Pope Francis Accepts Resignation Of Nigeria’s John Onaiyekan From Pastoral Governance

Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Cardinal John Onaiyekan from the pastoral governance of the Archdiocese of Abuja, Nigeria. 

Onaiyekan served as the Archbishop of Abuja from 1994 until 2019, when Pope Francis appointed former President of Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN),  Ignatius Kaigama, to take over from him.

Onaiyekan’s replacement came after he clocked the retirement age of 75 on January 29.

The acceptance of his resignation by Pope Francis was confirmed in a Facebook post on Saturday by Reverend Father Omokugbo Ojeifo.

“Today, the Holy Father Pope Francis accepted the resignation of John Cardinal Onaiyekan from the pastoral governance of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja. We thank God for the life of so great and so compassionate a shepherd and teacher. May the Lord God bless him in the years that lie ahead in retirement, bless our new Archbishop Most Reverend Ignatius Kaigama, and the Church of God in Abuja,” Ojeifo wrote.

Onaiyekan, who was appointed Cardinal in 2012, has served as the president of the Christian Association of Nigeria, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria and the Bishop of Ilorin.