Can Cardinal Sarah shake the Vatican like Bernadette did?

COMMENT | PATRICK OYULU |   Say what you will about Field Marshal Alhaji Doctor Idi Amin Dada (and most history books have), but in 1975, the man did something that shocked both the diplomatic corps and the cassocked corridors of the Vatican: he sent a woman.

Yes, a woman — 27-year-old Bernadette Olowo  — to represent Uganda at the Holy See. In doing so, he shattered a 900-year-old tradition of male-only diplomacy to the Vatican. And not with a whisper, but with all the audacity of a man who once gave himself every military title short of Archangel.

Rome gasped. The Curia blinked. Cardinals likely clutched their rosaries. But Pope Paul VI -perhaps foreseeing that the Holy Spirit is not a respecter of patriarchies -welcomed her. On January 24, 1975, Bernadette, cloaked in black and gold elegance, stepped into the Vatican’s ornate halls and into history, becoming the first woman ambassador to the Holy See.

The Vatican’s official response? “She will be held to the same rules as men.” Which is ecclesiastical code for: “We weren’t ready, but here we are.”

Now, nearly 50 years later, the question is flipped. With the death of Pope Francis , eyes are on the conclave. And this time, Africa isn’t sending a woman to shake the Vatican – it’s offering three princes of the Church who might just lead it: Cardinal Peter Turkson (Ghana), Cardinal Robert Sarah (Guinea), and Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo (DRC).

Can Cardinal Sarah, known for his unshakable orthodoxy and quiet fire, be the Vatican’s next great disruptor -not by breaking windows, but by opening doors long thought sealed? After all, it wasn’t stilettos that made Bernadette formidable -it was her presence, her dignity, her ability to walk into the world’s most patriarchal enclave and act like she belonged. (And yes, sometimes history wears heels. Even if the Devil wears Prada.)

Can Cardinal Sarah shake the Vatican like Bernadette Did?

Say what you will about Field Marshal Alhaji Doctor Idi Amin Dada (and most history books have), but in 1975, the man did something that shocked both the diplomatic corps and the cassocked corridors of the Vatican: he… pic.twitter.com/KYxXKYJfKF

— Patrick Oyulu (@OyuluPatrick) April 23, 2025

Unlike Bernadette, Sarah wouldn’t need papal permission to enter the Vatican -he already lives inside its spiritual engine room. But like her, he would have to embody disruption, grace, and a courage that doesn’t simply break rules, but resets expectations.

Perhaps having a Pope who understands hunger -not just metaphorically -but in the flesh, who knows what it means to pray in a thatched chapel while dodging real rain, not just metaphorical doubt, is the spiritual reckoning the Church needs.

Because Bernadette’s journey showed us that change doesn’t always come dressed in dogma. Sometimes, it arrives in high heels and confidence. Now, it may come in red robes and an African accent.

Either way, history is watching. And this time, it just might say “AMEN!”

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ADAPTED FROM TWITTER | The writter is a Public Health Specialist  |  @OyuluPatrick CLICK FOR LINK

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