BREAKING: Former Warri Catholic Bishop, Afareha, Is Dead

By Daniel Dafe

The Catholic Christian community has been thrown into deep mourning following the death of Most Rev. Dr. John Okeoghene Afareha, a highly respected cleric, theologian, and spiritual leader whose life and ministry impacted countless lives across Nigeria and beyond.

He died early Sunday at 78.

A statement by the Bishop of Warri, Most Rev. Anthony Ovayero Ewherido, said the diocese received the news of Bishop Afareha’s passing “with profound sorrow, yet with a firm hope in the resurrection.”

Adding: “Bishop Afareha lived his life in faith and obedience to the will of God, impacting the lives of many along the way.”.

Bishop Ewherido continued: “Even in retirement, he remained a man of prayer and a cherished father to us all.”

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“Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, to whom he was deeply devoted, may he rejoice in the presence of the Lord together with the saints and angels,” just as he prayed for divine comfort for all who mourn the late bishop.

As part of mourning activities, the Bishop of Warri directed that Masses be offered for the repose of Bishop Afareha’s soul in all parishes and chaplaincies from now until the Month’s Mind Mass, Niger Delta Today reports.

The late cleric retired as the Catholic Bishop of Warri Diocese in Nigeria on April 18, 2022, after reaching the canonical age of 75, and now holds the title of Bishop Emeritus of Warri.