Maurice Michael Otunga
Maurice Michael Otunga | |
|---|---|
| Archbishop Emeritus of Nairobi | |
| Church | Roman Catholic Church |
| Archdiocese | Nairobi |
| Metropolis | Nairobi |
| See | Nairobi |
| Appointed | 24 October 1971 |
| Term ended | 14 May 1997 |
| Predecessor | John Joseph McCarthy |
| Successor | Raphael S. Ndingi Mwana a'Nzeki |
| Other post(s) | Cardinal-Priest of San Gregorio Barbarigo alle Tre Fontane (1973-2003) |
| Previous post(s) |
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| Orders | |
| Ordination | 3 October 1950 by Pietro Fumasoni Biondi |
| Consecration | 25 February 1957 by James Robert Knox |
| Created cardinal | 5 March 1973 by Pope Paul VI |
| Rank | Cardinal-Priest |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Maurice Michael Otunga January 1923 |
| Died | 6 September 2003 (aged 80) Mater Misericordiae Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya |
| Alma mater | Pontifical Urban University |
| Motto | Per ipsum et cum ipso et in ipso ("Through Him, with Him, and in Him") |
| Styles of Maurice Michael Otunga | |
|---|---|
| Reference style | His Eminence |
| Spoken style | Your Eminence |
| Informal style | Cardinal |
| See | Nairobi (Emeritus) |
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Maurice Michael Otunga (January 1923 – 6 September 2003) was a Kenyan Catholic prelate and cardinal. He served as the Archbishop of Nairobi from 1971 until his resignation in 1997. Pope Paul VI elevated him into the cardinalate in 1973 as the Cardinal-Priest of San Gregorio Barbarigo alle Tre Fontane in Rome.
The son of a tribal chief in Kenya, Otunga refused to succeed his father in the traditional position in order to pursue a path to the Catholic priesthood after completing his studies at home and in Rome. He was appointed a bishop in the 1950s and transferred to lead a new diocese.
He later was transferred to Nairobi, from where he participated in the Second Vatican Council.
Otunga was known for his strong opposition to the use of condoms, most concerned about their being used for contraception. Despite the spread of AIDS and the recommended use of condoms to prevent sexually transmitted diseases, twice in the 1990s Otunga burnt boxes of condoms before the faithful. He said that contraception was in breach of Christian teaching and that it opposed the doctrine of Humanae Vitae issued in 1968. He was also a vocal critic of abortion and was critical of priests who became involved in social and political controversies.
Based on his strong service to the Church, his cause of canonization has commenced. He has been titled as a Servant of God.