…Says: It’s a continuation of God’s goodness to me
…It will add more to the pride of this country – CSN
From AIDOGHIE PAULINUS, Abuja
His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, yesterday appointed the Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan, a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. The elevation of the former President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) came amongst five others namely: James Michael Harvey (America), Bechara Boutros Rahi (Lebanon),
Baselios Cleemis (India), Ruben Salazar Gomez (Columbia) and Luis Antonio Tagle (Philippines), making Onaiyekan the only African amongst the six newly appointed cardinals. With his elevation, the Kabba, Kogi-State born Onaiyakan becomes the fourth Nigerian Cardinal after the late Dominic Cardinal Ekandem, Francis Cardinal Arinze and Anthony Cardinal Okogie. He will be joining the College of Cardinals in November, 2012.
The Supreme Pontiff had yesterday, at the end of the weekly general audience, said in a surprise announcement that he would be appointing cardinals in a consistory on November 24, the second consistory to be held this year. The appointment of the former President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) means that the 68-year-old prelate is now qualified under the Canon Law to be elected a pope and also join other cardinals, who are below the age of 80 in the election of a new pope. Onaiyekan, who is presently in Rome, told our correspondent in a telephone interview that first and foremost, the elevation is a continuation of God’s goodness to him. Hear the newly appointed cardinal:
“First and foremost, it is a continuation of God’s goodness to me. For so long, God has been good to me. So, it is God’s goodness. It means God’s free gift of grace and it is not as if one is receiving a reward for good action.” “Secondly, of course, I thank His Holiness, the Pope, because the Pope chooses his Cardinals according to his will. And I take it too as an encouragement to continue the good work, the work that we are trying to do in Abuja as an archbishop and part of the bishops of Nigeria.
“I will do my best too, to assist the Pope because that is part of the job of a Cardinal to be a close assistant to the Pope in his difficult task of ruling the Church all over the world. In other words, the bottom line is, thanks be to God.” On what his elevation signified for Nigeria, Onaiyekan said he did not know what he would say his elevation signified. He, however, said: “We do know that when Lagos as a diocese deserved to have a Cardinal because it is the first diocese in Nigeria, secondly,
Abuja is the capital of the biggest country in Africa. So, whoever is in Abuja, probably, one can say he deserves to be a Cardinal like the archbishops in the major cities of the world, which means that our country is being taken seriously even on the level of our Church. “Do not forget that we already had a cardinal in Rome for almost 30 years, Cardinal Arinze, who had done wonderful work for the universal Church. He is now getting close, almost 80 years of age. So, it is like he would no longer be in the frontline of things. But the rest of us will continue the work,” Onaiyekan said.
Also speaking, the Secretary-General of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN), Very Revd. Fr. Ralph Madu, said Onaiyekan’s elevation was good news to the CBCN, Nigeria, all those who love him and Africa. Madu said: “It is good news to the Conference; it is good news to the country, it is good news to all those, who love him and good news for Africa.” “He happens to be very prominent among them. If you look at the six of them, I think he is the only one from Africa.
It is a recognition of the Church in Nigeria also and the role we are playing in the universal Church. It will add more to the pride of this country. “You know they will be made Cardinals on November 24, in Rome. Essentially, it is a thing of joy for the entire nation.” Early life Born on January 29, 1944, Onaiyekan had his primary school education at home from 1949 to 1956 and in 1957, proceeded to Saint Michael’s Secondary School, Aliade, Benue State, where he studied till 1962.
Priestly formation Upon graduation in 1962, Onaiyekan started another phase of life with his decision to study for the Catholic Sacred Diaconate/Priesthood. Between January 1963 and June 1965, Onaiyekan studied philosophy at the prestigious Catholic Major Seminary of Saints Peter and Paul, Bodija, Ibadan. He thereafter went to Rome for the study of theology at the Pontifical Urban College of Propaganda, Fide, Rome, from September 1965 to June 1969. Priestly life Having fulfilled the requirements for the Catholic priesthood, Onaiyekan was ordained at Kabba, his home town, as it was the practice in those days on August 3, 1969. His first priestly assignments were school and parish work.
Higher studies In September 1971, till February 1973, Onaiyekan studied Scripture at the Pontifical Biblical Institute (Biblicum), Rome, and did his doctoral programme at the Pontifical Urban University, Rome, from February 1973 to January 1976. Ecclesiastical appointments *Rector, Saint Clement’s Minor Seminary, Lokoja (January 1966-August 1977). *Appointment as Vice Rector, Catholic Major Seminary of Saints Peter and Paul, Bodija, Ibadan, and teacher of Sacred Scripture and Fundamental Theology (September 1977). *Rector, Seminary of Saints Peter and Paul, Bodija,
Ibadan (1978). *Appointed Auxiliary Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Ilorin (November 1982) *Ordained Bishop in Saint Peter’s Basilica, Rome, by His Holiness, the late Pope John Paul 11 (January 6, 1983). *Appointed Residential Bishop of Ilorin (October 1984). Mission to Abuja *Appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Abuja (July 1990). *Became Bishop of Abuja (November 1992). *Promoted Archbishop with the elevation of the then Diocese of Abuja to archdiocesan status (March 1994).
