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  • Late Pope humble, courageous – Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria

    Late Pope humble, courageous – Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria

    The Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN) on Monday described the late Pope Francis as a shepherd defined by humility, courage, and a steadfast commitment to the marginalised.

    CSB said: “His Holiness, Pope Francis, passed away peacefully on Easter Monday, 21 April 2025, at 7:35 a.m.

    “The announcement, issued on behalf of the President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, Most Rev. Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, described the pontiff’s passing as spiritually profound, occurring during the sacred Easter season in which the Church celebrates Christ’s victory over death”.

    In a statement signed by Rev. Fr. Michael Banjo, Secretary-General of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, the Church in Nigeria paid tribute to the late Pope’s enduring legacy, describing him as a shepherd defined by humility, courage, and a steadfast commitment to the marginalised.

    Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in 1936, Pope Francis made history as the first Jesuit pope and the first pontiff from the Americas. Since his election on 13 March 2013, he became known for championing themes such as mercy, social justice, care for the environment, and inclusivity throughout his papacy.

    He was especially noted for his compassion toward migrants and refugees, as well as his efforts to make the Church more synodal and participatory.

    The statement also underscored his lifelong devotion to fostering kindness, human fraternity, and interfaith dialogue, to build peace and promote mutual understanding among people of different faiths and backgrounds.

    Read Also: Pope Francis championed global peace and unity, says Speaker Abbas

    In honour of the late pontiff, diocesan bishops across Nigeria have been urged to organise Eucharistic celebrations for the repose of his soul. Additionally, all Catholics have been encouraged to offer prayers for him during the Divine Mercy devotion at 3:00 p.m. daily.

    During this period of interregnum, the Church has directed those references to the Pope be omitted from the Eucharistic Prayer at Mass, in line with liturgical norms.

    “May the soul of Pope Francis and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace”, the statement added.

  • Everyone criticising blessings for same-sex marriage will eventually accept it – Pope

    Everyone criticising blessings for same-sex marriage will eventually accept it – Pope

    Pope Francis has voiced confidence that those who criticize his decision to provide blessings to same-sex couples will eventually come to understand it, except Africans, whom he referred to as a “special case.”

    According to Reuters, Pope Francis said in an interview with the Italian newspaper La Stampa that was released on Monday that homosexuality is seen badly by Africans from a cultural standpoint.

    He said: “Those who protest vehemently belong to small ideological groups. A special case is Africans: for them, homosexuality is something bad from a cultural point of view, and they don’t tolerate it.

    “But in general, I trust that gradually everyone will be reassured by the spirit of the ‘Fiducia Supplicans’ declaration by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith: it aims to include, not divide.”

    Fiducia Supplicans, or the Suplicating Trust, a Vatican document that permitted blessings for same-sex couples, caused a great deal of controversy last month in the Catholic Church and around the globe.

    Blessings, however, should not be connected to marriage or civil unions or included in ordinary church rituals, according to the Vatican.

    It emphasised that it continues to view marriage as between a man and a woman.

    Reuters reports that last week, Francis appeared to acknowledge the backlash the document caused, especially in Africa, where engaging in same-sex activities can carry serious penalties including incarceration or even the death penalty.

    He said that when the blessings are given, priests should “naturally take into account the context, the sensitivities, the places where one lives and the most appropriate ways to do it.”

    The Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria announced that Catholic churches within the country will not perform blessings for same-sex unions.

    “That would go against God’s law, the teachings of the Church, the laws of our nation, and the cultural sensibilities of our people,” they said in a statement.

    Read Also: Pope Francis, same sex couple, distorted souls

    The bishops assert that the decision made by Pope Francis to approve same-sex marriages was misunderstood.

    “The Declaration reinforces the truth about God’s mercy. For one to willingly ask for a blessing demonstrates one’s trust in God and the desire to live according to God’s commandments.

    “Asking for God’s blessing is not dependent on how good one is. Imperfection is the reason for seeking God’s grace.

    “Therefore, those in irregular unions are invited never to lose hope but rather to ask for God’s grace and mercy while remaining open to conversion.”

