John Onaiyekan

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Cardinal priest of San Saturnino (2012‍–‍present)
Personal details
Born
John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan

(1944-01-29) 29 January 1944 (age 80)
Kabba, Colonial Nigeria
Previous post(s)
  • Auxiliary Bishop of Ilorin (1982‍–‍1984)
  • Thunusuda
    (1982‍–‍1984)
  • Bishop of Ilorin (1984‍–‍1990)
  • Coadjutor Bishop of Abuja (1990‍–‍1992)
  • Bishop of Abuja (1992‍–‍1994)
  • President,symposium of Episcopal Conference of Africa and Madagascar (2004-2007)
  • Ahiara
    (2013‍–‍2018)
  • Member,
    Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
    (2013‍–‍)
  • Member,
    Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments
    (2016‍–‍)
MottoFiat Voluntas Tuo
(
Latin for 'Thy Will Be Done')
Coat of armsJohn Onaiyekan's coat of arms
Ordination history
History
Priestly ordination
Ordained byAuguste Delisle
Date3 August 1969
Episcopal consecration
Principal consecratorPope John Paul II
Co-consecrators
Date6 January 1983
PlaceSt. Peter's Basilica, Rome
Cardinalate
Elevated byPope Benedict XVI
Date24 November 2012
Episcopal succession
Bishops consecrated by John Onaiyekan as principal consecrator
Michael Ekwoy Apochi2003
Martin Dada Abejide Olorunmolu2006
Anselm Umoren2012
Godfrey Igwebuike Onah2013
Michael Gobal Gokum2014
Source(s):[1]

John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan[

cardinal in 2012. He has served as president of the Christian Association of Nigeria, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria and bishop of Ilorin
.

Education and early career

Onaiyekan was born in the town of Kabba, in what is now Kogi State, to Bartholomew and Joann Onaiyekan. He attended St. Mary's Catholic School in Kabba from 1949 until 1956, Mount St. Michael's Secondary School in Aliade, Benue State, from 1957 until 1962, and Ss. Peter & Paul Major Seminary in Bodija, Ibadan, from 1963 until 1965. He completed his religious studies in Rome in 1969 and was ordained as a priest on 3 August of that year by Bishop Auguste Delisle of Lokoja Diocese.[2] Ahmadu Bello, Premier of Nigeria's Northern Region, had offered him a scholarship to study abroad.[3]

Onaiyekan taught at

Sacred Scripture at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in 1973 and earned his doctorate in 1976.[2] He became Vice Rector of Ss. Peter & Paul in 1977.[2]

Church leader

In October 1980, Pope John Paul II named Onaiyekan to a five-year term on the International Theological Commission. In November, he joined the International Catholic/Methodist Dialogue Commission.[2]

Onaiyekan was appointed auxiliary bishop of

Archdiocese on 26 March 1994, Onaiyekan became its first archbishop.[2]

Onaiyekan was elected Vice-President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) in 1994 and President of that body in 2000.[2]

During the administration of Nigerian President

Pax Christi International's 2012 Peace Laureate.[7]

On 18 September 2012,

Synod of Bishops
on the New Evangelization.

He was created a

Cardinal-Priest he was assigned to the titular church of San Saturnino
.

On 31 January 2013,

Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) and a member of the Presidential Committee of the Pontifical Council for the Family
. He can hold these positions until his 80th birthday.

He was one of the

2013 papal conclave that elected Pope Francis.[8]

Pope Francis appointed Onaiyekan the

diocese of Ahiara in Imo State in eastern Nigeria on 3 July 2013.[9]

Pope Francis appointed him to a five-year renewable term as a member of the

Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments
in October 2016.

He won the election for the position of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) President on 19 June 2007 with 72 votes over Anglican Primate Peter Akinola who had 33 votes.[10][11] In 2010 he was succeeded by Ayo Oritsejafor.

Pope Francis accepted his resignation as Archbishop of Abuja on 9 November 2019.[12]

Honours

Works

  • "The Priesthood in Pre-monarchial Ancient Israel and among the Owe-Yoruba of Kabba: A Comparative Study", unpublished dissertation (1976)
  • "The shariah in Nigeria: a Christian view", Bulletin on Islam & Christian-Muslim Relations in Africa (1987)


References

  1. ^ "John Olorunfemi Cardinal Onaiyekan". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. 30 January 2023. Archived from the original on 16 October 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Archbishop's Page". Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja. Archived from the original on 11 September 2007. Retrieved 11 November 2007.
  3. Thisday online. Leaders & Company. Archived from the original
    on 27 December 2004. Retrieved 11 November 2007.
  4. ^ Acta Apostolicae Sedis (PDF). Vol. LXXV. 1983. p. 173. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 October 2017. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  5. ^ Acta Apostolicae Sedis (PDF). Vol. LXXVII. 1985. p. 88. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 August 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  6. ^ a b Allen Jr., John L. (26 November 2012). "Vatican consistory creating six cardinals packs global punch". National Catholic Reporter. Archived from the original on 6 January 2017. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  7. ^ "Archbishop Onaiyekan is 2012 Pax Christi peace laureate". Vatican News Service. Archived from the original on 6 January 2017. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  8. ^ "List of Cardinal Electors". Zenit. 12 March 2013. Archived from the original on 6 April 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  9. ^ "Rinunce e nomine". press.vatican.va. 3 July 2013. Archived from the original on 11 September 2015. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
  10. ^ "Onaiyekan is new CAN president". CBCN.org. Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria. 19 June 2007. Archived from the original on 20 July 2007. Retrieved 16 September 2007.
  11. AllAfrica Global Media. 30 July 2007. Archived
    from the original on 8 July 2008. Retrieved 13 September 2007.
  12. ^ "Resignations and Assignments, 09.11.2019" (Press release). Holy See Press Office. 9 November 2019. Archived from the original on 9 November 2019. Retrieved 9 November 2019.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to John Onaiyekan.
Wikiquote has quotations related to John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan.
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by
Concordio Maria Sarte
 — TITULAR —
Titular Bishop of Thunusuda

10 September 1982 – 20 October 1984 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Bishop of Ilorin
20 October 1984 – 7 July 1990 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Archbishop of Abuja
26 March 1994 – 9 November 2019 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Cardinal-Priest of San Saturnino
24 November 2012 – 		Incumbent
Religious titles
Preceded by President of the Christian Association of Nigeria
19 June 2007 – 5 July 2010 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Onaiyekan&oldid=1219660891"