Catholic Church in Nigeria | |
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Type | National polity |
Classification | Catholic |
Governance | Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria |
Pope | Pope Francis |
President | Lucius iwejuru Ugorji |
Region | Nigeria |
Language | English, Latin |
Members | 35.0 million (2024) [1] |
Official website | Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria |
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Overview |
Catholic Churchportal |
The Catholic Church in Nigeria is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope, the curia in Rome, and the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria (CBCN).
In 2022, the present president of the CBCN is Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, Archbishop of Owerri Archdiocese. [2] He followed on from the previous president, Augustine Obiora Akubeze. [3] [4]
The Latin and Eastern Catholic Churches comprise the world's largest Christian Church, and its largest religious grouping. In 2005, there were an estimated 19 million baptised Catholics in Nigeria. [5] In 2010 the Catholic population accounted for approximately 12.6% of the population, [6] 70% of which can be found in Southeast Nigeria.[ citation needed ]
Historically, the Holy Ghost Fathers maintained a strong presence in Igboland in today's Southeastern Nigeria, whereas the White Fathers operated in Western and Northern Nigeria, and the Society of African Missions in Lagos. [7]
Nigeria, together with Congo Democratic Republic, boasts of the highest number of priests in Africa. The boom in vocation to the priesthood in Nigeria is mainly in the Southeastern part, especially among the Igbo ethnic group, of which the first evangelizers were Holy Ghost Fathers. [7]
The second papal visit to the country in 1998 witnessed the beatification of Blessed Cyprian Michael Iwene Tansi. [8] Pope John Paul II proclaimed him blessed at Oba, Onitsha Archdiocese, a local Church established by the apostle of eastern Nigerian, Bishop Joseph Shanahan, CSSp.
The official patron saints of Nigeria are Mary, Queen of Nigeria, and Patrick of Ireland. [9]
Christianity was followed by an estimated 46.18% of the Nigerian population in 2020; one-quarter of Christians in Nigeria are Catholic (12.39% of the country's population). [10]
In the same year, over 9,500 priests and 6,500 nuns served over 4,000 parishes. [11]
Archdioceses | 9 |
Suffragan Dioceses | 59 |
Apostolic Vicariates | 2 |
Parishes | 1,905 (2004) |
Diocesan Priests | 3,452 |
Religious Priests | 694 |
♦Total Priests | 4,146 (2004) |
Religious Women | 3,674 |
Major seminaries in Nigeria | 6 |
Major seminarians | |
Minor seminaries in Nigeria | 20 |
Minor seminarians | |
♦Total seminarians | 3,755 (2004) |
Educational institutes | 4,163 |
Charitable institutes | 1,202 |
References | Italian page for 2004 [12] |
Within Nigeria the hierarchy consists of:
| ( Cardinal Bishop) |
Immediately subject to the Holy See:
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria is the Nigerian episcopal conference. Its current President is Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji.
A more traditionalist subset of the Catholic Church is also present in Nigeria and embodied by the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (Nne Enyemaka Shrine, [13] Umuaka). There also exists a community of the irregular status Society of St. Pius X (Saint Michael's Priory, [14] [15] Enugu).
Francis Arinze is a Nigerian cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments from 2002 to 2008 and before that led the Secretariat for Non-Christians from 1984 to 2002.
Anambra State is a Nigerian state, located in the southeastern region of the country. The state was created on 27 August 1991. Anambra state is bounded by Delta State to the west, Imo State and Rivers State to the south, Enugu State to the east and Kogi State to the north. The State's Capital is Awka, while the State’s Largest City is Onitsha which is regarded as one of the largest metropolis area in Africa.
Cyprian Michael Iwene Tansi, OCSO was an Igbo Nigerian priest of the Catholic Church who worked in the Archdiocese of Onitsha and later became a Trappist monk at Mount Saint Bernard Monastery in England.
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Onitsha is the Metropolitan See for the ecclesiastical province of Onitsha in Anambra State, Nigeria.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Idah is a Latin suffragan diocese located in the city of Idah, Kogi State in the ecclesiastical province of Abuja, in Nigeria, yet remains subject to the Roman missionary Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Issele-Uku is a diocese located in the city of Issele-Uku, Delta State in the ecclesiastical province of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. It lies on the west bank of the Niger River between Benin City to the west and Onitsha to the east. The diocese comprises six local government areas in the northern portion of Delta State. The Archdiocese of Onitsha borders it on the east and the Archdiocese of Benin City borders it on the west. The Diocese of Uromi is to its north and the Diocese of Warri borders it on the south.
Railway stations in Nigeria include:
This article is about the particular significance of the year 1964 to Nigeria and its people.
The Missionary Society of St. Paul of Nigeria is a Catholic religious congregation based in Nigeria and serving parishes in Africa, North America, Europe, and the Caribbean. It was founded by Cardinal Dominic Ekandem in 1976.
Akpujiogu is an Igbo town in Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra State in southeastern Nigeria. Often referred to as just "Akpu", the town's geographical coordinates lie within 6” 02’46 North and 7” 12’36 East. It shares boundaries with Ajalli, Ufuma, Nawfija, Ogboji, and Ndiowu.
Helen Uche Ibezim is a Nigerian educationist and an author who has published several books which include Your Gift is your Power, Beyond the Heartbeat (novel) and The Ultimate Price & other plays.
Chibuzo Emmanuel Obimma, known as Ebube Muonso, is a Nigerian Catholic leader in Anambra State. He is a parish priest in Dunukofia and the founder and head of Holy Ghost Adoration Ministry.
Anambra State Library Board (ANSLB), is a Nigerian-established Library Board that manages all the public libraries in Anambra State. It is situated along Awka – Enugu express road by Aroma junction in Awka, the capital of Anambra State. Its headquarter is located at Professor Kenneth Dike State Central e-Library, Awka. It has eleven public libraries, comprising three Divisional libraries with seven Branch/Community libraries and the headquarter that houses the Library Board – Professor Kenneth Dike State Central e-Library, Awka. The State Library Board has won awards for the Best Public Library in Nigeria for three consecutive years, earning it another award for the Ever Green Public Library in Nigeria
Charles Heerey B.A., C.S.Sp. (1890–1967) was an Irish-born priest of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit (Spiritans), who served as a bishop in Nigeria. Born in Castlerahan, Clonkeefey, Co. Cavan. He was educated by the Holy Ghost fathers in Blackrock College, he prefected in Rockwell College, and studied in St. Mary's Rathmines and Holy Ghost Missionary College, Kimmage Manor, Dublin, he graduated with a BA from UCD. He was ordained a priest in Dublin in 1921. Following ordination he moved to Nigeria in 1922.