The Most Reverend Godfrey Okoye | |
---|---|
Bishop of Port Harcourt | |
Church | Roman Catholic |
Appointed | 16 May 1961 |
In office | 1961–1970 |
Predecessor | none |
Successor | Dominic Ignatius Ekandem |
Orders | |
Ordination | 27 July 1947 by Charles Heerey |
Consecration | 3 September 1961 by Pope John XXIII |
Rank | Bishop |
Personal details | |
Born | Ifitedunu, Eastern Region, Nigeria | 19 December 1913
Died | 17 March 1977 | (aged 63)
Godfrey Mary Paul Okoye, C.S.Sp. // (19 December 1913 – 17 March 1977) was a bishop of the Roman Catholic Church in Nigeria. He was the first Bishop of Port Harcourt, 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.[1]
Okoye was born on 19 December 1913 to Okoye Nwazulu and Ada Oji in Ifitedunu in the Eastern Region of Nigeria, now Anambra State.[2] He was ordained to priesthood by Most Rev. Dr. Charles Heerey, the Archbishop of Onitsha, on 27 July 1947.[3] In 1950 he became only the second Igbo priest to be admitted into the Congregation of the Holy Spirit.[4] Okoye was heavily involved in events around the Nigerian Civil War, and his explicit support for Biafra raised concerns among fellow priests that they would be targeted in Nigeria.[5] Historian Adrian Hastings described Okoye as a "devout Biafran hawk".[6] 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.[7]