Special Holy See (Vatican appointments) *Member of the International Theological Commission (1980-1985). *Member of the Methodist/Roman Catholic International Dialogue Commission (1981-1991). *Many times member of the Council of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops in the Vatican. *Member, Standing Committee of the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches (March 1991-June 2006). Honours *Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) (December 18, 2001).
*Grande Ufficiale (1 Classe): Ordine della Stella della Solidarieta Italiana conferred by President Carlo Ciampi (May 2003). Other posts held *President, CBCN (March 1999-March 2006). *President, CAN and Co-President of the Nigeria Inter-religious Council (June 2007). Areas of special interest *Sacred scriptures, fundamental questions of theology and in particular, the theology of non-Christian religions in the Nigerian context. *Onaiyekan is also deeply interested in the theological evaluation of African cultures, history and contemporary socio-economic issues amongst others.
Congrats my Bishop & Nigeria.
Proud to be associated with your elevation .
Congratulation to Cardinal Onaiyekan and Nigeria. This is very good for us all, am happy to be a Nigerian. May almighty God continue to guide you.
Congratulations my Bishop! I pray the GOOD LORD to grant u the strength, physical & spiritual, to continue shepherding the flock of his Sheep entrusted to u.
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It is a great honour 2 us.pray that ur elevation wil bring much favour 2 al africans alike.congrats.
Congratulations my Bishop! I pray the GOOD LORD to grant you the strength, physical and spiritual, to continue shepherding the Sheep of HIS Flock, and in HIS Vineyard.
Congratulation Africans! This is a GOOD OMEN for Nigeria with the present tribulations confronting the UNITY & PEACE of this country, JEHOVAH LOVE NIGERIA. Bishop John Onayekan is a symbol of religions harmony in Nigeria of so many religion sects with difference conflicting doctrines that reduces the POWER of the Gosple. Congratulations Nigerians
john cardinal onaiyekan congrats 2 u
Congrat my cardinal to be,may good lord guard ur steps toward archiving ur good words,spraying God’s words to human all over d world is not easy,but the almighty God dat kept u dis far will continue to guard ur ways. Amen and God Bless
Congratulations to His Eminence, John Cardinal Onaiyekan.
CONGRATULATIONS AFRICANS
Nice one my bishop. congratulations my amiable bishop.
Wow, i my God i tank u for Nigeria
Wow, i my God i tank u for Nigeria
Congrats bishop u are an inspiration to the Catholic church
Congrats His Eminence. God bless you!
Congrats ur Eminence John CARDINAL Onayeikan . Ȋ̝̊̅†’s an honor well deserved. May GOD give U d strength to function. D seat of d Pope is next.
congrats,my beloved cardinal.this an honor well deserve .i share with you because i heard prayed and foresaw it .God will continue to increase u from strength to strength .
May God who elevates u gives u grace for this task. Congrat to u and the nigeria church. We’re so glad.
congratulations to you my bishop and Nigeria. It’s a honor to us all. may God continue to guide your ways.
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Congratulation! anoda gud thin has come, we thanks God almight.
congrats John cardinal Onaiyekan…dis is just d start of greater things to come
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Africa/Nigerian take a bow!! Congratulations to his Eminence in particular and Nigerians in general.
Congrats to you dear servant of God. God bless Nigeria, God bless The Holy Roman Catholic Church. God bless us all.
Congrate my Cadinal to be, God will strenghting you the more. Is good news to Nigerians.
O boy i don’t understand ur point. Infact ur argument is incoherent. Are u saying that we should go back to african tradition religion. My brother come out of d dark corner and embrace light which is christ. Don’t use d evil practice of others as an excuse; run ur on race and save urself. Even ur father or mother can’t save u.
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Congratulation Cardinal John, and all Nigerian most especially Roman Catholic Church members.
My GOD tanks in heard about dis country u still love nigeria.de harvet is rich Lord provide more workers in ur vineyard.
