Cardinal Anthony Olubunmi Okogie's Biography

Cardinal Anthony Olubunmi Okogie's Biography

Anthony Olubunmi Okogie is a Nigerian Cardinal Priest and formerly Archbishop of Lagos in the Roman Catholic Church. he was born in Lagos, Nigeria, on the 16th of June, 1936, to a royal family of Uromi in Edo State. His father was Esan and his mother was Yoruba.  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.

Okogie was ordained priest on 11 December 1966 and 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 Lagos.

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In 1971, he was consecrated titular Bishop of Mascula and Auxiliary of Oyo state, and in 1973 named archbishop. As Archbishop, Okogie was the president of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), and, for 6 years,from 1994 to 2000, he headed the Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (BCN).

Anthony Olubunmi Okogie proclaimed Cardinal by Pope John Paul II 

Anthony Olubunmi Okogie 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 (meaning: 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 saw the emergence of Pope Benedict XVI.

Cardinal Okogie was also one of the cardinal electors who participated in the 2013 papal conclave 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. Okogie has been critical of bad governance across the world.

Cardinal Okogie volunteered to die in place of a Nigerian Muslim woman

In 2001, Cardinal Okogie volunteered to die in place of a Nigerian Muslim woman Safiya Huseini, 35 who had been condemned to death by stoning by an Islamic court for adultery. She was still breastfeeding her 11 months-old baby girl Adama.

Huseini was divorced and conceived the child outside marriage, but under Islamic or sharia law , she was guilty of adultery because the crime is the same as if she were still married? - insane.