With the passing of Pope Francis on Easter Monday, April 21, 2025, the Catholic Church prepares for a conclave - a gathering of the College of Cardinals, to elect a new pope. The cardinals, famous for wearing their unique red vestments, are ordained bishops and Vatican officials of various nationalities whose primary responsibility is to elect a new pope while also governing the Catholic Church in the interim before a new pope is announced. Among the estimated 135 cardinal electors under the age of 80 who will be voting on who will be the next pope is Nigeria's own Peter Cardinal Okpaleke, the Bishop of Ekwulobia in Anambra State. Born on March 1, 1963, in Amesi, Anambra State, Okpaleke was ordained a priest in 1990 and he has had quite a controversial journey. READ ALSO: PHOTOS: 2 African cardinals emerge as contenders to succeed Pope Francis In 2012, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him as Bishop of Ahiara Diocese. In response, the local clergy and parishioners rejected him, noting that his appointment was discriminatory as he is not from their ethnic, linguistic and cultural group. It was so serious that Okpaleke was never allowed to enter Ahiara Diocese due to the protests. He would later resign in 2018 but was surprisingly appointed the inaugural bishop of the Ekwulobia Diocese in 2020, making him the first Bishop of the newly created Diocese of Ekwulobia. Two years later, Pope Francis promoted Okpaleke to the rank of Cardinal. This elevation which happened in August 2022 also came as a surprise especially with the other controversy he had faced. At the time, Okpaleke himself expressed a sense of unworthiness upon learning of his elevation. Today, Okpaleke is noted for his composure, articulation, and pastoral qualities and is popular for preaching the values of “love and respect for every person, male and female, as God’s children.” INTERESTING READ: What happens when the Pope dies?