Abuja – The Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, will assume the headship of the Church of St. Saturninus in a brief ceremony in Rome on April 7.
This is contained in a statement issued by the Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff at the Vatican in Abuja on Friday.
John Olufemi Onaiyekan
The statement said the event would take place at noon in the premises of the church on Via Avigliana 3 in Rome.
It said the cardinal would partake in all ceremonies necessary for the possession of the `Titular Church’.
The statement explained that a Titular Church is assigned to a cardinal, a priest or deacon.
“Originally, the cardinals were parish priests and deacons of Rome and bishops of suburban dioceses.
“This tradition has been symbolically preserved by appointing the cardinals as titular parish priests and deacons of Roman Churches,’’ it said.
Once a church becomes titular, it remains so unless the Pope revokes the status even if there is no titular cardinal attached to it.
NAN recalls that Onaiyekan and five others were elevated to the position of cardinals in the Roman Catholic Church by former Pope Benedict XVI on Oct. 24, 2012.
The new cardinals were formally installed at a ceremony at the Vatican on Nov. 12, 2012. (NAN)
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