July 20, 2026
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10 SALIENT QUOTES FROM POPE LEOโ€™S 2026 LENTEN MESSAGE

Theme: “Listening and Fasting: Lent as a Time of Conversion” (By Fr. Michael Nsikak Umoh) Theme: “Listening and Fasting: Lent as a Time of Conversion” (By Fr. Michael Nsikak Umoh) A. ON THE ESSENCE OF LENT 1. “Lent is a time in which… the Church invites us to place the mystery of God back in

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2026 Lenten Message of the Holy Father Listening and Fasting: Lent as a Time of Conversion

Dear brothers and sisters, Lent is a time in which the Church, guided by a sense of maternal care, invites us to place the mystery of God back in the center of our lives, in order to find renewal in our faith and keep our hearts from being consumed by the anxieties and distractions of

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CATHOLIC SECRETARIAT OF NIGERIA CELEBRATES VALENTINEโ€™S DAY WITH REFLECTION ON CHRISTIAN LOVE

By Roseline Idoko The Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN) today celebrated Valentineโ€™s Day as one family, beginning with morning prayers followed by a reflection delivered by Sr. Dr. Cor Jesu Mary Eke (DMMM), Holy Mass in the afternoon, and a brief get-together marked by the exchange of gifts. The celebration, held at the Secretariat, brought

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A COMMUNIQUE ISSUED AFTER A MEETING OF THE CATHOLIC BISHOPS OF IBADAN ECCLESIASTICAL PROVINCE HELD FROM MONDAY JANUARY 19-20, 2026 AT JUBILEE CONFERENCE CENTRE, IBADAN, OYO STATE. SUSTAINING HOPE AND STRENGTHENING OUR GOOD EFFORTS

We, Catholic Bishops of Ibadan Ecclesiastical Province, comprising Ibadan Archdiocese, Ilorin, Ondo, Oyo, Ekiti and Osogbo Dioceses, after our first meeting for 2026 at the Jubilee Conference Centre, (JCC) Ibadan, having prayerfully deliberated on pertinent issues of Church and national interest, hereby issue the following Communique: 1. The Saving Mission of Jesus Christ The Church

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COMMUNIQUE ISSUED BY THE CATHOLIC BISHOPS OF THE LAGOS ECCCLESIASTICAL PROVINCE AT THE END OF THEIR FIRST MEETING OF THE YEAR 2026 HELD AT ST. AGNES CATHOLIC CHURCH, MARYLAND, LAGOS ON THURSDAY, 5th FEBRUARY 2026.

1.Preamble: We, the Catholic Bishops of the Lagos Ecclesiastical Province, comprising the Archdiocese of Lagos, Diocese of Abeokuta and Diocese of Ijebu-Ode gathered recently in Lagos in fellowship and prayer. The meeting was attended by the leadership and representatives of the Clergy, the Consecrated people and the various lay organizations who submitted reports of their

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CATHOLIC CHURCH IN NIGERIA MARKS ST. JOSEPHINE BAKHITA DAY WITH NATIONWIDE CALL TO END HUMAN TRAFFICKING

Report by: Bartholomew Ughulu, Volunteer at Migrants and Refugees Unit, CSN, Abuja From 8 February 2026, the Catholic Church in Nigeria joined the universal Church in commemorating the Feast day of Saint Josephine Bakhita, observed as the International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Trafficking in Persons, with activities across dioceses nationwide. The observance under

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“A Champion of Orthodoxy”: Bishop Ewherido Pays Glowing Tribute to Late Bishop Emeritus Afareha at Funeral Mass

By Fr. Michael Nsikak Umoh, CSN It was a deeply moving and faith-filled liturgical celebration on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, as the Catholic Diocese of Warri bid a final farewell to its Bishop Emeritus, Most Rev. John Okeoghene Afareha. The incumbent Local Ordinary, Most Rev. Anthony Ovayero Ewherido, described his predecessor as a pillar of

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Death is a Gateway, Not a Terminationโ€ – Bishop Elue

By Fr. Michael Nsikak Umoh The people of God in Warri Diocese, led by their Chief Shepherd, Most Rev. Anthony Ovayero Ewherido, gathered in their numbers for the Funeral Mass of their Bishop Emeritus, Most Rev. John Okeoghene Afareha, at Sacred Heart Cathedral, Warri, on Tuesday 10 February, 2026. The Chief Celebrant at the solemn

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“HEAVEN IS THE PRIZE”: BISHOP OGUN URGES FAITHFUL TO HONOR LEGACY OF LATE BISHOP AFAREHA THROUGH VIRTUE

By Fr Michael Nsikak Umoh As the Catholic Diocese of Warri entered a period of deep mourning and prayer, Most Rev. Donatus Ogun, the Bishop of Uromi Diocese, delivered a stirring homily to begin the final burial rites for the late Bishop John Okeoghene Afareha. โ€‹In a sermon at the Vigil Mass in the Sacred

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Pope condemns deadly attacks in Nigeria

  By Olivier Bonnel and Valerio Palombaro At the Sunday Angelus, Pope Leo XIV expresses “sorrow and concern” over the latest wave of deadly attacks in Nigeria, which have claimed dozens of lives, and expresses his hope that authorities will “continue to work with determination to ensure the safety and protection of the life of

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