| Styles of Anthony Olubumni Okogie |
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|---|---|
| Reference style | His Eminence |
| Spoken style | Your Eminence |
| Informal style | Cardinal |
| See | Lagos |
Anthony Olubunmi Okogie (born 16 June 1936) is a Nigerian prelate, Cardinal Priest and Archbishop of Lagos in the Roman Catholic Church.
Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Okogie was born to a royal family of Uromi in Edo State. His father was Esan and his mother was Yoruba. Okogie was ordained as a 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 pastoral assistant at the Holy Cross Cathedral. After being drafted into the Nigerian army, where he was a chaplain. After another period of service at Holy Cross Cathedral, he was an instructor at King's College.
In 1971, he was ordained titular Bishop of Mascula and Auxiliary of Oyo, and in 1973 named Archbishop. As Archbishop, Okogie was the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, 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.[1]</ref>
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 who participated in the 2005 papal conclave that selected Pope Benedict XVI.
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In 2007, he condemned the government approval of a condom factory. [1]
Cardinal Okogie has defended the Catholic Church's laws on celibacy for Catholic priests. [2]
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?” [3]
| Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Francis Anani Kofi Lodonu |
Titular Bishop of Mascula 1971 – 1973 |
Succeeded by Jan Bernard Szlaga |
| Preceded by John Kwao Amuzu Aggey |
Metropolitan Archbishop of Lagos 1973 – Present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Preceded by Gabriel Gonsum Ganaka |
President of Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria 1988 – 1994 |
Succeeded by Albert Kanene Obiefuna |
| Preceded by John Baptist Wu Cheng-chung |
Cardinal-Priest of Beata Vergine Maria del Monte Carmelo a Mostacciano 2003 – Present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |