Valentine Ozigbo, the immediate past President and Group CEO of Transcorp Plc, has joined millions of Christians around the world in celebrating The Most Reverend Eminence Francis Cardinal Arinze as the revered cleric marks 55th anniversary of his Episcopal Ordination.
In a statement signed by Ephraim Adiele, his media aide, Mr. Ozigbo appreciated Francis Cardinal Arinze for his many years of selfless service in God’s vineyard and prayed for outpouring of grace, wisdom, and blessings on the life of the Cardinal.
Mr. Ozigbo, described the 87-year-old Cardinal as a global icon, adding that the celebration was even more special for him and other indigenes of Anambra State.
He pointed out that the occasion was even more special for the people of Anambra as Francis Cardinal Arinze is a beloved son of the soil, and commended him for all he is doing in the Lord’s Vineyard.
He prayed God to bless the Cardinal abundantly.
Cardinal Arinze, who serves as the Cardinal-Bishop of Velletri Segni was born in Eziowelle, Idemili North Local Government of Anambra state.
He was baptized in 1941 by Cyprian Michael Iwene Tansi, who was beatified by Pope John Paul II.
At age 15, Cardinal Arinze gained admission at the All Hallows Seminary in Onitsha, where he graduated and earned a philosophy degree in 1950.
On 23 November 1958, at the Chapel of the university, Arinze was ordained a priest by Gregorio Pietro Agagianian.
After ordination, Father Arinze remained in Rome, earning a Master’s degree in theology in 1959 and a doctorate degree in 1960.
Cardinal Arinze became the youngest Roman Catholic Bishop in the world when he was consecrated on 29 August 1965, at the age of 32.
He became the Archbishop of Onitsha on 26th June 1967, the first native African to assume this position.
When Pope John Paul The Second died in 2005, Cardinal Arinze was a candidate for election to the Papacy, at the Papal Conclave that followed, in which he was a cardinal elector.
Later that year, Pope Benedict XVI named him Cardinal Bishop of Velletri-Segni.
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