John Njue | |
|---|---|
| Cardinal,Archbishop Emeritus of Nairobi | |
 Njue in 2017 | |
| See | Nairobi |
| Appointed | 6 October 2007 |
| Installed | 1 November 2007 |
| Term ended | 4 January 2021 |
| Predecessor | Raphael S. Ndingi Mwana a'Nzeki |
| Successor | Philip Anyolo |
| Other post(s) | Cardinal Priest ofPreziosissimo Sangue di Nostro Signore Gesù Cristo |
| Previous post(s) |
|
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 6 January 1973 by Pope Paul VI |
| Consecration | 20 September 1986 by Jozef Tomko |
| Created cardinal | 24 November 2007 byPope Benedict XVI |
| Rank | Cardinal priest |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Njue (1946-01-01)1 January 1946 (age 79) |
| Nationality | Kenyan |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Motto | In veritate testimonium, in caritate servitium ('Testimony in truth, service in charity') |
| Coat of arms |  |
John Njue (born 1 January 1946) is a Kenyancardinal of theCatholic Church. He was the fourthArchbishop of Nairobi from 2007 to 2021. He previously served asCoadjutor Archbishop of Nyeri from 2002 to 2007 andBishop of Embu from 1986 to 2002. He was elevated to the rank ofcardinal in 2007.
Njue was born inEmbu, Kenya, on 1 January 1946[a] to Joseph Nyanga Kibariki and Monica Ngina Nyaga. He wasbaptized in 1948 and entered theminor seminary inNkubu in 1962. From 1967 to 1974, he furthered his studies in Rome at thePontifical Urbaniana University (where he obtained alicentiate in philosophy) andPontifical Lateran University (licentiate inpastoral theology).
On 6 January 1973, Njue wasordained to the priesthood byPope Paul VI inSt. Peter's Basilica. Returning to Kenya in October 1974, he did pastoral work in Kariakomu in thesouthern district ofMeru. He also taught philosophy at the National Seminary of Bungoma, of which he later served asrector from 1978 to 1982. In 1982, he completed a course in spirituality in the United States. He then served as aparish priest inChuka and rector of the Philosophical Seminary of Meru.
On 9 June 1986, Njue was appointedBishop of Embu byPope John Paul II. He received hisepiscopal consecration on the following 20 September fromJozef Cardinal Tomko, theco-consecrators being Bishops Silas Silvius Njiru and Raphael Ndingi Mwana'a Nzeki. He served as President of the KenyanEpiscopal Conference from 1997 to 2003 and was namedCoadjutor Archbishop of Nyeri on 23 January 2002. Following the murder ofBishop Luigi Locati, he served asApostolic Administratorof Isolo from 2005 to 2006.
Njue was appointedArchbishop of Nairobi on 6 October 2007 and wasinstalled on the following 1 November. Shortly afterwards, he was createdCardinal-Priest ofPreziosissimo Sangue di Nostro Signore Gesù Cristo byPope Benedict XVI in theconsistory of 24 November 2007.[2] On 12 June 2008 he was named a member of theCongregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and theCongregation for the Clergy.[3] On 29 December 2011 he was appointed a member of thePontifical Council for Social Communications for a five-year renewable term.[4] Cardinal Njue serves as Vice President of theInternational Catholic Migration Commission.
On 28 March 2013, he appealed for calm and peace during the upcoming Easter season as theSupreme Court of Kenya prepared to announce its verdict in the disputed initial round of the presidential election held on 4 March betweenUhuru Kenyatta and Kenya's Prime MinisterRaila Odinga. Kenyatta and Deputy President-electWilliam Ruto were facing charges at theInternational Criminal Court (ICC) atThe Hague that they instigated post-electoral violence in Kenya after the 2007 election.[5]
He was one of thecardinal electors who participated in the2013 papal conclave that electedPope Francis.[6]
On 30 November 2013, Njue was named a member of theCongregation for Catholic Education byPope Francis.[7]
In June 2013, after US PresidentBarack Obama, whose father was a Kenyan, said during an official visit toSenegal that African governments should follow the US example in taking action on gay rights,[8] Njue replied "Let him forget, forget and forget". He said that the United States has "ruined their own societies" and that he does not "think God was making a mistake when he created Adam and Eve".[9] A few weeks later, the Apostolic Nuncio to Kenya, ArchbishopCharles Daniel Balvo, alongside BishopPaul Kariuki Njiru ofEmbu, told a Catholic assembly that "The homosexuals should be defended against violation of their dignity and human rights, they are human beings like anyone of us."[10]
In March 2014, Njue advised against participation in a free government program to vaccinate women of reproductive age against tetanus. He said that targeting women was "fishy". Other critics suggested the program was a disguised form of birth control. Government health officials said they were accustomed to such rumors from the government's critics.[11] He led the Kenyan bishops in a campaign against the WHO-sponsored vaccination program, asserting that the vaccine was designed to lower fertility.[12]
In June 2017, at a celebration of Family Day, Njue criticized men who put roadblocks in the way of marriages by making exorbitant demands for payment from the groom's family (bride price).[13]
Pope Francis accepted his resignation as Archbishop of Nairobi on 4 January 2021.[14]
| Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Diocese created | Bishop of Embu 9 June 1986 – 9 March 2002 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Archbishop of Nairobi 6 October 2007 – 4 January 2021 | Succeeded by |
| Titular church established | Cardinal-Priest of Preziosissimo Sangue di Nostro Signore Gesù Cristo 24 November 2007 – | Incumbent |
| International | |
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| National | |
