NIGERIA: Archbishop Crotty Commends Church in Nigeria on Contributions to the Universal Church

• advocates for intensive youth apostolate in the Church

By Fr. Michael Nsikak Umoh, CSN

The Apostolic Nuncio to Nigeria, Archbishop Michael Francis Crotty, has commended the Church in Nigeria for its high level of pastoral initiatives, faith, and significant contributions to the universal Church.

In an exclusive interview with The Catholic Herald, the Lagos Archdiocesan Newspaper, Archbishop Crotty expressed his optimism about the people and the Church in Nigeria. “From my very limited experience, Nigerians have a great can-do approach and a great sense of initiative,” he said. 

“Well, I’m just getting to learn more and more about the Church in Nigeria. The things I see are largely beautiful and positive. And I suppose, the first is the abundance of vocations to the priesthood and to religious life, especially a lot of vocations to the sisterhood which I consider to be a great blessing for Nigeria.”

The archbishop noted that the Church in Nigeria is relatively young but is already contributing significantly to the universal Church especially in the area of pastoral supplies by its priests, various apostolates of the religious in the life of the Church in Europe and America, and the young Nigerian migrants, like in Ireland, who bring their Nigerian vibrancy and joy of celebrating the faith to the parishes that they belong to. “Nigeria has been… evangelized in a relatively short time… but already the country is contributing its role to the Universal Church. Presently, there are a huge number of priests and sisters working in many different parts of the world.”

Archbishop Crotty emphasized the importance of evangelizing the youth, citing the example of Pope John Paul II’s initiative to institute the World Youth Day. “I consider it very important that the Resource Centre is paying particular attention to youth development… And so, I think, more than ever, the Church has to pay particular attention to evangelizing the youth because it’s so important for the future of the church.”  He added that “The great gift of the faith is not something that we receive and keep to ourselves, it’s something we continue to give.”

The Prelate also highlighted the significance of education in the Church’s mission, noting that it is one of the strengths of the Church in Nigeria because, since the schools are open to all persons irrespective of tribe or creed, it not only inculcates values, but also fosters good ecumenical relations.

However, the Apostolic Nuncio did not fail to caution the Church in Nigeria not to rest on its laurels. “We live in a fast-changing world. In other parts of the world, there has been a terrible secularization, and abandonment of religion, and of the faith. Nigeria is not like that, thank God. But sometimes we have to learn from what’s happening in other parts of the world and not rest on our laurels but be ready to address issues and try to anticipate them.”

Archbishop Crotty therefore urged the Church to develop long-term goals, determined by the trend of things and prepare for changes. “We need to guard against things and… address the problems before they even arise,” he said.

The Apostolic Nuncio’s visit to the Archdiocese of Lagos was part of his familiarization tour to dioceses in Nigeria. He was warmly received by the Archbishop of Lagos, Most Rev. Alfred Adewale Martins, who showed him around various institutions, including St. Finbarr’s College, Akoka, Divine Mercy Catholic Church, Lekki, the Lagos Resource Centre, and Augustine University, Ilara, Epe.

To gain a deeper understanding of the country, Archbishop Crotty has been traveling extensively. Barely two months into his tenure as Apostolic Nuncio, he has already visited Abuja, Enugu, Onitsha, Makurdi, and Lagos.