New Zealand’s Catholic bishops are again stressing the importance of bishops to the Palmerston North and Hamilton dioceses.
At their November meeting the bishops re-emphasised the need for two bishops to the Pope’s diplomatic representative to New Zealand, His Excellency, Archbishop Novatus Rugambwa (pictured).
New Zealand bishops are appointed through the Dicastery for Evangelisation headed by Cardinal Luis Tagle.
Rugambwa is the intermediary in New Zealand who recommends suitable and worthy candidates to Tagle.
Once a suitable and worthy candidate is found, Tagle recommends his name to Pope Francis to make the appointment.
Rugambwa, who has recently returned to New Zealand from Rome, was a distinguished guest at the opening session of the bishops’ November meeting. He shared the Pope’s greetings and blessings with them and the people under their pastoral care.
They in turn, spoke plainly of their concern about the bishopless state of both the Palmerston North and Hamilton dioceses.
After the unscheduled resignation of Charles Drennan, the Palmerston North diocese has been without a bishop for more than three years.
The Hamilton diocese has been without a bishop for nearly a year. On December 17, 2021 then Hamilton bishop, Steve Lowe, was appointed Bishop of Auckland.
At his installation as Bishop of Auckland in March, Lowe thanked Rugambwa for his presence.
“Can I please ask you to work hard to find a great bishop for Hamilton? I think Palmerston North and Christchurch are looking for one too,” he remarked to laughter in the congregation.
In the meantime, Auxilary Bishop Michael Gielen was translated from Auckland and installed as bishop of Christchurch.
In early November, Lowe, Secretary of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference, commented that it takes a long time to appoint a bishop.
Lowe was responding to a piece in the international publication The Pillar, where Luke Coppen suggested the Vatican has forgotten about New Zealand’s need to find two bishops.
Pointing the finger for the delay at Rugambwa, Coppen suggested Rugambwa might have a different model of Church than is commonly accepted in New Zealand.
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