Wilfrid Napier
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His Eminence Wilfrid Napier OFM |
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| Cardinal, Archbishop of Durban | |
| Church | Emmanuel Cathedral |
| Archdiocese | Durban |
| Metropolis | Durban |
| Appointed | 29 March 1992 |
| Predecessor | Denis Hurley |
| Other posts | Cardinal-Priest of S. Francesco d’Assisi ad Acilia Member of Council for the Economy |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 25 July 1970 by John Evangelist McBride |
| Consecration | 28 February 1981 by Denis Hurley |
| Created Cardinal | 21 February 2001 by Pope John Paul II |
| Rank | Cardinal-Priest |
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | Wilfrid Fox Napier |
| Born |
8 March 1941 Swartberg, Cape Union of South Africa (present day Republic of South Africa) |
| Nationality | South African |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Previous post | Roman Catholic Bishop of Kokstad (1980–1992) |
| Coat of arms |  |
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Styles of Wilfrid Fox Napier |
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| Reference style | His Eminence |
| Spoken style | Your Eminence |
| Informal style | Cardinal |
Wilfrid Fox Napier OFM (born 8 March 1941) is a South African cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and Archbishop of Durban, South Africa.
Napier, a native South African, was born on 8 March 1941 in Swartberg, South Africa, and ordained a priest in 1970. In 1978 he was appointed as an apostolic administrator of Kokstad and in 1980 he was appointed bishop of Kokstad. In 1992, he succeeded Denis Hurley as archbishop of Durban, a position he still holds. He chose as his episcopal motto the franciscan phrase pax et bonum which translated means "Peace and goodwill".
Cardinal Napier graduated from University College Galway in 1964 with a degree in Latin and English. He then obtained a MA in philosophy and theology from the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium. 31 years later, in 1995, the University bestowed the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws on him.
During the early nineties, he and other church leaders were involved in mediation and negotiation during the unrest leading up to the 1994 election and was present in September 1991 when the Peace Accord was signed. He was president of the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference in 1987-94 and 1999.
Napier is a Member of the Episcopal Board of the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL). Napier was proclaimed a Cardinal-Priest of the Church in 2001, given the titular church of San Francesco d'Assisi ad Acilia; and was one of the cardinal electors who participated in the 2005 papal conclave that selected Pope Benedict XVI, formerly Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. On 21 March 2012, Cardinal Napier was appointed a Member of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Health Care Workers by Pope Benedict XVI.
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