  • Pope denounces violence against children in Gaza

    Pope denounces violence against children in Gaza

    Pope Francis said children dying in wars, including in Gaza, are the “little Jesuses of today” and that Israeli strikes there were reaping an “appalling harvest” of innocent civilians.

    Francis also called the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas militants “abominable” and again appealed for the release of around 100 hostages still being held in Gaza.

    Speaking from the central balcony of St Peter’s Basilica to thousands of people in the square below, he took another swipe at the armaments industry, saying it ultimately controlled the “puppet-strings of war”.

    The 87-year-old Pope, celebrating the 11th Christmas of his pontificate, called for an end to conflicts, political, social or military, in places including Ukraine, Syria, Yemen, Lebanon, Armenia and Azerbaijan, and he defended the rights of migrants around the world.

    “How many innocents are being slaughtered in our world! In their mothers’ wombs, in odysseys undertaken in desperation and in search of hope, in the lives of all those little ones whose childhoods have been devastated by war. They are the little Jesuses of today,” he said.

    He gave particular attention to the Holy Land, including Gaza, where, according to Palestinian health officials, Israeli air strikes killed at least 78 people in one of the besieged enclave’s deadliest nights of Israel’s 11-week-old battle with Hamas.

    Read Also; New Year: Gov Alia pardons 12 inmates

    Pope Francis also highlighted the central role women have played in salvation history and that they still have for bringing peace to the world of the 21st century.

    Addressing a congregation of seven thousand Catholics from all continents who gathered in St. Peter’s Basilica on New Year’s Day, including cardinals, bishops, women and men religious, lay people, and ambassadors from the 184 countries that have diplomatic relations with the Holy See, Francis spoke about the role God gave to women in the history of the world, and the important role women have to play today in both the church and society.

    He began by reminding them, “God becomes man, and he does so through a woman, Mary.

    She is the means chosen by God, the culmination of that long line of individuals and generations that ‘drop by drop’ prepared for the Lord’s coming into the world. She stands at the very heart of the mystery of time. It pleased God to turn history around through her, the woman.”

    “The Mother and Child mark a new creation, a new beginning,” the pope said; “the Lord, a tiny child in his mama’s arms, has united himself forever to our humanity, to the point that it is no longer only ours, but his as well.”

    Pope Francis, speaking in a strong voice after recovering from pneumonia, said: “The church needs Mary in order to recover her own feminine face” which, he said, means making “space for women and [being] ‘generative’ through a pastoral ministry marked by concern and care, patience and maternal courage.” His words echoed the increasingly pressing call that has come from Catholics around the world through the synods on the family, the Amazon, and the ongoing Synod on Synodality, asking church leadership to open up greater spaces and roles of responsibility for women in the church of the 21st century.”

    He also called on those in St. Peter’s Square and worldwide to pray for peace in countries suffering from war, and especially “the martyred Ukraine, Palestine and Israel.” He also asked them to pray for the bishops and priests in Nicaragua “who have been deprived of their liberty in recent days.” He expressed his closeness to them, and to the entire church and people of Nicaragua, and appealed “for a dialogue that can overcome the problems.”

    He concluded by wishing everyone Happy New Year and asked them not to forget to pray for him.

  • Pope didn’t approve blessing for same-sex couples, says Kaigama

    Pope didn’t approve blessing for same-sex couples, says Kaigama

    The Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Ignatius Kaigama, has said reports claiming that the Catholic Pontiff, Pope Francis, had approved blessings for same-sex couples were untrue.

    Kaigama said this in his homily during the Christmas Mass he conducted at Our Lady Queen of Nigeria Catholic Pro-Cathedral in Abuja.

    According to Kaigama, the viral report is a mischievous disinformation, which is part of a deliberately orchestrated falsehood by the enemies of the Catholic Church to cause confusion among its members.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, the Pope did not, and will never approve blessings for any intending same-sex couples because the position of the church on this is very clear and has not changed.

    “I am the representative of the Pope here. So, if there was any such approval or directive, I would be the first to know and relay the message to the brethren.

