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By Myke Agunwa
As Catholics commence the funeral activities late Pope Francis who died on Monday, April 20, 2025 and the process of electing a successor, Director of Communications, Catholic Diocese of Auchi, Rev. Fr. Peter Egielewa has disclosed that only one cardinal from Nigeria, His Eminence, Peter Cardinal Okpaleke is eligible to participate in the election of a new Pope.
Fr. Egielewa said Cardinal Okpaleke could even emerge as the leader of the largest Christian denomination.
In an exclusive chat with Pointblank News, Fr. Egielewa said that the Nigerian born Cardinal could be elected as the next pope if it wishes the Holy Spirit and the cardinals taking part in the conclave.
“In Nigeria, we have four cardinals but ironically, only one cardinal can participate in the conclave because he is the only one that is under 80, Cardinal Peter Okpaleke of Ekwulobia Diocese.
“Cardinals Arinze, Okojie and Onayiekan are over 80 and cannot participate and cannot be voted for.
“The only person who potentially can be a Pope is Cardinal Peter Okpaleke but it depends on the Holy Spirit and the voting of the cardinals.”
When asked if it is possible to have the next pope as a Nigerian he responded,
“Yes it is possible. Every cardinal that goes to that conclave is a potential pope. If the cardinals so feel that you have made so much impact in the church, they can vote you” he said.
He added that before the 14th century, even a layman or a priest could be elected a pope and ordained a priest or Bishop as the case may be and thereafter consecrated a pope but after the 14th century, the election of a new pope was majorly from the college of cardinals.
Giving insight on what will be happening in the next few days and the build up to the election of a new pope he said, “Immediately after the funeral, there is supposed to be a minimum of nine days mourning period, the cardinals will converge in Rome for the election of a Pope.
“Normally, the first day, they will celebrate mass together and they will all retire to the Sistine Chapel. That chapel is an isolated room that has no digital technology, no microphones will be used and I think their phones will all be switched off and kept away.
“The essence of that is to make sure there are no influences on who they vote for and who they don’t vote for and they will start the voting.
“Once they start the voting, they will write the name of the candidates they want, normally a cardinal.
“Ideally, according to the law of the church, any baptized male Catholic can actually become a Pope but it’s just that since the 14th century, only cardinals have been made Popes.
“So, a Priest, Bishop, or an Archbishop can be made a Pope if the cardinals feel that you have made so much positive impact in the church and you can lead the church. They can actually vote you.
“So, if you are a priest, for example, what they need to do is that if they call your name and you are the Pope-elect, they just ordain you a bishop, and then immediately they install you as the Pope.
“If a layperson is elected, you will be ordained a Priest, ordained a Bishop, and then made a Pope. But, as I said, since the 14th century, it has only been cardinals”.
Throwing more light on the electoral process for declaring a Pope-elect he continued,
“The person who is to become Pope must have two-thirds plus one vote. So, if they don’t have that number, what happens is that they will keep voting. They vote about four times a day. If they don’t get the number, they put a chemical on the ballots papers and burn it and a black smoke will come out at the chimney of the Vatican to tell the people who are waiting that a Pope has not been elected.
“By the time they now have the two-thirds plus one, then they put another chemical and burn the ballots papers and a white smoke comes out to show that the Pope has been elected.
“But if they vote for four days, and they still do not have a winner, they will have a break, and go for prayers again, and then they will reconvene and continue to vote until they get that two-thirds plus one vote.
“As soon as the Pope is elected, the Pope will choose a name.
The other cardinals from Nigeria who are ineligible are: Francis Cardinal Arinze – 92, Anthony Cardinal Okogie – 88 and John Cardinal Onaiyekan – 81.
It was learnt that the Church excuses them from voting out of concern for the Cardinals themselves as the task of selecting the Supreme Pontiff can be a great burden of responsibility, especially so when one is advanced in age. These Cardinals instead take the role of supporting the electors by helping to lead the people of God in prayer during the election.
Cardinal Okpaleke (62) has been the Bishop of Ekwulobia Diocese since 29 April 2020. He was appointed Bishop of Ahiara in 2012 and consecrated in 2013, but after the local clergy and laity insisted on an Mbaise Bishop, he was installed as Bishop of Ekwulobia. He was later made a Cardinal in 2022 by Pope Francis on August 27.