Pope Francis on Sunday arrived in Canada to apologise to residential school survivors on their lands for the Catholic Church’s operation of residential schools throughout the country. The Pope will make three stops in the course of his five-day tour of Edmonton, Alberta, the province that hosts the most...
Pope Francis
By SADIQ ABUBAKAR, Maiduguri – The Catholic Diocese of Maiduguri has organized The Episcopal Ordination of Most Rev. Dr. John Bogna Bakeni, the Auxiliary Bishop of Maiduguri Diocese on Thursday at the St. Patrick Catholic Church of Christ in Maiduguri. The Holy Father, Pope Francis, was represented by Papal...
Pope Francis has cancelled his trip to Africa next month due to ongoing knee problems, in what has become a persistent ailment for the 85-year-old pontiff. Vatican spokesman,Matteo Bruni ,said the Pope’s decision was made “on the advice of his doctors and in order not to compromise the results...
Pope Francis was “deeply saddened” by the “horrible attack” in Owo, his number two, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin wrote in a telegram to the bishop of Ondo. The pope assures “all those who are affected by this unspeakable act of violence of his spiritual closeness”, he...
By DAVID IORJA, Abuja – President Muhammadu Buhari has commended Pope Francis over the appointment of Bishop Peter Okpaleke of Ekwulobia Diocese, Anambra State, as a Cardinal in the Catholic Church. Bishop Okpaleke becomes the fifth Cardinal from Nigeria. Others before him are Dominic Ekandem, Francis Arinze, Anthony Okogie...
Pope Francis, who has suffered from pain in his knee, used a wheelchair for the first time at a public event on Thursday. The 85-year-old was wheeled into the Paul VI hall at the Vatican for a meeting of a Catholic organisation of sisters and nuns, according to an...
Pope Francis on Sunday called for peace in Ukraine during this “Easter of war” as he delivered the traditional Easter Sunday Urbi et Orbi address on St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. “May there be peace for war-torn Ukraine, so sorely tried by the violence and destruction of the...
By EZEKIEL OBI, Abuja – The head of the Catholic Church, His Holiness, Pope Francis, has appointed Most Rev. Fr. (Dr.) Lucius Ugorji as the new bishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Owerri. Most Rev. Dr. Ugorji, who until his appointment was the former Catholic Bishop of Umuahia and...
Pope Francis in July will visit the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan, two African nations plagued by violence in which the pontiff has taken particular interest, the Vatican announced on Thursday. The 85-year-old pope will be in the DRC from July 2 to 5, visiting the capital...
The Metropolitan Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Most Rev. Ignatius Kaigama has advised Christians to engage in charity and almsgiving during the Lenten season. The prelate gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, as Christians mark the Ash Wednesday, which signifies the...
BY ANKELI EMMANUEL, Sokoto – The Pope of Catholic Church, His Holiness, Pope Francis has conferred Monsignor title to three Priests of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto while 21 others were honoured with the titles of Knights of St Gregory the Great, Knight of St Sylvester, Pro Exxlesia et...
The death of 5-year-old Rayan Awram in spite of a massive effort to rescue him from a deep well sparked an outpouring of sympathy on Sunday, from his village in northern Morocco to the Vatican, from King Mohammed to international football clubs. The saga of the ultimately failed rescue...
Pope Francis said Sunday he was following “with concern” rising tensions in Ukraine, and called for a day of prayer for peace next week. “I am following with concern the rising tensions that threaten to inflict a new blow to peace in Ukraine, and call into question the security...
Pope Francis has criticised couples who choose not to have children. The 85-year-old told scores of the faithful at a general audience in the Vatican audience hall on Wednesday. “Too many couples don’t have children because they don’t want any, or they have only one because they don’t want...
Pope Francis urged the world to “roll up our sleeves” for peace in a New Year’s message Saturday, while calling violence against women an affront to God. Marking the 55th World Day of Peace, the head of the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics devoted his Angelus address to encouraging a...
UN Secretary António Guterres on Saturday received the Lamp of Peace award , a major honour from the Catholic Church, which he said recognises the work of UN personnel “striving for peace around the world”. Reminding that after the horrors of World War in the 20th Century, “the UN...
Pope Francis on Monday wraps up a landmark three-day visit to Greece which has been marked by his calls for better treatment of migrants in Europe and a visit to asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos. After a last meeting with young people at a Catholic school, the...