Exactly 40 years ago today, Archbishop Francis Arinze was elevated to the rank of Cardinal by Pope John Paul II, becoming the second Nigerian ever to join the Sacred College after Cardinal Dominic Ekandem, who was created in 1976.
Arinze’s appointment on May 25, 1985, followed closely after his 1984 move to Rome, where he was named head of the Vatican Secretariat for Non-Christians—later known as the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. He led that office for 17 years before becoming Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, a post he held from 2002 to 2008.
In a past interview, Cardinal Arinze revealed that Pope John Paul II had shown interest in bringing him to the Vatican as early as 1982, after the pontiff’s pastoral visit to Nigeria.
Of the 28 cardinals created in the 1985 consistory, only three remain alive today: Cardinal Paul Poupard of France (94), Cardinal Friedrich Wetter of Germany (97), and Cardinal Arinze himself, who is also the only one among them holding the rank of Cardinal Bishop.
The 1985 consistory was notably diverse, with cardinals created from 20 different countries, including Italy, the United States, Germany, France, Poland, Canada, and Nigeria.
In his Vatican residence, a framed photograph captures a moment from his elevation ceremony, showing the six Nigerian bishops who attended, among them Cardinal Ekandem, Bishop Anthony Gbuji, and Archbishop Stephen Ezeanya, who succeeded Arinze in Onitsha.
As he marks this remarkable milestone, may God continue to bless His servant, Cardinal Francis Arinze, at 40 years a Cardinal.
