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Tag: Pope Francis

  • Pope appoints Archbishop Kaigama as Bishop of Abuja

    His Holiness, Pope Francis, has appointed His Grace, Archbishop Ignatius Ayau Kaigama as the Archbishop of Abuja.

    Pope Francis, who was represented by Apostolic Nuncio to Nigeria, His Grace, Archbishop Antonio Guido Filipazzi, made the announcement during the opening ceremony of the first plenary meeting of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), on Monday in Abuja.

    Kaigama would take over from His Eminence, John Cardinal Onaiyekan who clocked the retirement age of 75 on January 29, 2019.

    He is currently the Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Jos and immediate past President of the CBCN, is a priest of Jukun origin from Taraba State.

    “We congratulate and pray for Archbishop Kaigama. I know that it is not easy for him. But I told him like Abraham, go out of your land in the land God will show you and God will bless you and make you the father of many people,” Filipazzi said.

    Read Also: Catholic Bishop lauds violence-free polls in Edo

    Born on July 31, 1958, Kaigama studied for the priesthood at St. Augustine’s Major Seminary in Jos, and Rome respectively.

    Kaigama was ordained on June 6, 1981, and was appointed Bishop of Jalingo by Pope John Paul II, now Saint Pope John Paul. Kaigama was consecrated as bishop on April 23, 1995.

    In 2000, Kaigama was again appointed by Pope John Paul II to succeed the late Archbishop Gabriel Ganaka as Archbishop of Jos.

  • Better to be an atheist than a hypocritical Christian- Pope

    Pope Francis has criticised hypocrites in the Catholic Church, the pontiff said on Wednesday during his general audience in the Vatican.

    “How often do we see the scandal of these people who go to church and are there every day, and then they lead a life in which they hate others or talk badly about other people.

    “Better not go to church: Live like an atheist,’’ Francis said.

    During the audience, the Argentinian leader of the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics demonstrated his ability to connect with ordinary people.

    He however, received members of the Cuban National Circus, while he laughed with the dancing artists and balanced a football on his fingertip. (dpa/NAN)

  • Pope to visit UAE in February 2019

    Pope Francis will visit Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates in February, 2019.

    The trip will enable the Pontiff to attend an interfaith meeting, the Vatican said on Thursday.

    Read Also: Pope Francis to rebuild churches destroyed by Boko Haram

    The trip, the latest by the pope to a predominantly Islamic nation, will take place from Feb. 3 to 5, 2019.

    The Vatican said the Pope had accepted an invitation from Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, and the tiny Catholic community there.

  • Pope Francis to rebuild churches destroyed by Boko Haram

    •As Catholics nationwide raise fund today

    Catholic Churches across the country will on today contribute funds, part of which will be used to rebuild churches burnt by the Boko Haram sects in the northern part of Nigeria.

    National Director, Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS), Rev. Fr. George Ajana, disclosed this in Abuja while briefing newsmen on the forthcoming World Mission Sunday celebration to be held on October 21.

    Ajana said following the extraordinary missionary month, all funds raised on that Sunday will be sent to Pope Francis, adding that he will send part of the money back to Nigeria to enable the church assist in the rebuilding process of churches burnt by the Boko Haram sects.

    World Mission Sunday, Ajana said is an annual event to assist humanity in various ways.

    He urged both the rich and poor to contribute no matter the amount to rebuild the affected part of the north.

    His words: “The Pope since 1926 have mandated our participation in and support of mission Sunday through prayers which is most important and then material offering, that is the money and other materials that we give to support the mission of the church. All collections that very day are to be given to the missions. All Catholics are encouraged to give no matter how small.

    “The collections will be sent to Rome, to the holy father Pope. Remember no body is too poor that cannot give and nobody is too rich that cannot receive. Some people are suffering out there who do not have what to eat. That is where the church comes in to help.

    “In the North Eastern part of the country we are all aware of the impact of Boko Haram insurgency. Churches have been burnt, Reverend Father’s houses have been burnt, Christians have been killed and a lot of lives have been lost. Thank God things have improved now. And many of these churches need to be rebuilt.

