Bishop Kukah Receives Prestigious Vatican Appointment to Human Development Council

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Pope Leo IV has appointed Matthew Hassan Kukah, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, to the Council of the Dicastery for Integral Human Development in Vatican City.

The announcement was made in a statement on Tuesday by Fr. Pascal Salifu, Director of Communications for the Sokoto Diocese. Bishop Kukah was officially informed through a letter from the Pope, signed by Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

Under this five-year appointment, Bishop Kukah will serve alongside leading Catholic figures worldwide, including Robert Walter McElroy, Matteo Zuppi, Konrad Krajewski, and Fulgence Muteba Mugalu.

The Dicastery for Integral Human Development focuses on global social concerns guided by Catholic teachings, including human rights, migration, environmental protection, and social ethics.

Bishop Kukah’s Vatican service is extensive. He was first appointed to the council in 2022 during its reconstitution by Pope Francis. Earlier, he served on the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue from 1996, appointed by Pope John Paul II and renewed in 2005 by Pope Benedict XVI.

He was also part of the Vatican delegation to Qatar in 2005 when it established diplomatic relations with the Holy See. In 2018, he joined the Advisory Board of the King Abdullah International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (KAICIID), serving until 2025.

Expressing gratitude for the appointment, Bishop Kukah described it as a privilege. He emphasized that the role aligns with his pastoral and academic interests and pledged to contribute to promoting Catholic values in addressing contemporary social and moral challenges worldwide.