Cardinal Nakellentuba Philippe Ouedraogo is a retired Archbishop of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, who has been a staunch advocate for the poor and marginalized, addressing issues of unemployment, injustice, poverty, as well as witchcraft and interreligious tensions in his country.

Born on December 31, 1945, in Konéan, in the diocese of Kaya, Ouedraogo comes from a family with Muslim origins. He embraced the Catholic faith as a boy and pursued a vocation to the priesthood, entering the minor seminary of Pabré in Ouagadougou from 1959 to 1967, followed by studies at the major seminary in Koumi, Bobo-Dioulasso.

Ouedraogo was ordained as a priest on July 14, 1973. After serving as deputy parish priest at the Cathedral of Kaya, he pursued further education, obtaining a degree in canon law from the Pontifical Urbaniana University in Rome between 1978 and 1982. Upon returning to Burkina Faso, he held various positions within the Church, including vicar general, rector of the minor seminary, and national director of pontifical mission works.

His rise through the Church hierarchy began with his appointment as Bishop of Ouahigouya by Pope John Paul II in July 1996. He was later appointed Archbishop of Ouagadougou by Pope Benedict XVI on May 13, 2009. Ouedraogo’s most significant elevation came on February 22, 2014, when Pope Francis created him a cardinal.

Cardinal Ouedraogo participated in the Synods on the Family in October 2014 and October 2015. He has also served as a member of several Vatican dicasteries, including those for Evangelization, Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, and Interreligious Dialogue.

In terms of leadership roles, Ouedraogo served as president of the Episcopal Conference of Burkina Faso and Niger from 2001 to 2007. In July 2019, he was elected President of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), a position he held until 2023.

Cardinal Ouedraogo has been known for his outspoken views on social and political matters. In a Christmas homily, he criticized Burkina Faso’s wealth disparity, deploring the country’s domination by “a handful of citizens who hold the great part of its wealth.” He has also been a vocal advocate for the poor and marginalized, addressing issues of unemployment, injustice, migration, and poverty in his country.

He is also known as a defender of women accused of witchcraft and he does not hesitate to censure those who, under the guise of tradition, practice witchcraft or accuse certain women of such practices. In Ouagadougou, he opened a shelter for women driven out of their villages for alleged witchcraft.  As archbishop, he was also committed to dialogue with other religions, notably Islam, and took part in prayers at the breaking of Ramadan.

Cardinal Ouedraogo has expressed opposition to same sex “marriage” and used an Easter homily to criticize same-sex unions.

The cardinal appears to support the Church’s focus on synodality. As President of SECAM, he encouraged the African Church to “stay the course of the Synod on Synodality consultation.” He views synodality as an important process for the Church in the third millennium, in alignment with Pope Francis’ vision.

On October 16, 2023, Pope Francis accepted Cardinal Ouedraogo’s resignation as Archbishop of Ouagadougou.