Anthony Olubunmi Okogie (born 16 June 1936) is a Nigerian Cardinal Priest and Archbishop Emeritus of Lagos in the Roman Catholic Church.

Biography

Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Okogie was born to a royal family of Uromi in

Edo State Edo, commonly known as Edo State, is a state located in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria. As of 2006 National population census, the state was ranked as the 24th populated state (3,233,366) in Nigeria, However there was controversy ...

. His parents were Prince Michael Okojie - who was himself a son of King

Ogbidi Okojie Ogbidi Okojie, Onojie (king) of Uromi (1857 – 3 February 1944), was a ruler of the Esan people in what is now Edo State in Nigeria, still remembered for his opposition to British rule. Biography According to Uromi lore, he was born in the ...

of Uromi - and Mrs Lucy Adunni Okojie (née Afolabi). His father was Esan and his mother was

Yoruba The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...

. 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 King's College or The King's College refers to two higher education institutions in the United Kingdom: *King's College, Cambridge, a constituent of the University of Cambridge *King's College London, a constituent of the University of London It ca ...

. In 1971, he was consecrated Titular Bishop of Mascula and Auxiliary of

Oyo Oyo can refer to: Places Nigeria * Oyo Empire, a former Yoruba state that covered parts of Nigeria and Benin, or the capital city * Oyo State, a present-day state of Nigeria named after the Oyo Empire * Oyo, Oyo State, a city founded in the 18 ...

, and in 1973 named archbishop. As Archbishop, Okogie was the 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 an ...

, 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 in the consistory 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 A cardinal ( la, Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae cardinalis, literally 'cardinal of the Holy Roman Church') is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are created by the ruling pope and typically hold the title for life. Col ...

who participated in the

2005 papal conclave The 2005 papal conclave was convened to elect a new pope following the death of Pope John Paul II on 2 April 2005. After his death, the cardinals of the Catholic Church who were in Rome met and set a date for the beginning of the conclave to elec ...

that selected Pope Benedict XVI. Cardinal Okogie was also one of the

who participated in the

2013 papal conclave The 2013 papal conclave was convened to elect a pope to succeed Pope Benedict XVI following his resignation on 28 February 2013. After the 115 participating cardinal-electors gathered, they set 12 March 2013 as the beginning of the conclave. On ...

that elected Pope Francis. 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 conclave, Cardinal Okogie was the one cardinal from the Latin church who did not wear the mozzetta. 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, especially as it relates to priestly vocations. He said "those people there, in the US, they don’t value anything any more. And how do you want priests to come from a place like that?”

References

External links

*
Biography at catholic-pages.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Okogie, Anthony Olubumni 1936 births Living people Nigerian cardinals 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 People from Lagos Yoruba Christian clergy Roman Catholic bishops of Oyo