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Atlanta as a member of the forthcoming Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops. The synod will be held at the Vatican from October 4-25, 2009.

Archbishop Gregory is the only American to be appointed to this assembly, which is the second Special Assembly for Africa, the first having been held by Pope John Paul II in 1994.

The archbishop, who sat on the U.S. Bishops' Committee on Liturgy from 1991-1993, has written prolifically on the liturgy, especially that of the African American community.

Although he is not an American, Spiritan Father Paulinus Ikechukwu Odozor, a moral theologian who is an associate professor at the University of Notre Dame, has been appointed as an expert for the synod.