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Nigerian Catholic Diocese Condemns Church Desecration as “grievous sacrilege,” Orders Week of Reparation

Credit: Diocese of Kafanchan
Nicholas Waigwa

By Nicholas Waigwa

Osogbo, 28 January, 2026 / 11:45 pm (ACI Africa).

The Catholic Diocese of Kafanchan in Nigeria has condemned the desecration of the Tabernacle at St. Luke Safio Parish, where consecrated hosts were reportedly scattered and some stolen on January 25.

In a statement ACI Africa that obtained on Wednesday, January 28, the Chancellor of the Nigerian Episcopal See, Fr. Jacob Shanet, , describes the desecration act as “a grievous sacrilege” and directs a week of reparation and prayer across the Diocese.

Fr. Jacob recalls that the incident was discovered in the early hours of January 25 when a parishioner arrived at the church for Sunday Mass “and found that the Tabernacle had been forcibly opened and the Sacred Species within had been scattered and stolen.”

Citing Canon 1367 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law, which states in part that “a person who throws away the consecrated species or takes or retains them for a sacrilegious purpose incurs a latae sententiae excommunication reserved to the Apostolic See,” the Chancellor underscores the gravity of the offense, saying, “This act constitutes a sacrilegium – the profanation of what is consecrated to God.”

The January 25 desecration “establishes a deep wound to the general body of Christ, and the Church” which “calls for a united response of reparation and fervent intercession,” Fr. Jacob says, referring to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC, 2120).

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In response, the Nigerian Episcopal See has directed “all Priests in the Diocese to offer a Mass of Reparation on Friday, January 30, 2026, with the intention of making amends for the sacrilege and imploring God’s mercy upon those responsible.”

All parishes, religious communities, and institutions are directed to “actively participate in acts of reparation throughout the week," including "Eucharistic Adoration, with particular attention to silence and reverence; the Holy Rosary; invoking the Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of the Church; and St. Luke," the Patron Saint of the Parish where the incident happened.

The chaplet of the Divine Mercy is to be offered for the conversion of those who committed the offense, in addition to both public and private prayers “for the safe and reverent return of the Sacred Species, should they remain intact.”

Recalling a similar incident at the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Unguwar/Rimi Parish on 12 May 2025, the Diocese has expressed hope that the desecration, which “carries heavy consequences,” would inspire a renewed reverence for the Most Holy Eucharist among the people of God in the Diocese.

The Diocese has called on Catholics to respond in a spirit of faith, prayer, and unity, stressing that acts of sacrilege should prompt deeper reflection on Eucharistic devotion rather than fear or retaliation.

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“We entrust our supplications to the maternal intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and pray that, through this trial, hearts may return to God and that the love for the Holy Eucharist may be deepened in our Diocese and throughout the world,” the leadership of Kafanchan says in the January 26 statement that Fr. Jacob signed.

Nicholas Waigwa

Nicholas Waigwa is a Kenyan multimedia journalist and broadcast technician with a professional background in creating engaging news stories and broadcasting content across multiple media platforms. He is passionate about the media apostolate and Catholic Church communication.

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