Abuja, 08 July, 2025 / 9:30 pm (ACI Africa).
John Cardinal Onaiyekan has called upon the 14 Nigerian Catholic Priests, who have been commissioned to Europe and the U.S. to minister with joy, to remain humble, and to foster spiritual responsibility.
In an interview with ACI Africa on the sidelines of a commissioning Mass of the Priests of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja held at St. Gabriel Chaplaincy of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN) on Sunday, July 6, Cardinal Onaiyekan cautioned the 14 Priests against considering themselves as migrants.
“You are bearers of Christ, not migrants. When a Nigerian Priest is sent on mission—say, to the United States, the UK, or other developed countries—it is not a form of “japa” (travelling for greener pastures), or to be mistaken for economic migration,” the Nigerian Cardinal said.
He added, “A Priest who has been sent to minister, to serve, and to evangelize is not leaving for personal gain. He is going in obedience to the Church’s mandate, bearing the light of Christ into a land that may be materially wealthy but spiritually impoverished.”
“Many of the countries that once sent missionaries to us are now in deep need of spiritual revival. We are bold enough to offer back the faith they once gave us, purified and strengthened through our own trials,” Cardinal Onaiyekan said.
