Obi felicitates Cardinal Arinze on 60th episcopal anniversary

Obi and Cardinal Arinze

Former Anambra State governor and 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has congratulated Francis Cardinal Arinze on his 60th Episcopal Anniversary, describing him as a living witness to faith and renewal in the Catholic Church.

In a post on X (Formerly Twitter) on Friday, Obi highlighted Cardinal Arinze’s historic rise in the Church, noting that he was consecrated bishop in 1965 at the age of 32, making him the youngest Catholic bishop in the world at the time, and later became the youngest archbishop and the first African to head the Archdiocese of Onitsha.

Obi wrote: “Francis Cardinal Arinze: A Living Witness of Faith and Renewal.

“I joyfully felicitate with His Eminence, Francis Cardinal Arinze, the Catholic Archdiocese of Onitsha, and indeed the Universal Church, as he marks his 60th Episcopal Anniversary.”

He also praised the Cardinal’s decades of service in Nigeria and at the Vatican, where he served as Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.

“As one of the remaining Council Fathers of Vatican II, he stands as a living witness to the Church’s renewal in the modern world.

“His voice of wisdom and maturity continues to illuminate the path of the Church, while his exemplary life remains an inspiration to younger generations,” Obi added.

Cardinal Arinze, who was once widely tipped as a contender for the papacy, remains one of the highest-ranking African figures in the Catholic Church. Punch