Catholic Church in Nigeria

Father Matthias Opara, a Nigerian Catholic priest who was abducted on May 26 while returning from a funeral, has been... Read more

Easter Sunday Mass on April 9, 2023, was held for the first time in 10 months at St. Francis Xavier Owo Catholic Parish of Ondo Diocese in Nigeria.

Nigerian Catholic church attacked on Pentecost Sunday last year resumes public worship

Apr 14, 2023

A parish church in Nigeria that was attacked on Pentecost Sunday last year reopened for Easter Sunday Mass on April... Read more

Burned vehicles after Good Friday raid on April 7, 2023, in Ngban, Benue state, Nigeria.

Holy Week attacks on Christian communities in Nigeria leave nearly 100 dead

Apr 10, 2023

The deadly raids were another sign of worsening violence in Nigeria’s Benue state. Read more

Residents of Adunu line up to cast their ballots in Adunu Feb. 25, 2023.

Dozens still captive in Nigeria after deadly raid on Catholic town

Apr 6, 2023

Armed bandits killed one person and kidnapped more than 100 others in a March 14 raid on a predominantly Catholic... Read more

Ruins after a militia attack in Benue state, Nigeria, during the last week of February 2023.

Waves of attacks displace Catholic natives in central Nigeria

Mar 15, 2023

Recent terrorist raids in Benue, a predominantly Catholic state in north-central Nigeria, are getting scant mention in Nigeria news. Read more

Janada Marcus, 22, was forced to flee Boko Haram with her family twice before the terrorists attacked them again, killing her father and kidnapping her.

‘My parishioners shot dead in cold blood’: Priests, lay faithful describe attacks in Nigeria

Mar 8, 2023

By Peter Pinedo

Aid to the Church in Need has released firsthand testimonies of Catholic faithful who have survived torture, kidnappings, and massacres. Read more

A group of people protest the outcome of the 2023 presidential elections and the emergence of the candidate of All Progressives Congress' (APC) Bola Tinubu as the president-elect in Abuja, Nigeria, on March 1, 2023.

Muslim-Muslim ticket proclaimed winner of Nigeria’s presidential election amid protests

Mar 1, 2023

The country’s Catholic bishops, among others, have sharply criticized the Independent Nigerian Election Commission for its handling of the vote... Read more

Supporters hold a placard with pictures of the candidate of the Labour Party Peter Obi and running mate Datti Baba-Ahmed during a campaign rally of the party in Lagos, Nigeria, on Feb. 11, 2023.

Nigerians head to the polls to choose a new president — and brace for post-election violence

Feb 23, 2023

Peter Obi, one of three leading candidates, is Catholic and a popular former governor. Read more

Cardinal Peter Ebere Okpaleke, bishop of the southern Nigerian diocese of Ekwulobia, pictured as he took possession of his titular church in Rome on Feb. 5, 2023.

Nigeria’s newest cardinal: Presidential election will ‘either make or break Nigeria’

Feb 23, 2023

With Nigeria’s escalating violence, a lot is at stake in the presidential election this week in Africa’s most populous country,... Read more

Cardinal Peter Ebere Okpaleke offers Mass in Rome at his titular church, the Holy Martyrs of Uganda Catholic Parish, on Feb. 5, 2023.

Nigeria’s newest cardinal shares secret behind the highest Mass attendance in the world

Feb 14, 2023

Cardinal Peter Ebere Okpaleke said Nigerian society as a whole has “a traditional worldview” that recognizes the presence of God... Read more

Pope Francis (left); Bishop Rolando Álvarez (right)

Pope Francis asks Virgin Mary to intercede for Nicaragua after bishop sentenced to 26 years in prison

Feb 12, 2023

“The news from Nicaragua has grieved me a great deal,” the pope said. Read more

Father Isaac Achi, a Nigerian Catholic priest, was murdered in Niger State on Jan. 15, 2023.

State Department official: ‘After careful review’ Nigeria to remain off religious freedom watch list

Feb 8, 2023

By Peter Pinedo

A U.S. State Department official told EWTN that “after careful review” Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has decided not to... Read more

A group of school girls receiving the sacraments of baptism and confirmation in Onitsha, Anambra, Nigeria, on May 30, 2022.

Where is Mass attendance highest? One country is the clear leader

Jan 29, 2023

By Jonah McKeown

A compilation of new data by researchers at Georgetown University sheds light on the countries around the world that have... Read more

Some victims of the attack at the hospital in Agan and Makurdi, Benue State Nigeria.

Priest describes ‘horrifying’ new attack on Catholics in Nigeria that leaves at least 11 dead

Jan 20, 2023

Alleged Fulani herdsmen on Jan. 19 attacked a village near Makurdi, the capital of Nigeria’s Benue State. Read more

Pope Francis prays at the general audience, Oct. 19, 2022

Pope Francis prays for priest killed in Nigeria, asks for prayers for persecuted Christians

Jan 18, 2023

At the end of his Wednesday audience, Pope Francis asked for people to join him in praying for persecuted Christians... Read more

Catholic priest burned to death in Nigeria

Jan 15, 2023

Another priest was shot in the Jan. 15 bandit attack but survived. Read more

Dozens still in captivity after Christmas Day attack in Nigeria, Catholic priest says

Jan 11, 2023

On Christmas Day 2022, militant Fulani herdsmen and other terrorists attacked Angwan Aku village, reportedly killing one person and abducting... Read more

Bishop Yakubu Kundi of the Diocese of Kafanchan, Nigeria.

Nigeria bishop: Pre-Christmas massacre part of ‘a deliberate plan to unleash evil’ against Christians

Dec 22, 2022

Witnesses say armed Fulani herdsmen attacked several Christian villages on Dec. 18, leaving as many as 46 people dead and... Read more

Altar of St. Francis Xavier Owo Catholic Parish of Ondo Diocese, Nigeria, where dozens were slain in a massacre on June 5, 2022.

Bishop: ‘Nigeria is waiting’ for justice in Pentecost Sunday church massacre

Dec 9, 2022