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Nigeria
Nigerian Archdiocese Responds to “cry of the people,” Donates to State amid COVID-19 Bite
The leadership of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos in Nigeria has moved in to support the State in providing for the people of God facing hardships after the government put in place restrictions to help curb the spread of COVID-19, a cleric in the Archdiocese has reported.
A Nigerian Diocese Avails Pastoral Centre to the State as COVID-19 Isolation Facility
The Catholic Diocese of Yola in Nigeria has made available its Pastoral Center to the State of Adamawa to be used as a facility to isolate people who have tested positive for COVID-19.
Church Leaders Across Africa Share Messages of Hope amid “silent Easter” Celebrations
Bishops in Africa have, individually and collectively, offered messages of hope to the people of God on the continent in their respective Easter messages amid “silent Easter” celebrations due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Church in Nigeria Grants Government “full access to” All Catholic Health Facilities
In a move to boost Nigeria government’s efforts to contain COVID-19 in the country, Catholic Bishops in Africa’s most populous nation have granted their country’s task force overseeing the pandemic “full access to” all health facilities, which the Catholic Church owns, a Church official has reported.
"We are compelled to ask God to heal our world": Nigerian Bishop at Chrism Mass
The call for divine intervention to heal the world including the people of God affected by COVID-19, a pandemic that has occasioned unprecedented restrictions, is a key highlight of Bishop Emmanuel Badejo’s Chrism Mass message for the Priests in his diocese of Oyo, Nigeria.
How COVID-19 Reduced Mighty and Small Nations to the Same Level: Nigerian Archbishop
A Catholic Archbishop in Nigeria, while addressing the adverse effects of COVID-19, has said that the disease has reduced humanity to the same level even as governments across the world battle the pandemic that has indiscriminately caused thousands of deaths, social disorder and a plunge in economic systems.
Nigeria’s COVID-19 Lockdown “getting people close to starvation”, Bishops Concerned
While the countrywide stay-at-home directive and the three-state 14-day lockdown implemented in Nigeria are important measures put in place to curb the spread of COVID-19, Catholic Bishops in the West African nation are concerned that people without savings are “getting close to starvation.”
Pope Francis Elevates Nigeria’s Apostolic Vicariate, Appoints First Bishop
Pope Francis on Thursday, April 2 elevated the Apostolic Vicariate of Kontagora, central Nigeria to a diocese and appointed Vicar Apostolic, Msgr. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna as its first Bishop.
Due to COVID-19, 50-person Congregation Witnesses Installation of Nigerian Archbishop
The installation of Archbishop Mattew Ishaya Audu as the Local Ordinary of Jos in Nigeria that took place Tuesday, March 31 was witnessed by 50 people in line with the government’s directive to limit public gatherings in a bid to curb the spread of COVID-19 in Africa’s most populous nation.
“Closure of churches God’s call to return to our roots to be church,” African Nun Reflects
An African nun who is a scripture scholar has, after interacting with people “devastated” by the reality of locked up churches occasioned by the raft of measures to curb the spread of COVID-19, encouraged the people of God to adopt a learning attitude and look at the experience as an opportunity to reflect “about what it means to be church.”
Dioceses in Africa Seek to Align Pastoral Guidelines with State Directives over COVID-19
With at least 2,455 cases of COVID-19 confirmed across not less than 43 countries in Africa, various Catholic dioceses on the continent have announced pastoral guidelines aligned with directives issued by their respective governments in a bid to control the spread of the virus.
Public Masses to Continue in Nigeria, Congo Brazzaville with Limited Congregation
As governments in Africa put in place a raft of measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19, Catholic Church leaders in Nigeria and Congo Brazzaville have, in separate statements, allowed the celebration of public Mass amid certain precautionary measures, including a limited number of those in attendance.
At least 70 Clergymen Killed, Abducted in Nigeria since 2015: Report
At least 20 clergymen among them Catholic priests and seminarians have been killed in the West African nation of Nigeria since June 2015, while another 50 have been abducted, according to a report by a on-governmental organization (NGO) based in the West African country.
Nigerian Priest: ‘I want the world to know of the suffering of our people’
“The underlying point of all these attacks is to drive away any Western ideology, Western form of living, and institute the caliphate,” Fr. Jospeph Bature said.
Church in Africa “does have a voice,” Battling Communication Challenges, Official Says
The people of God in Africa and their leadership have a lot to offer to the global Catholicism including testimonies about the growth and progress of Gospel values among believers. However, the Church on the continent faces the challenge of telling its stories within and across the globe, the Bishop coordinating the communication commissions of the episcopal conferences in Africa told ACI Africa in an interview last week.
On Insecurity in Nigeria, Africa, “world powers to look inwards”, Prelate Reflects
In the fight against various insurgents operating in Nigeria, industrialized nations where weapons used by rebel movements are manufactured need “to look inwards” and review their role in fostering insecurity, a Bishop in Africa’s most populous nation, Nigeria told ACI Africa in an interview.
Pope Gives Nigerian “emeritus” Prelate New Diocese, Appoints Bishop in Congo-Brazzaville
Pope Francis on Thursday, March 5 announced the establishment of the diocese of Ekwulobia in south eastern Nigeria and appointed Bishop Peter Ebere Okpaleke, previously rejected by a section of the clergy and lay faithful of Nigeria’s Ahiara Diocese, as its first Local Ordinary.
Nigerian Priest Abducted Sunday after Mass Has Been Freed
Nigerian priest Fr. David Echioda who was abducted by gunmen in Nigeria’s Benue State Sunday, March 1 has been freed, sources in Nigerian told ACI Africa Tuesday, March 3.
The West “should give Boko Haram attention they give to other terrorist groups”: Prelate
The need for the West to “give attention” to the atrocities being committed by the jihadist terrorist organization, Boko Haram the same way it tells stories of other “terrorist groups” was a major highlight at the peaceful protest march staged by Catholic Bishops in Nigeria Sunday, March 1, against abductions and killings that seem to target Christians.
Communion on Tongue, Handshake Suspended in Nigeria’s Lagos Archdiocese Over COVID-19
Against the backdrop of the confirmed case of coronavirus in the West African nation of Nigeria after a Lagos-based Italian tested positive for COVID-19 virus days after his return to the country’s most populous city from Milan, the Catholic Church has announced some preventive measures including temporary suspension of the Sign of Peace through handshakes and hugs during Mass and the receiving Holy Communion on the tongue.
