Anthony Olubunmi Okogie (born 16 June 1936) is a Nigerian

Cardinal Priest A cardinal is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. As titular members of the clergy of the Diocese of Rome, they serve as advisors to the pope, who is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. Ca ...

and Archbishop Emeritus of Lagos in the Roman Catholic Church.

Biography

Born in Lagos,

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

, Okogie was born to a royal family of

Uromi Uromi is a town in northeastern Esan, an ethnic group in Central Edo state, Nigeria. At various points in Uromi's history, the town and people have been known for their resilience and strength. The people of Uromi, led by Agba N'Ojie resisted ...

Edo State Edo State, Edo, officially known as Edo State, is a States of Nigeria, state in the South South, South-South Geopolitical zones of Nigeria, geopolitical zone of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. As of 2024, the state was ranked as the List of Ni ...

. His parents were Prince Michael Okojie - who was himself a son of King Ogbidi Okojie of Uromi - and Lucy Adunni Okojie (née Afolabi). His father was Esan and his mother was Yoruba. Okogie was ordained priest on 11 December 1966. He holds a licentiate in sacred theology, and had planned to study in Rome, but was called to Nigeria where he was a curate at the Holy Cross Cathedral. He was drafted into the Nigerian army, and served there as a chaplain. After another period of service at Holy Cross Cathedral, he was an instructor at King's College. In 1971, he was consecrated Titular Bishop of Mascula and Auxiliary of Oyo, and in 1973 named archbishop. As archbishop, Okogie was president of the

Christian Association of Nigeria The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) is an umbrella organisation containing numerous Christian denominations in Nigeria. History The Christian Association of Nigeria was founded in 1976, and originally only contained the Catholic Church a ...

, and from 1994 to 2000 headed the Bishops' Conference of Nigeria. Cardinal Okogie volunteered to die in place of a Muslim woman who had been condemned to death by stoning by an Islamic court for adultery. He was proclaimed Cardinal by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

in the

consistory Consistory is the anglicized form of the consistorium, a council of the closest advisors of the Roman emperors. It can also refer to: *A papal consistory, a formal meeting of the Sacred College of Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church *Consistor ...

of 21 October 2003, and holds the title of Cardinal Priest of ''Santa Maria del Monte Carmelo a Mostacciano'' (or in English Blessed Virgin Mary of Mt. Carmel of Mostacciano). During his cardinalate, Okogie was one of the cardinal electors who participated in the

2005 papal conclave A papal conclave was held on 18 and 19 April 2005 to elect a new pope to succeed John Paul II, who had died on 2 April 2005. Of the 117 eligible cardinal electors, all but two attended. On the fourth ballot, the conclave elected Cardinal Josep ...

that selected

Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...

. Cardinal Okogie was also one of the cardinal electors who participated in the

2013 papal conclave A papal conclave was held on 12 and 13 March 2013 to elect a new pope to succeed Benedict XVI, who had resigned on 28 February 2013. Of the 117 eligible Cardinal electors in the 2013 papal conclave, cardinal electors, all but two attended. On th ...

that elected

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

. During the opening day of the 2013 conclave, Cardinal Okogie was notable in that he was the one cardinal who was in a wheelchair during most of the proceedings, standing up only when it came time for him to walk towards the gospels and make the cardinal electors' oath. During the procession and entry into the conclave, Cardinal Okogie was the one cardinal from the

Latin church The Latin Church () is the largest autonomous () particular church within the Catholic Church, whose members constitute the vast majority of the 1.3 billion Catholics. The Latin Church is one of 24 Catholic particular churches and liturgical ...

who did not wear the

mozzetta The mozzetta (, plural ''mozzette''; derived from almuce) is a short elbow-length sartorial vestment, a cape that covers the shoulders and is buttoned over the frontal breast area. It is worn over the rochet or cotta as part of choir dress by ...

. His resignation from the pastoral governance of the see of Lagos because of having reached the age limit of 75 years was accepted on 25 May 2012.

Views

Condoms

In 2007, he condemned the government approval of a condom factory.

Celibacy

Cardinal Okogie has defended the Catholic Church's laws on celibacy for Catholic priests.

American culture

Okogie has been critical of American culture but continues to pray for the country and it's citizens.

References

External links

* *, catholic-pages.com. Accessed 12 March 2024. {{DEFAULTSORT:Okogie, Anthony Olubumni 1936 births Living people Nigerian cardinals Nigerian Roman Catholics 20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Nigeria 21st-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Nigeria Roman Catholic archbishops of Lagos Christian Association of Nigeria presidents Cardinals created by Pope John Paul II Yoruba Christian clergy Roman Catholic bishops of Oyo Wheelchair users