The Catholic Church in Nigeria is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope, the curia in Rome, and the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria (CBCN). Pope Francis raised 13 new cardinals to the highest rank in the Catholic hierarchy Saturday and immediately warned the churchmen during a ceremony marked from beginning to end by the coronavirus pandemic not to use their titles for corrupt, personal … After ordination, Father Arinze remained in Rome, earning a master's in theology in 1959 and doctorate in 1960. Onaiyekan, John Olorunfemi (76), Cardinal-Priest of S. Saturnino and Metropolitan Archbishop emeritus of Abuja : Archbishops (15) Abegunrin, Gabriel ’Leke (74), Metropolitan Archbishop of Ibadan : Akubeze, Augustine Obiora (64), Metropolitan Archbishop of Benin City and President of Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria The present president of the CBCN as of 2020 is Augustine Obiora Akubeze, Archbishop of Benin city, who was preceded by the Archbishop of Jos Catholic Diocese, Ignatius Kaigama. Pope Francis has created 13 new cardinals, including a first African-American Archbishop from Washington, putting his personal stamp on the body that will one day choose his successor. He … In 1955, he went to Rome to study theology at the Pontifical Urban University, where he ultimately earned a doctorate in sacred theology summa cum laude. Cindy Wooden in Rome contributed to this story. https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/27/world/archbishop-wilton-gregory-cardinal Zimmermann is editor of the Catholic Standard, newspaper of the Archdiocese of Washington. We Need Unity in the Catholic Church, Society, and Nations: Pope Francis. "He is very aware of racial injustices and white supremacy," Butler said, "and it's not just realizing what's going on here and how things have escalated. A cardinal (Latin: Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae cardinalis, literally "cardinal of the Holy Roman Church") is a leading bishop and prince of the College of Cardinals in the Catholic Church, appointed by the Pope for life.Cardinals' duties include participating in papal consistories, and in conclaves when the Holy See is vacant. Despite his own refugee status, Archbishop Arinze worked tirelessly for refugees, displaced persons, the sick and the hungry, offering support to priests and religious, and giving the faithful hope for the future. He passed over several archbishops who would traditionally become cardinals to promote Gregory. Anthea Butler, a scholar of religion at the University of Pennsylvania, said Francis' upbringing in Argentina, where he lived most of his life, gave him a window into racial attitudes in the Americas. "They are incapable of moving outside their own little world of interests.". Eventually, Arinze was transferred to London, where he attended the Institute of Education and graduated in 1964. Retired Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, His Eminence, Cardinal John Onaiyekan has played down calls for the disintegration of Nigeria. Before Francis chose Gregory as Archbishop of Washington last year, he also served as a bishop in Belleville, Illinois, and in Atlanta. The homes and businesses of the people had been devastated, and the already poor region was sinking deeper into poverty. He has been the Cardinal Bishop of Velletri-Segni since 2005. On 23 November 1958, at the chapel of the university, Arinze was ordained to the priesthood by Gregorio Pietro Agagianian, pro-prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith (Propaganda Fide). Francis Arinze was still Archbishop of Onitsha when the Nigeria-Biafra war ended in 1970. The Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Church in Rwanda, Msgr. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, two of the bishops were not in Rome for the ceremony, another first in church history. Laurean Rugambwa (July 12, 1912 – December 8, 1997) was the first modern native African Cardinal of the Catholic Church. The first Catholic priest in the region, John Cross Anyogu was ordained by Shanahan in 1930. Bishop Shannahan described Eastern Nigerians as “natural Catholics”. With the world’s cardinals assembled there to elect a new pope, Catholic leaders in Nigeria say they are hoping the next man in charge holds on to … The first Catholic Mass in the English-speaking colonies was celebrated at St. Clement’s Island in 1634. The new Archbishop did not have much time to settle into his office before the Nigeria-Biafra War broke out. "It's not about the structures of the church, it's about the mistakes, the awful bad judgments that the church made in not focusing on the people that had been harmed," Gregory told CNN this week. Antoine Kambanda, has been elevated to the level of cardinal by Pope Francis. [6] He is also the author of several books along with a complete "Consecration and Truth Catechetical Program" for children and adults. Arinze was one of the principal advisors to Pope John Paul II and was considered papabile before the 2005 papal conclave, which elected Pope Benedict XVI. A convert from an African traditional religion,[2] he was baptized on his ninth birthday (1 November 1941) by Father Michael Tansi, who was beatified by John Paul II in 1998. Cardinal John Henry Newman, a renowned 19th-century Anglican convert and leading Victorian intellectual, is set to become the first English Catholic saint … The Catholic Church does not tell bishops beforehand that they'll be promoted to cardinal, so Gregory heard the news from a friend on October 25, the day the Pope made the announcement from Rome. He attended the final session of the Second Vatican Council in that same year. ", Pope Francis condemns death of George Floyd, calls US unrest 'disturbing', book-length interview published on Monday, The disturbing truths in the new Vatican scandal report. Most of the hope for an African pope is currently centered on Francis Cardinal Arinze of Nigeria, 73. He also received honours in this capacity: On 24 October 1999 he received a gold medallion from the International Council of Christians and Jews for his outstanding achievements in inter-faith relations. Read Bishop Michael F. Burbidge's statement on Archbishop Gregory being named a cardinal. WASHINGTON (CNS) — To Father Robert Boxie III, the Catholic chaplain at Howard University in Washington, the naming of Washington’s archbishop “as a cardinal is huge, it’s historic.” On Nov. 28, Pope Francis elevated 13 new cardinals from around the world to the College of Cardinals … He also moved Augustine Tolton, who died in 1897 after becoming the. On Saturday, Gregory stepped out of his quarters and into history, becoming the Catholic Church’s first African American cardinal during an installation ceremony in Rome. He became Archbishop of Onitsha on 26 June 1967. He was appointed titular bishop of Fissiana and named Coadjutor to the Archbishop of Onitsha, Nigeria. 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