Pope
Benedict XVI yesterday in Rome, Italy, announced the appointment of Archbishop
John Onaiyekan of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja as a Cardinal-elect.
Bishop
Emmanuel Badejo of the Oyo Diocese and Chairman, Social Communications
Committee, Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, (CBCN) confirmed the
appointment in an e-mail sent to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
Badejo,
who is currently attending a conference alongside other bishops and lay
faithful in Rome, said that the Pope would formally inaugurate the new
cardinals-elect on November 24 in Rome.
He
disclosed that five other Cardinals were appointment, including Archbishop
James Michael Harvey, Prefect of the Pontifical Household; His Beatitude
Bechara Boutros Rai, Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites (Lebanon).
Others
are His Beatitude Baselios Cleemis Thottunkal, Major Archbishop of Trivandrum
of the Syro-Malankars (India); Archbishop Ruben Salazar Gomez, Archbishop of
Bogotá (Colombia); and Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle, Archbishop of Manila
(Philippines).
NAN
reports that Cardinals have the task of helping the Pope who is usually Apostle
Peter’s successor carry out his mission.
NAN
also recalls that it is from the College of Cardinals that a new Pope is
usually elected after the death of the incumbent.
Cardinals
below the age of 80 are eligible to vote and be voted for during the election
of a new pope.
NAN
reports that before now, the Catholic Church in Nigeria had produced three
Cardinals including, the late Dominic Cardinal Ekandem, Francis Cardinal Arinze
and Anthony Cardinal Okogie.
Both
Arinze and Okogie had resigned after they had attained 75 years, the age set
for cardinals, archbishops and bishops to retire from their pastoral care, as
head of their dioceses.
It
would also be recalled that the two Cardinals were appointment by late Pope
John Paul II.
While
Arinze was appointed in April, 1985, Okogie, on his part was appointed in Oct.
2003.
Meanwhile,
President Goodluck Jonathan has congratulated Bishop Onaiyekan on his
elevation.
Jonathan
believed that Onaiyekan’s elevation to the highest echelon of the Catholic
Church by the Pope clearly showed that the exemplary diligence, dedication and
commitment with which he has gone about his labours in the Lord’s vineyard
since his ordination in 1969 has been recognised and appreciated.
In
a statement issued yesterday by his Special Adviser on Media and Pubicity, Dr.
Reuben Abati, the President noted that with Onaiyekan’s elevation, Nigeria now
has three members of the most eminent and distinguished College of Catholic
Cardinals