Pope swears in Peter Okpaleke as Cardinal, Soludo attends (with photos)

The Bishop of Ekwulobia-Nigeria, Peter Eberechukwu Okpaleke (59 years old), has been sworn in as a Cardinal by Pope Francis.

He was one of 20 new cardinals sworn in on Saturday by the Catholic church.

The governor of Anambra State, Chukwuma Soludo, and his wife, Nonye, attended the swearing in by Pope Francis in Rome.

Governor Soludo was at St. Peters Square in Rome as a special guest and leader of the Ndi Anambra delegation at the event.

Of the new crop of cardinals, 16 will be able to participate in the conclave that will eventually choose Pope Francis’s successor. The other five are over the age of 80 making the title mostly an honorary one.

Each of the new cardinals, including Peter Cardinal Okpaleke of Nigeria approaches Pope Francis to receive their biretta, their cardinal’s ring & the assignment of a “titular” church in Rome, making them part of the Roman clergy.