25 Facts About Josiah Idowu-Fearon

Josiah Atkins Idowu-Fearon was born on 17 January 1949 and is a Nigerian Anglican bishop.

Josiah Idowu-Fearon was previously the Bishop of Kaduna diocese and the Archbishop of the Province of Kaduna in the Church of Nigeria.

Josiah Idowu-Fearon was born in Kerinye, Kogi State on 17 January 1949.

Josiah Idowu-Fearon trained briefly as a soldier before he changed to theological training for the priesthood.

In 1976, Josiah Idowu-Fearon went to St John's College, University of Durham in the UK for an "Honours class in Theology" that included "in-depth course on Islamic Civilisation".

At Birmingham Josiah Idowu-Fearon read "Islam, And Christian-Muslim Relations" and wrote "a major paper on 'The Status of a Non-Muslim In an Islamic State'".

Later, as a bishop, Josiah Idowu-Fearon served as a research fellow at the Ahmadu Bello University in the field of "determining the influence of politics and religion on development".

In 2002, Josiah Idowu-Fearon received masters and doctors degrees in Arabic and Islamic studies with special interest in Christian-Muslim relations from the University of Jordan.

In 1971, Josiah Idowu-Fearon was ordained as a priest of the Anglican church and nineteen years later he was made a bishop.

From his ordination to the priesthood in 1971 to 1990 when he was consecrated bishop of the Diocese of Sokoto, Josiah Idowu-Fearon worked as the General Secretary for the Evangelical Fellowship of the Anglican Communion for Nigeria, and concurrently held the post of Warden of St Francis Theological College, Wusasa from 1981 to 1984, when he became the Provost of St Michael's Cathedral.

Josiah Idowu-Fearon was unanimously elected the fourth Bishop of the Diocese of Kaduna in 1998.

Josiah Idowu-Fearon remained in that position until he resigned to begin his work as Secretary General of the Anglican Consultative Council in 2015.

Josiah Idowu-Fearon served as Director of the Kaduna Anglican Study Centre.

Beyond his diocese, Josiah Idowu-Fearon served as president of the Anglican Network for Inter Faith Concerns and as a member of NIFCON's Management Group.

In 2002, Josiah Idowu-Fearon was unanimously elected for a seven-year term as the first archbishop of the newly created Ecclesiastical province of Kaduna in Owerri.

Josiah Idowu-Fearon was installed as a Six Preacher on 26 July 2007 by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Revd Rowan Williams, and the Very Revd Robert Willis, the Dean of Canterbury.

Josiah Idowu-Fearon previously taught at the cathedral's International Study Centre.

An article in the Nigerian newspaper Daily Trust about Josiah Idowu-Fearon noted that his ability to combine "dedication to his Christianity with genuine respect for Islam as a religion" made him suitable for his "role of being the midwife of peace and understanding" between Christians and Muslims.

The article described Josiah Idowu-Fearon as being committed to "bridge-building" and "interfaith dialogue".

Josiah Idowu-Fearon is permanently an Officer of the Order of the Niger.

Josiah Idowu-Fearon will do everything he can to build bridges and heal our wounds.

Josiah Idowu-Fearon has announced that he is to resign at the end of his seven-year term, at the end of August 2022.

In 1998, after passage of Lambeth Conference's Resolution 1.10, aimed in part at the Episcopal Church in the United States, Josiah Idowu-Fearon said "it has been very good to meet the bishops" of the Episcopal Church.

Josiah Idowu-Fearon has been highly critical of the Global Anglican Future Conference for the role he believes its playing in the current divisions in the Anglican Communion.

Josiah Idowu-Fearon has stated that GAFCON was "not a movement of the Holy Spirit, because it is divisive".