Godfrey Mary Paul Okoye, C.S.Sp. (19 December 1913 – 17 March 1977) was a

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. He was the first

Bishop of Port Harcourt The Bishop of Port Harcourt is the Ordinary (Catholic Church), Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Port Harcourt in the Ecclesiastical province of Calabar, Nigeria. The diocese covers an area of 21,850 km2 (8,440 square miles). The Episcop ...

, serving from 3 September 1961 to 7 March 1970. After leaving the diocese of Port Harcourt, he became the second Bishop of Enugu, succeeding Bishop John Cross Anyogu.

Biography

Okoye was born on 19 December 1913 to Okoye Nwazulu and Ada Oji in Ifitedunu in the

Eastern Region of Nigeria The Eastern Region was an administrative region in Nigeria, dating back originally from the division of the colony Southern Nigeria in 1954. Its first capital was Calabar. The capital was later moved to Enugu and the second capital was Umuahia. T ...

, now

Anambra State Anambra State is a Nigerian state, located in the southeastern region of the country. The state was created on August 27, 1991. Anambra state is bounded by Delta State to the west, Imo State to the south, Enugu State to the east and Kogi State ...

. He was ordained to priesthood by Most Rev. Dr. Charles Heerey, the Archbishop of Onitsha, on 27 July 1947. In 1950 he became only the second

Igbo Igbo may refer to: * Igbo people, an ethnic group of Nigeria * Igbo language, their language * anything related to Igboland, a cultural region in Nigeria See also * Ibo (disambiguation) * Igbo mythology * Igbo music * Igbo art * * Igbo-Ukwu, a ...

priest to be admitted into the

Congregation of the Holy Spirit , image = Holy Ghost Fathers seal.png , size = 175px , caption = The seal of the Congregation depicting the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and the Holy Spirit proceeding from the Trinity. , abbreviation ...

. Okoye was heavily involved in events around the

Nigerian Civil War The Nigerian Civil War (6 July 1967 – 15 January 1970), also known as the Nigerian–Biafran War or the Biafran War, was a civil war fought between Nigeria and the Republic of Biafra, a secessionist state which had declared its independence f ...

, and his explicit support for

Biafra Biafra, officially the Republic of Biafra, was a partially recognised secessionist state in West Africa that declared independence from Nigeria and existed from 1967 until 1970. Its territory consisted of the predominantly Igbo-populated form ...

raised concerns among fellow priests that they would be targeted in Nigeria. Historian

Adrian Hastings Adrian Hastings (23 June 1929 – 30 May 2001) was a Roman Catholic priest, historian and author. He wrote a book about the "Wiriyamu Massacre" during the Mozambican War of Independence and became an influential scholar of Christian history in ...

described Okoye as a "devout Biafran hawk". In 1977, just before having a hernia operation, Okoye destroyed his personal files detailing his involvement in the war. He died shortly after the operation.

References

External links

Diocese of Port Harcourt

Catholic Diocese of Enugu
{{DEFAULTSORT:Okoye, Godfrey 1913 births 1977 deaths Roman Catholic bishops of Port Harcourt Roman Catholic bishops of Enugu People from Anambra State 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Nigeria Nigerian Roman Catholic priests