Wilfrid Napier

Wilfrid Fox Napier OFM (born 8 March 1941) is a South African prelate of the Catholic Church. He has been Archbishop of Durban since 1992 and a cardinal since 2001. He was Bishop of Kokstad from 1981 to 1992.

Styles of
Wilfrid Fox Napier
Reference styleHis Eminence
Spoken styleYour Eminence
Informal styleCardinal
SeeDurban

His Eminence

Wilfrid Napier

OFM
Cardinal, Archbishop of Durban
ChurchEmmanuel Cathedral
ArchdioceseDurban
MetropolisDurban
Appointed29 March 1992
PredecessorDenis Hurley
Other postsCardinal-Priest of S. Francesco d’Assisi ad Acilia
Member of Council for the Economy
Orders
Ordination25 July 1970
by John Evangelist McBride
Consecration28 February 1981
by Denis Hurley
Created cardinal21 February 2001
by Pope John Paul II
RankCardinal-Priest
Personal details
Birth nameWilfrid Fox Napier
Born (1941-03-08) 8 March 1941
Swartberg, Cape Union of South Africa (present day Republic of South Africa)
NationalitySouth African
DenominationRoman Catholic
Previous postRoman Catholic Bishop of Kokstad (1981–1992)
Coat of arms

Biography

Napier was born on 8 March 1941 in Swartberg, South Africa. He graduated from University College Galway in 1964 with a degree in Latin and English.[1] He then obtained an MA in philosophy and theology from the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium.[1]

He was ordained a priest in 1970. In 1978 he was appointed as an apostolic administrator of Kokstad and in 1980 he was appointed bishop of Kokstad.[1]

In 1992, he succeeded Denis Hurley as Archbishop of Durban. He chose as his episcopal motto the phrase pax et bonum which means "peace and goodwill".

During the early nineties, he and other church leaders were involved in mediation and negotiation during the unrest leading up to the 1994 election and was present in September 1991 when the Peace Accord was signed.[1] He was president of the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference in 1987-94 and 1999.[1]

In 1995, he received the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws from University College Galway, his alma mater.[2][3]

Napier is a Member of the Episcopal Board of the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL).

Napier was made a Cardinal-Priest in 2001 and assigned the titular church of San Francesco d'Assisi ad Acilia.[4] He was one of the cardinal electors who participated in the 2005 papal conclave that selected Pope Benedict XVI. On 21 March 2012, Pope Benedict XVI named him a member of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Health Care Workers.[5]

He was a cardinal elector at the 2013 papal conclave that elected Pope Francis.[6]

He is an occasional contributor to the South African national Catholic weekly "The Southern Cross".[7]

Views

AIDS

In January 2005, Napier stated, in comments similar to some made by Pope Benedict XVI, that government programmes to distribute condoms were ineffectual in stemming the spread of HIV. Instead, he proposed programmes based upon the principle of abstinence.[8][9]

Vatican's views on Africa

In October 2003, Cardinal Napier stated that, to some extent, the Vatican lacks a "sufficient sensitivity to African churches." He said the trips Pope John Paul II made to Africa have helped, since every time he comes, Vatican officials are forced to learn something about Africa.[10]

Paedophilia comments controversy

On 17 March 2013, in a BBC interview[11][12] Napier said that "From my experience paedophilia is actually an illness, it is not a criminal condition, it is an illness." He went on to explain that he did not mean that there was to be not criminal liability. He mentioned two priests he knew who were abused as children and went on to become paedophiles and said: "Now don't tell me that those people are criminally responsible like somebody who chooses to do something like that. I don't think you can really take the position and say that person deserves to be punished. He was himself damaged."[11] Michael Walsh, a biographer of Pope John Paul II, stated that at one time this was the view of many Catholics in the US and UK.[11] Barbara Dorries from Chicago-based Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests and, herself a victim of sex abuse from a priest when she was a child told the BBC:[11] "If it is a disease that's fine, but it's also a crime and crimes are punished, criminals are held accountable for what they did and what they do."[11]

Napier attacked the BBC after the broadcast for being "sensationalist" and "putting words into my mouth". He added: "I made it quite clear that paedophilia is a crime, and that we as a church have got a whole process in place for dealing with it."[13]

Napier apologised via Twitter for his comments: "I apologise to victims of child abuse offended by my misstatement of what was and still is my concern about all abused, including abused abuser." He went on to say "It's the supreme irony. Because I raised the issue of the abused abuser, I stand accused of insensitivity to the sufferings of the abused."[14]

Climate change

In December 2011 Napier criticised world leaders on their failure to keep climate change commitments. He said "We express our displeasure with local and international political leadership which has failed to take decisive steps to make the changes required for the survival of humanity and life on earth. We as the religious community demand that our political leaders honour previous commitments and move towards ethically responsible positions and policies."[15]

Marriage and family

Cardinal Napier said in 2015 that the recent two Synod of Bishops dedicated to marriage and family life enabled for there to be "a strong focus on the problems and challenges facing the family", calling for the Church to accompany them through times of crisis. Napier further said that it was important to identify concretely what married couples needed to do in order to strengthen their marital bond which in turn would allow them to properly identify how to strengthen their family lives.[16]

References
  1. Stober, Paul; Ludman, Barbara (2004). The Mail & Guardian A - Z of South African Politics:The Essential Handbook. South Africa: Jacana Media. pp. 97–8. ISBN 9781770090231.
  2. National University of Ireland, Galway profile of Wilfrid Cardinal Napier Archived 14 February 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  3. National University of Ireland, Galway report on Napier's elevation to the cardinalate
  4. Pope John Paul II (21 February 2001). "Concistoro Ordinario Pubblico per la creazione dei nuovi Cardinali" [Ordinary Public Consistory for the creation of new Cardinals] (Homily) (in Italian). Libreria Editrica Vaticana. Assegnazione dei Titoli o delle Diaconie ai nuovi Cardinali. Archived from the original on 8 January 2018. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
  5. "Rinunce e Nomine, 21.03.2012" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 21 March 2012. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  6. "List of Cardinal Electors". Zenit. 12 March 2013. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  7. Cardinal Napier in The Southern Cross
  8. S. Africa Health Minister To Discuss AIDS Programs With Religious Leaders, Including Bishops Opposed to Condom Use:Health and Medicine News, Medilinks Africa website
  9. "UK and SA Governments Suffer Cardinal's Ire". What the cardinals believe. cardinalrating.com. 5 October 2006. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
  10. Allen Jr., John L. (24 October 2003). "The unofficial opening of the campaign season; What the church's decision-makers are thinking and feeling these days". National Catholic Reporter. Archived from the original on 10 June 2013. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  11. "'Paedophilia not criminal condition' says Durban cardinal". BBC. Retrieved 16 March 2013.
  12. "Transcript: 'Controversial' Cardinal Napier Interview". Mark Cogitates. 17 March 2013. Retrieved 17 April 2013.
  13. "Anger over Cardinal's gaffe". iol News. Independent Newspapers (Pty) Limited. 17 March 2013. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
  14. "Cardinal apologises for remarks on paedophilia". The Statesman. The Statesman Limited. 18 March 2013. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
  15. "Catholics march in London against climate change apathy". The Universe. 10 December 2011. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
  16. "Napier: 'Expect a strong reaffirmation of the Church's teaching'". Katholische Nachrichten. 19 November 2015. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.