ROME
National Catholic Reporter
by John L. Allen Jr. ,Joshua J. McElwee | Mar. 5, 2013
Rome —
To help Americans get a handle on Cardinal John Onaiyekan of Abuja, Nigeria, let’s set things up this way: Speaking solely about the force of his personality, there’s a sense in which he’s the Timothy Dolan of Africa.
Just like the always-effervescent cardinal of New York, Onaiyekan is a big, brash, smiling figure, a man who tends to dominate every room he walks into. He’s quick with a laugh, he loves to press the flesh, and he clearly relishes being the center of attention.
Yet beneath all the charm, Onaiyekan is also seen as one of the leading intellectual lights among the African bishops, as well as an influential political and moral authority in his own country and beyond.
Among the highlights from the interview:
• Onaiyekan expressed a degree of frustration with some of the oratory currently being delivered in the General Congregation meetings of cardinals: “No matter how brilliant you may think your speech is, do we really need it?”
• He said there doesn’t yet seem to be a consensus on how long the cardinals should wait before starting the conclave.
• He insists he doesn’t yet know who will get his vote to be the next pope, and says he’ll really start thinking about it only when the conclave begins.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.