Africa wen ar u going to be wise 4 once. fela kuti called us folow folow. Look beyond ur nose nd see wit wole soyinka who is maried to d religion of ancestral sacrednes of africa nd is now calling pple to move away frm whitemans religion. They hav anounced dis to us nd we ar jumpin up nd down tankin dem 4 alowin us com near but dey never published d eye sore dat hapened in vatican on oct 4th wen d personal asistance to d pope was imprisoned 4 8teen monts for speakin against d evil in d vatican. He accused d pope of financial coruption, homosexualism nd illuminati mashinery nd italians ar askin why was dat man imprisoned 4 revealing d secrete of d church while nothin was done against who comited d act. If u dont knw, europeans dont go to church again after reading a book by dan brown known as da vinci code which sold over 81milion copies in europe nd tank god dat book has recently been imported to nig nd sold @500 naira in most bookshops inside market go nd read dis book at all cost nd see d many lies about bible nd jesus which was only revealed by apostle tomas but d roman philosophers made sure it never reflected in d bible while writin it nd at d end dey told us is holy spirit whu wrote it nd we shuld not question any thing there. Ask urself if we tell oyibo pple to come with all dia money to oshogbo sacredness or ogun sacred shrine nd give it as ofering to african religion will dey not calculate d economic loss nd call it fetish nd dejected so u can abandon it nd they in turn will carry it to dia place nd develop science wit it nd made us to buy dem as phones etc am an igbo man but i agree wit fela nd wole soyinka tnx
Boy reason well don’t just talk because you want to talk. Do reason your reasoning. Those days ‘ve past of thinking like mad fellow
Congrats His Eminence
As i congratulate Cardinal Archbishop of Abuja…i should remind him to stay in the right side of history….Make sure the church is not tainted with nigerian politics and the Catholic church in Nigeria is cleaned from the immorality of the priest..which goes on everyday..priest molesting female parishioners and committing adultery…because if don’t,somebody from outside will and it will not look good on you and other bishops.Remember in US,it was the order of the day at a time,until it blew up and the church in US is still trying to recover from that.
Congratulations my bishop. God is your strength.
Congrats the Cardinal elect…Could this be the FIRST BLACK POPE????
May he who entrusted u by raisin u to dat throne continue to streighthen ur efford as u pilot his affairs..accept our heart fil of joy n happines once more congratulations
vertican city home of john olorunfemi.destine to be there. Que sera sera
The first african pope in d making,congrates……..
Congrats. U deserve it
Yes, our bishop is a CARDINAL,Nigeria is growing catholically.May the good lord guide and lead him to champion this course,AMEM.
Yes, papa John is a CARDINAL, it is an honour well deserved. Nigeria is growing catholically, may the good lord guide and lead him to champion this course. AMEM.
congrate my bishop may God continue to lead you
Congrats His Eminence John Cardinal Onaiyekan on your apointment as a catholic cardinal. You are a light to the nation.
Congrats His Eminence John Cardinal Onaiyekan on your apointment as a catholic cardinal. You are a light to the nation. We your people love.
congratulations !!! His eminence, may the Lord grant you more spiritual strength for the new assignment.
When human efforts fail, God takes over as we turn to Him in prayer and humility. Your elevation is a sign that He is ready to pull Nigeria out of her present state of “definite comatose”. May His name be glorified forever. Amen.
congrant 2 his holiness. am proud 2 b a nigerian an even more proud 2 b a catholic. Glory 2 jesus! Honour 2 Mary
Congratulation 2 u may GOD GV U D WISDOM AN GRACE 2 work 4 him..once more SAINT PATRICKZ PARISH:::IYAMOYOUNG Z SAYin a veri big congratz 2 u.: I U AL CATHOLICZ..
Congratulation 2 u may GOD GV U D WISDOM AN GRACE 2 work 4 him..once more SAINT PATRICKZ PARISH:::IYAMOYOUNG Z SAYin a veri big congratz 2 u.: I lv U AL CATHOLICZ..
Few months ago, l told my friends dt Nigeria is going to get a new Cardinal in d person of Archbishop John Onayeikan of Abuja. This is my logicality – 2 cardinals came 4m d East & 1 4m d Weast d4, d next will be 4m one of d Archdioceses in the North. Congratulation to u the Cardinal in waiting. May the God who called u to His vineyard give u d strenght to carry out ur new task.
Our African Pope to be by Gods grace
Congrates our cardinal-elect, d joy of d lord will be ur strenght. We believe in d holy spirit, d holy catholic church, d communion of d saints, d forgivenss of sins, d resurrection of d body & life everlasting Amen. Catholic for live.
Leo, you are crazy!
Wao! I read the news from Vatican Information Service. It was pleasant. Long I had really expected it. God’s time, they say, is the best.
We pray for this humble and wise servant of God to be a huge success in the cardinalate. Congrats, Archbishop John. You have made us joyful.
Grace upon you!
My dear would- be Cardinal John iam happy with you.It is only the sky will be your limitation.Keep the flag flying.May God continues to be with you.Kudos