    “The media reports on this issue is the handiwork of the enemies of the church who have been busy spending millions of dollars to bring down the church but to no avail because they cannot succeed,” he said.

    Read Also: Pope Francis signs decree forbidding same-sex marriage

    Kaigama admonished Christians not to despair or allow their faith to be shaken by the attacks against the church by its enemies, adding that evil can never prevail over good and darkness cannot overcome light.

    Commenting on the insecurity across the country, The Catholic archbishop urged Christians to remain steadfast in their faith and prayers, assuring them that before long, the challenge would fade away.

    The cleric urged criminals across the country, especially those involved in incessant kidnapping of Catholic priests, to desist or face the wrath of God.

    He prayed for Nigeria and its leaders to succeed, urging the Federal Government to step up security measures to stem the tide of criminality in the country and rein in the outlaws.

    Kaigama explained that Christmas signifies a season of peace, love, care, change and new birth in the lives of all Christians, who he advised to emulate Christ by observing the above principles.

  • Pope chooses to be buried in Rome tomb

    Pope chooses to be buried in Rome tomb

    Pope Francis has chosen to be buried not in St Peter’s Basilica alongside his immediate predecessors but in a basilica in Rome, he revealed in an interview broadcast yesterday.

    “The place is already prepared. I want to be buried in Santa Maria Maggiore,” the pontiff, who turns 87 this weekend, told Mexican broadcaster Televisa’s N+ streaming service.

    In the same interview, he revealed he planned to visit Belgium in 2024, and also hoped to visit his native Argentina and Polynesia.

    Francis’s decision means he would become the first pope to be buried outside the Vatican for more than 100 years.

    The last to eschew a tomb in St Peter’s was Leo XIII, who died in 1903. His remains lie in the basilica of St John the Lateran in Rome.

    Read Also: Pope Francis counsels Celtic players on sportsmanship

    Santa Maria Maggiore is one of the four papal basilicas in Rome, and one with which Francis said he felt a “special connection”.

    He would often go there on a Sunday while visiting Rome before becoming pope. Since his election in 2013, he prays there before and after taking a trip, and has also prayed there after undergoing surgery.

    Seven popes have previously been laid to rest in the basilica, according to the Vatican News official media outlet.

    The pontiff has suffered from increasing health issues in recent years, and was forced to cancel a visit to COP28 climate talks in Dubai due to bronchitis.

    In his interview recorded on Tuesday, in which he appeared much better, he paid tribute to his predecessor Benedict XVI for having had “the courage” to step down when his health was failing him.

    The German pontiff in 2013 became the first pope since the Middle Ages to resign.

    Benedict died on December 31, 2022, and after a funeral in St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican — led by Francis — his body was buried in the tomb under the church.

    It was the same tomb that held former pope John Paul II’s body before it was moved for his beatification in 2011.

  • Injured Newcastle’s Pope out for ‘around four months’

    Injured Newcastle’s Pope out for ‘around four months’

    Newcastle goalkeeper Nick Pope will be sidelined for “around four months” with a shoulder injury, manager Eddie Howe said  as his list of absentees continued to grow.

    England’s Pope, who needed surgery on his same left shoulder in 2018 while a Burnley player, suffered a dislocation when diving during last weekend’s 1-0 Premier League victory over Manchester United.

    He joins Newcastle’s lengthy injury list which has left Howe making very few substitutions in recent matches, with several youth-team players on the bench.

     “There’s no doubt he needs an operation so he will be out for a period of time, we think around four months,” Howe told a press conference ahead of  today’s league game at Everton.

     “It’s the same shoulder (as 2018 injury) but a different part of the shoulder. There was no reason for that happening.”

    Media reports have linked Newcastle with both out-of-favour Arsenal ‘keeper Aaron Ramsdale and former Man United number one David de Gea, who is a free agent.

    But Howe was keen to play down speculation of signing a short-term replacement in January.

     “I’ve seen a lot of the media headlines and press speculation regarding goalkeepers and other players,” said Howe.