    “For instance in the Catholic Diocese of Maiduguri, the Catholic Bishop of that diocese have embarked on rebuilding the burnt Churches and you know what that will cost, a lot of money. You don’t just build churches with prayers, we need money.

    “In many of these areas, the people are very poor. They cannot afford to build these churches all by themselves; that is why they need external sources and assistance. And that is where the Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS) comes in.

    “So the collections that we raise here after sending it to Pope Francis in Rome, part of them are sent back to us as assistance towards the rebuilding of the churches, father’s houses and convents for sisters. Priests who have been away as refugees in other areas have started coming back but they need places of worship and residences. Even non Catholics can contribute. Hospitals, other churches that are not of Catholics will also be rebuilt. Churches that were destroyed should be more than 200,” he said.

     

  • Pope becomes ice cream man for a day, gives homeless 3,000 gelati

    Pope Francis became an ice cream man for a day on Monday as Rome charity workers dished out 3,000 helpings of gelato to the homeless and needy as his gift to them on his name day.

    Francis was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio and, in keeping with papal tradition, does not celebrate his birthday, but the feast day of the saint he was named after at birth; Monday is the feast of St. George and a holiday in the Vatican.

    The Vatican’s alms-giving office said 3,000 ice creams would be given out in the pope’s name to homeless and needy people, who use the shelters, soup kitchens, health facilities and baths for the homeless in Rome, most run by Catholic charities.

    Francis has in the past treated Rome’s homeless to private tours of the Vatican Museums and a day at the circus as his guest.

    In 2017, to mark the Church’s first World Day of the Poor, he said a special Mass for about 7,000 poor people in St. Peter’s Square and then treated them to a gourmet lunch in the Vatican and in pontifical universities in Rome.

    Reuters/NAN

  • Pope Francis baptises Nigerian ‘migrant hero’ at Easter eve mass

    TENS of thousands of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square yesterday for an Easter mass led by Pope Francis, who on the previous night, baptised eight people, including a man known in Italy as the “migrant hero”, Nigerian John Francesco Ogah.

    Ogah, 31, was praised after he intercepted another man attempting to rob a supermarket in Rome’s Centocelle neighbourhood on September 26, 2017.

    According to Italian news reports, Ogah had been begging for spare change outside the Carrefour market when a masked thief, armed with a meat cleaver, tried to make off with 400 euros ($636 Cdn) he had stolen from the cashiers.

    Security cameras captured his courageous next steps: With nothing more than his  bare hands, Ogah confronted the thief, wrested the cleaver away and held him by the collar until police arrived, after the man fell from his attempted getaway motorcycle.

    Ogah, who did not have permission to stay in Italy, then left the scene, fearing it would be discovered he did not have documents, according to La Repubblica newspaper.

    Police using footage from the surveillance cameras tracked him down and rewarded him by helping him get legal permission to stay in the country.

    The police captain, who worked in the neighbourhood, stood at Ogah’s side as his godfather during Saturday night’s baptism.

    The faithful attending Sunday’s service underwent heavy security checks to enter St. Peter’s Square.

    Pope Francis opened the festivities with a Tweet to his global flock: “Our faith is born on Easter morning: Jesus is alive!”

    He then delivered his “Urbi et Orbi” message (“to the city and the world”) message from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica.

    Francis called for peace in a world marked by war and conflict, “beginning with the beloved and long-suffering land of Syria,” and extending to the entire Middle East, the Korean peninsula and parts of Africa affected by “hunger, endemic conflicts and terrorism.”

    The Pope reflected on the power of Christianity’s core belief – that Jesus rose from the dead following crucifixion.

    The pontiff said the message of the resurrection offers hope in a world “marked by so many acts of injustice and violence.”

    “It bears fruits of hope and dignity where there are deprivation and exclusion, hunger and unemployment; where there are migrants and refugees, so often rejected by today’s culture of waste, and victims of the drug trade, human trafficking and contemporary forms of slavery,” the Pope said.

