“Your vision of the synodal dynamic must take into account both Clerics and lay people,” the Archbishop of Abidjan said, and continued, “Remember that before you are a Bishop, you are baptized, a baptized person who shares the same dignity as all other baptized persons.”
He went on to caution the Bishop-elect against the temptation to “neglect the gift you've received, the one given to you according to prophecy, when the Council of Elders laid hands on you.”
The Ivorian Cardinal who started his Episcopal Ministry in September 2001 as Archbishop of Gagnoa told the Bishop-elect that his new ministry will not be “an easy one and the burden may never be light.”
“At times, you may feel as if your head has been cut off like John the Baptist's. But remember Jesus' words: Take heart. I have conquered,” he said.
Until his appointment as Bishop for Katiola Diocese on May 13, Mons. Dakpa had been serving as judge of the first instance of the Diocesan Tribunal of St. Pedro and Secretary General of the Catholic University of West Africa (UCAO/UUA).
The native of the Archdiocese of Gagnoa who will turn 54 on July 30 was ordained a Priest for the same Metropolitan See in December 1998 after completing his Priestly studies at St. Cœur de Marie Major Seminary of Anyama.
In his July 15 homily, Cardinal Kutwa urged members of the Clergy in Katiola Diocese to welcome their new Bishop “as a gift from God, to whom you will pledge obedience.”
“Obedience is not a disciplinary attribute, but the strongest characteristic of the bonds that unite us in communion,” he said, and added, “In this case, obeying the Bishop means learning to listen and remembering that no one can claim to have God's will. It can only be understood through discernment.”
Members of the Clergy, Cardinal Kutwa said, need to minister closely with their Local Ordinary, because “proximity helps break down any temptation to close up.”
He implored, “May the Father bless you, guide you, and give you courage and strength as you lead the people of God in Katiola Diocese.”
