NewsReligionEkwulobia Catholic Bishop Okpaleke Becomes Cardinal

Most Rev. Dr. Peter Okpalaeke, the “rejected”  Catholic Bishop of Mbaise Diocese and current Bishop of Ekwulobia Diocese, Anambra state has just been appointed a Cardinal by His Holiness, Pope Francis.

With this appointment, Cardinal Okpalaeke automatically becomes the second-highest-ranking leader of the Catholic Christian faith in Igboland, just after Francis Cardinal Arinze, and among the first five in entire Nigeria: Cardinal Arinze, Cardinal Okojie, and Cardinal Onaiyekan.

Nigeria has had in sum four cardinals; Dominic Cardinal Ekandem who died in 1995, Francis Cardinal Arinze who was a runner-up in the last Papal contest, Anthony Cardinal Okogie of Lagos Archdiocese, Cardinal John Onaiyekan of Abuja Archdiocese,  and now, Cardinal Peter Okpalaeke of Ekwulobia Diocese.

Coincidentally, while the first is late, all the other three are now retired, except for the newly appointed Cardinal Peter Okpalaeke.

Peter Ebere Okpaleke (born 1 March 1963) is a Nigerian prelate of the Catholic Church who has been Bishop of Ekwulobia since 29 April 2020. He was appointed Bishop of Ahiara in 2012 and consecrated in 2013, but after the local clergy and laity insisted on an Mbaise bishop instead he was installed as bishop of Ekwulobia.