Pope Francis Appoints Bishop Peter Okpaleke & 20 others As New Cardinals

Pope Francis Appoints Bishop Peter Okpaleke & 20 others As New Cardinals

Pope Francis said yesterday that in August, he will ordain 21 new Catholic cardinals, 16 of them will be under the age of 80 and eligible to vote for his successor.

The cardinals will take over on August 27, according to the Pope, who made the surprise revelation at the close of his presentation in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City.

ALSO, READ Federal High Court Appoints Evelyn T.B. Joshua’s Wife As One Of The Trustees To SCOAN

As the Argentine pontiff gradually designs a less European college of cardinals, the appointments came.

Among the newcomers is a Nigerian Bishop, Most Revd. Peter Okpaleke, was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI to the Ahiara Diocese of Imo State in 2012.

Pope Francis Appoints Bishop Peter Okpaleke As New Cardinal

However, because he was from a different ethnic group, a number of priests and laypeople in the Diocese rejected him, resulting in a seven-year standoff that kept him from being installed.

ALSO, READ Watch Sunday Mass Live – 1st May 2022 | Pope Francis (Vatican City)

After renouncing his appointment to Ahiara in 2018, Okpaleke was eventually installed as the bishop of the new Ekwulobia diocese in Anambra State on April 29, 2019, in an effort to reconcile the matter.

Pope Francis Appoints Bishop Peter Okpaleke & 20 others As New Cardinals

The 20 other new “princes” of the church, who will be elevated at a special ceremony known as a consistory, come from countries including France, Brazil, India, Philippines, Mongolia, Paraguay, Timor Oriental and Italy.

Those under age 80 will be able to take part in the next secret conclave to elect the head of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics, who is chosen from among the cardinals.

JESUS IS COMING SOON!!