     “We’ve not made any enquiries or decisions regarding our recruitment leading into January and I have said many times that is because if we were to recruit now we would probably be recruiting in every position on the pitch because we have injuries everywhere throughout the squad.

     “Hopefully that picture looks different by the time January comes.”

    Slovakian Martin Dubravka replaced Pope as a late substitute against Manchester United and will likely start at Goodison Park.

    He was sent on loan to Old Trafford last season but played two Premier League matches for Newcastle after being recalled from Man United in January.

     “We really believe in Martin. I have always had that high opinion of him,” added Howe.

    “Martin is a high-class goalkeeper, he is a brilliant shot-stopper himself.

     “He is very good with his feet and his distribution, so there’s no hesitation in bringing Martin into the team and I hope he does really well.”

    Newcastle have won their last two league matches, either side of a 1-1 Champions League draw at Paris Saint-Germain, despite their injury woes.

    But Howe wants his side to improve away from home, after just one win on their travels in six Premier League games this season.

     “I’m looking forward to the game. We’re going to Tottenham next, we’ll need to work on our away form.”

    Newcastle sit sixth in the table, just three points adrift of fourth-placed Aston Villa.

  • Pope appoints Kaigama Bishop of Abuja

    POPE Francis has appointed Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama as the archbishop of Abuja.

    Pope Francis, who was represented by Apostolic Nuncio to Nigeria, Archbishop Antonio Guido Filipazzi, announced this during the opening of the first plenary meeting of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), yesterday in Abuja.

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

    The Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Jos and past president of the CBCN,  he is a priest of Jukun 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.

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

    Kaigama was ordained on June 6, 1981, and 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.

  • Pope faces calls for action over abuse ‘shame’ in Ireland

    Pope Francis expressed “pain and shame” over the Catholic Church’s failure to deal with abuse and met with eight victims during a visit to Ireland on yesterday where the prime minister pressed him to take action.

    Francis said the “failure of ecclesiastical authorities… adequately to address these repellent crimes has rightly given rise to outrage, and remains a source of pain and shame for the Catholic community.

    “I myself share those sentiments,” he said in a speech in Dublin Castle, speaking alongside Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar.

    The pope later held an hour and a half meeting with victims of abuse at the hands of clergy or in Church-run institutions, including Marie Collins, who was, at the age of 13, abused by a priest while being treated in a hospital in Dublin.

    Collins, who last year resigned from a Vatican commission for child protection over its inaction, told reporters that the pope’s speech was “disappointing” and “nothing new”.

    One of the victims of Fr Tony Walsh, a priest and serial abuser who assaulted hundreds of children over nearly two decades, was also present but preferred to remain anonymous.

    Paul Jude Redmond, who was adopted illegally from a Catholic-run home in the 1960s where his mother had been interned for being pregnant and unmarried, was among those who met the pope.

    Redmond said the pope “lifted his hands to his head in shock” during the closed-door meeting after hearing stories of ill-treatment in Church-run Mother and Baby Homes.

    “We feel hopeful there will be more movement from the Church,” Redmond said in a statement put out by the Coalition of Mother and Baby Home Survivors.

    Varadkar, an openly gay leader and a symbol of Ireland’s liberalising culture, demanded from Pope Francis “that from words flow actions” for victims in a strongly-worded speech.

    He said Ireland’s multiple historic scandals were “stains on our state, our society and also the Church.”

    “Far too often there was judgement, severity and cruelty… people kept in dark corners, behind closed doors, cries for help that went unheard,” he added.

    “There is much to be done to bring about justice and truth and healing for victims and survivors. Holy Father, I ask that you use your office and influence to ensure that this is done here in Ireland and across the world.”

    Francis’s visit was the first by a pope in this former bastion of Catholicism since John Paul II spoke to a crowd of 1.5 million people during a visit in 1979.

    Irish society is virtually unrecognisable from that time.

    A new generation has shed Ireland’s traditional mores, electing Ireland’s first gay prime minister and voting to legalise same-sex marriage and abortion — both once unthinkable.

    In Dublin, tens of thousands of people lined the streets to cheer Pope Francis on as his Popemobile made its way from St Mary’s Pro-Cathedral, where he gave marriage advice to couples, to a hostel for homeless families.

