Wilfrid Napier
Encyclopedia
Wilfrid Fox Napier, OFM
(born 1941) is a South Africa
n cardinal
of the Roman Catholic Church
and Archbishop of Durban
, South Africa
.
, South Africa
and ordained a priest in 1970. He first became a bishop
in 1980 when he was appointed bishop of Kokstad
. In 1992, he succeeded Denis Hurley as archbishop
of Durban
, a position he still holds. He chose as his episcopal motto the franciscan phrase pax et bonum which translated means "Peace and goodwill".
Cardinal Napier is a member of the Episcopal Board of the International Commission on English in the Liturgy. Napier was proclaimed a Cardinal-Priest of the Church in 2001, given the titular church of San Francesco d'Assisi ad Acilia
; and was one of the cardinal electors
who participated in the 2005 papal conclave
that selected Pope Benedict XVI
, formerly Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.
s were ineffectual in stemming the spread of HIV
. Instead, he proposed programmes based around abstinence
.
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
(born 1941) is a South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
and Archbishop of Durban
Archdiocese of Durban
The Archdiocese of Durban presently under the leadership of Wilfrid Napier began as the Vicariate Apostolic of Natal which was erected on 15 November 1850 and placed under the leadership of Marie Jean Francois Allard, O.M.I. in 1851...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
Biography
Napier, a Coloured South African, was born on March 8, 1941 in SwartbergSwartberg
The Swartberg mountains make up a mountain range that runs roughly east-west along the northern edge of the semi-arid Little Karoo in the Western Cape province of South Africa...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and ordained a priest in 1970. He first became a bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
in 1980 when he was appointed bishop of Kokstad
Kokstad
Kokstad may refer to:*Kokstad, Norway*Kokstad, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa...
. In 1992, he succeeded Denis Hurley as archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
of Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
, a position he still holds. He chose as his episcopal motto the franciscan phrase pax et bonum which translated means "Peace and goodwill".
Cardinal Napier is a member of the Episcopal Board of the International Commission on English in the Liturgy. Napier was proclaimed a Cardinal-Priest of the Church in 2001, given the titular church of San Francesco d'Assisi ad Acilia
San Francesco d'Assisi ad Acilia
The Church of Saint Francis of Assisi in Acilia is a Roman Catholic titular church in Rome, built as a parish church. On 21 February 2001 Pope John Paul II granted it a titular church as a seat for Cardinals....
; and was one of the cardinal electors
Cardinal electors in Papal conclave, 2005
The following is a list of the 115 cardinal electors in the 2005 papal conclave, arranged by region and, within each region, alphabetically. Two cardinals who were eligible to participate in the conclave, namely Adolfo Suarez Rivera and Jaime Sin, did not attend due to ill health.-Roman...
who participated in the 2005 papal conclave
Papal conclave, 2005
The Papal conclave of 2005 was convened as a result of the death of Pope John Paul II on 2 April 2005. After his death, the cardinals who were in Rome met and set a date for the beginning of the conclave to elect John Paul's successor. The conclave began on 18 April 2005 and ended on the following...
that selected Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
, formerly Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.
Condoms and HIV
In January, 2005, Cardinal Napier made controversial statements arguing that government programmes to distribute condomCondom
A condom is a barrier device most commonly used during sexual intercourse to reduce the probability of pregnancy and spreading sexually transmitted diseases . It is put on a man's erect penis and physically blocks ejaculated semen from entering the body of a sexual partner...
s were ineffectual in stemming the spread of HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
. Instead, he proposed programmes based around abstinence
Sexual abstinence
Sexual abstinence is the practice of refraining from some or all aspects of sexual activity for medical, psychological, legal, social, philosophical or religious reasons.Common reasons for practicing sexual abstinence include:*poor health - medical celibacy...
.
Holy See and African churches
Cardinal Napier has said bluntly that to some extent, the Vatican lacks a "sufficient sensitivity to African churches." He said the pope's trips to Africa have helped in that regard, since every time he comes, Vatican officials are forced to learn something about Africa.External links
- An article discussing Cardinal Napier's sentiments about the Papal conclave, before the fact
- Wilfrid Napier bio
- Wilfrid Napier Fox as a papabili to be the next pope after Pope Benedict XVI