     

     

    He called for a “swift end” to carnage in Syria, demanding that aid be delivered to the needy there and calling for “fitting conditions for the returned and the displaced”.

    The Pope also urged reconciliation in Israel and hoped that mutual respect would “prevail over divisions” in Yemen and the entire Middle East.

     

  • U.S. congratulates Pope Francis on 5th anniversary

    The U.S. has congratulated Pope Francis on the fifth anniversary of his election to the See in Rome.

    U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in a statement, commended the cordial relations between the U.S. and Rome.

    “On behalf of the U. S. Government, I offer my congratulations to His Holiness Pope Francis on the fifth anniversary of his election to the See of Rome.

    “Together, the U. S. and the Holy See are an extraordinary force for good as we work to advance religious freedom and human rights.

    “And fight terrorism and violence, combat human trafficking, prevent the spread of diseases, and seek peaceful solutions to crises around the world,” he said.

    Tillerson said President Donald Trump’s historic meeting with Pope Francis on his first foreign trip in May 2017 underscored the importance of this partnership.

    “I join millions of Americans in congratulating the Holy Father on this anniversary and look forward to our continued work together to promote peace, freedom, and human dignity around the world,” Tillerson said.

    Following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI on Feb. 28, 2013, a papal conclave elected Jorge Mario Bergoglio as his successor on March 13.

    Read Also: Pope Francis prays for peace in Nigeria

     He chose Francis as his papal name in honour of Saint Francis of Assisi.

    He is the 266th and current Pope of the Catholic Church, a title he holds ex officio as Bishop of Rome, and sovereign of Vatican City.

    Francis is the first Jesuit pope, the first from the Americas, the first from the Southern Hemisphere.

    He is also the first pope from outside Europe since the Syrian Gregory III, who reigned in the eighth century.

  • Prosecutor withdraws sexual abuse charge against Cardinal Pell

    Prosecutor withdraws sexual abuse charge against Cardinal Pell

    Prosecutor on Friday withdrew one charge of sexual abuse filed againstCardinal George Pell because the accuser has died, Australian media reported.

    Pell, the highest-ranking Catholic official to be charged with sexual abuse, will face a four-week committal hearing at Melbourne Magistrate’s Court from Monday which will determine if there is enough evidence for the case to go to trial.

    Crown Prosecutor Mark Gibson told the court on Friday one charge was being withdrawn.

    The court was told previously that one of the complainants had died.

    It is not known how many complainants there are, except that there are several.

    Pell, 76, has consistently denied the allegations against him. For legal reasons, very few details of the case against him can be reported.

    Read Also: Melaye: Absence of prosecutor stalls hearing of assassination suit

    He is currently on leave from the Vatican, where he was one of Pope Francis’ most senior aides.

    At the hearing next week, complainants will be the first to give evidence, during which the court will be closed, a standard practice in Victoria for hearings involving sexual offence charges.

    Judge Belinda Wallington told lawyers that the cross-examination of witnesses and complainants would not “delve into detail that is likely to cause distress.”

    “There is no intention to trawl through detail of abuse at the hands of other clergy,” Wallington said, according to Australian Associated Press.

    One of Pell’s defence barristers, Ruth Shann, said at issue was the timing of complaints.

    Pell does not have to enter a plea until the end of the committal hearing, but his defence barrister, Robert Richter, has told a previous hearing that the cardinal would plead not guilty.

    NAN

     

  • Nigerian bishop whom Pope Francis fiercely defended resigns – Vatican

    Nigerian bishop whom Pope Francis fiercely defended resigns – Vatican

    A Nigerian bishop whom Pope Francis had fiercely defended has resigned after a five-year, sometimes violent, standoff with rebel priests and faithful who rejected him as an ethnic outsider, the Vatican said on Monday.

    The case of the Vatican versus the people of the diocese of Ahiara in southwestern Nigeria had become a rare battle of wills that tested the power of papal authority and could set a precedent for future appointments.