    “I just think he is an inspirational man. He has a difficult job to do to try and bring around a lot of changes in the Church but he is doing his best I feel,” said Eileen Grier-Gavin, who came from County Mayo in western Ireland to see the pope pass by.

    The pope later attended a Festival of Families in Croke Park Stadium with more than 82,000 people in attendance.

    Earlier this month, the Vatican was rocked by a devastating US report accused more than 300 priests in Pennsylvania state of abusing more than 1,000 children since the 1950s.

    The pope wrote a letter to the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics vowing to prevent future “atrocities” but also conceding that no efforts “to repair the harm done will ever be sufficient”.

     

    Ireland has grappled with its own history of abuse, with multiple probes finding Church leaders protected hundreds of predatory priests over the decades.

    The Argentine pontiff was in Ireland to close the 2018 World Meeting of Families (WMOF) — a global Catholic gathering that takes place every three years.

    The highlight of the trip will be an outdoor mass in the city’s Phoenix Park on Sunday, which is expected to draw 500,000 people.

    Priests and nuns from across Ireland have flocked to the capital, although merchandise sellers said business was sluggish.

     

     

  • Hell does not exist, says Pope

    “There is no hell where the souls of sinners suffer in eternity”,
    Pope Francis was quoted as saying in a Thursday interview with Italian daily La Repubblica.

    Francis said: “after death, the souls of people who repent are pardoned by God and join in his contemplation,
    “but those who do not repent, and therefore cannot be pardoned, disappear.”

    “Hell does not exist – what exists is the disappearance of sinful souls,” he added.

    The pope was interviewed by Eugenio Scalfari, a veteran Italian journalist and atheist who regularly muses about
    faith and religion, and enjoys access to the leader of the Catholic Church.

    In the past, the veracity of quotes he attributed to the pope has been called into question, especially after
    the 93-year-old Scalfari admitted to never using a tape recorder during interviews.

    However, the Vatican has never complained about Scalfari’s work, and Francis has continued giving interviews
    to him. (dpa/NAN)

  • Pope excommunicates Nigeria-born priest

    Pope excommunicates Nigeria-born priest

    A Nigeria-born Catholic priest has been ex-communicated for allegedly breaching rules of confession secrecy.

    Pope Francis ordered that Father Ezinwanne Igbo of Stella Maris parish in Maroochydore, Queensland,Australia ,be axed after a two-year investigation.

    The investigation followed a complaint that he breached rules of confession secrecy from 2016.

    The Archbishop of Mark Coleridge said in a statement Father Igbo was alleged to have committed a canonical (church) offence.

    “The Archbishop then submitted the judgment to the Holy See, who subsequently requested that the communication be made public,” the Archbishop said.

    “The excommunication will remain in force until Fr. Ezinwanne seeks and is granted remission by the Pope, who alone can grant it.”

    While excommunicated, Fr. Igbo cannot participate in public worship, celebrate or receive sacraments and cannot exercise any office of ministry in the church.

    The priest’s lawyer Terry Boyce said 12 charges were brought against Fr. Igbo but all of them were “not proceeded with after Fr. Igbo defended them.”

    Fr. Igbo is planning to appeal the decision after he was found guilty by the church.

    The statement reads: “In 2016, the Archdiocese received a number of complaints concerning Fr Ezinwanne Igbo.

    “In one of those complaints, he was alleged to have committed a canonical offence which resulted in automatic excommunication.

    “This was not a criminal offence under civil law. An investigative process was authorised by the Holy See and conducted by senior canon lawyers. The process confirmed the allegation unanimously.

    “The Archbishop then submitted the judgment to the Holy See, who subsequently requested that the excommunication be made public.

    “The excommunication will remain in force until Fr Ezinwanne seeks and is granted remission by the Pope, who alone can grant it.

    “While the excommunication remains in force, Fr ­Ezinwanne can have no ministerial part in the celebration of Mass or any other public worship; he cannot celebrate or receive the sacraments; and he cannot exercise any office of ministry in the church.”