    A Vatican statement said the pope had accepted the resignation of Peter Ebere Okpaleke as bishop of the diocese of Ahiara.

    The vatican said the position had been declared vacant and that a papal administrator would run it for the time being.

    Many priests and faithful had refused to swear allegiance to Okpaleke because he is not from Mbaise, a heavily Catholic area in southwestern Nigeria made up of an amalgam of indigenous clans connected by intermarriage.

    Okpaleke was appointed bishop by then-pope Benedict in 2012, but the protests prevented him from ever taking over the diocese.

    His installation ceremony took place in another area of Nigeria because the doors of the Ahiara cathedral were locked so the bishop could not enter.

    Read Also: Trump meets Pope Francis at the Vatican

    The situation came to a head in June 2017 when Francis demanded that all priests in the diocese write him a letter within 30 days pledging their obedience to and accepting Okpaleke as their bishop because he was appointed by a pope.

    Those who did not write such a letter would face suspension from the priesthood, the pope told them at the time. Francis also demanded that the rebellious priests write a letter of apology to Okpaleke.

    Fides, the Vatican’s missionary news agency, on Monday published excerpts from Okpaleke’s resignation letter, saying he had not been able to take possession of diocese or even live within its territory because of continuing “violent reaction and resistance”.

    Fides said some 200 priests had written to the pope promising their obedience.

    Many had also told the pontiff that they had “psychological difficulty in collaborating with the bishop after years of conflict”.

    The agency, which is controlled by the Vatican, said the rebellious priests should “reflect on the grave damage inflicted on the Church” through their “unreasonable actions opposing a bishop legitimately appointed by the Supreme Pontiff”.

    In his resignation letter, Okpaleke said remaining bishop in would not be beneficial to the Church.

    NAN

  • Boko Haram membership thinning out – President Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari says the era of Boko Haram terrorism is gradually drawing to end, with the narrowing of the recruitment base of the insurgents, and renewed onslaught by the Nigerian Army.

    The President stated this when he received the Letter of Credence of Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See to Nigeria, Most Rev. Archbishop Antonio Guido Filipazzi, at the State House, Abuja on Tuesday.

    Buhari noted that the terrorist group had lost appeal in its initial strongholds, necessitating a steady retreat that would eventually culminate in ending the insurgency.

    He said: “You can’t indoctrinate people who are below the age of 14 years and blow up churches, mosques, markets and you keep shouting God is great.

    “It is either you don’t know what you are saying, or you simply don’t care or believe what you are saying. It is part of our success story that Boko Haram is finding it more difficult to recruit people.

    Read Also: Baraje: Buhari should take Obasanjo’s statement seriously

    “The Nigerian Army is also not making it easy for them to grow, with more intelligence, orientation and regular, measured onslaught on their camps.’’

    The President said the ongoing effort to dismember the terrorist group, and render it completely powerless will be intensified.

    President Buhari, who described the Catholic Church as a strong partner in the development of Nigeria, noted that the church had made very significant contributions to the development of the educational and health system of the country.

    On corruption, the President said the fight against the culture of pilfering public funds would be prolonged, and would require a new orientation by re-positioning the entire educational system.

    “I am pleased that the African Union has spoken out boldly against corruption and appreciated the work that we are doing here,’’ he added.

    In his remarks, the Archbishop Filipazzi said the Holy Father, Pope Francis, had taken a keen interest on the fight against terrorism, corruption and reviving of the Nigerian economy.

    “Mr. President, the Holy Father, sends his warm greetings and he is keen to denounce corruption everywhere,’’ he added.

    The Apostolic Nuncio said he had travelled to the North East and was pleased with the efforts of the Nigerian Army in tackling the insurgents, and recovering some of the earlier lost grounds.

    President Buhari also received Letters of Credence from the Ambassador of Niger to Nigeria, Mr. Alat Mogaskia and the High Commissioner of Ghana, Alhaji Rashid Bawa.

    NAN