Category Archives: News Updates

As Christians around the world celebrate Palm Sunday amid COVID-19 Pandemic, the Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Ignatius Kaigama has expressed optimism that the Coronavirus is bound to be over as Christ triumphed over death.

Archbishop Kaigama stated this at the 2020 Palm Sunday Celebration at Our Lady Queen of Nigeria, Pro-Cathedral Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.

Archbishop Kaigama, who delivered his message through the social media, enjoined Christians to comply with the orders by the government with respect to the pandemic.

“The Holy Week which is the peak of our Lenten observance begins today with this Palm Sunday celebration. During this week we are going to be journeying with Jesus as he makes his way to Jerusalem and then to Calvary where He will pay the supreme sacrifice to save us from our sins and the sins of the whole world.

However, remember that in the Eucharist we pray for the living, the dead, those who are present for the Mass, those far away like our brave soldiers in the North East doing security work and now many of you who are at home watching or listening, either because you are sick or elderly or because you are obeying the restriction orders by the government to stay at home as a measure to curb the ravaging coronavirus.” Archbishop Kaigama said.

Kaigama also lauded Media Practitioners as a great asset in fighting the spread of the COVID-19 as well as Medical workers.

“I appreciate the presence of media practitioners here from different media houses who are a great asset in fighting the spread of the coronavirus virus.

“They are our great bridge, getting relevant and authentic information to you and you can see how important their role is in linking us at this Eucharistic celebration here to you by bringing this Holy Mass  to you either directly or through the news they will give about it later.” He said.

The Archbishop comforted Catholics who could not attend the mass because of the restrictions saying it is due to the peculiar situation prevailing in the Country. He urged them to be at peace as he prays that soon a cure can be found and all their anxiety will be over and they can resume normal spiritual and pastoral activities.

“Hosanna means save us.  We cry out to Jesus to save us from our sins and eternal death as well as the coronavirus. We are carrying a heavy cross in the world today.

“Our prayer is that as we come to the end of the forty days so shall we experience the end of the coronavirus. We should continue to say the prayer of Pope Francis to MARY during the corona pandemic.” The Archbishop said.

He also commended the measures put in place by the Nigerian government to curb the pandemic while stressing that funds should be used with maximum prudence.

”Since this is the peak of the Lenten season, if we procrastinated, this is injury time. Do more: alms, prayer, fasting. Government apart from imposing understandable restrictions of movements in order to minimize the spread of the coronavirus must ensure that people don’t suffer lack of food, water, electricity and basic medical care.” Archbishop Kaigama said.

He called on the church to sacrifice from the little it has in solidarity with those infected or affected as well as those who stay home with very little to survive on.

“I call on everyone to act fast Catholic; including the clergy and the religious to make personal sacrifices. All men and women of goodwill should help with whatever they can. Let us act fast. No time to waste For the sake of the sorrowful passion, Jesus have mercy on us and on the whole world.” Archbishop Kaigama added.

The Catholic Archbishop of Nigeria’s Lagos Archdiocese is calling for joint initiatives to put an end to the upsurge of rape cases in Africa’s most populous country, describing the crime as “an intrinsic evil that infringes on the dignity and privacy of the victims.”

In a report issued by the Director of Social Communications in the Archdiocese of Lagos, Fr. Anthony Godonu, Archbishop Alfred Adewale Martins was quoted saying, “Rape is not only appalling, and reprehensible, but it is an intrinsic evil that infringes on the dignity and privacy of the victims, causing deep scars on their psyche.”

“Rape is not only a serious crime against the victim, it is also a gross violation of the sacredness of the person’s body and an affront on the Almighty God who created the victim and every other person in His image and likeness,” Archbishop Martins was quoted as saying in the Sunday, June 28 report.

Quoting the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Nigerian Prelate underscores the negative impact of the sexual crime on the victim.

“The Holy Scriptures and the Church down through the ages have condemned all sexual perversion including rape. Rape deeply wounds the respect, freedom, physical and moral integrity of the victim. It causes grave damage to the victim, sometimes for life,” the 61-year-old Prelate says.

He adds, “Rape is an intrinsically evil act that is even more grave and condemnable when inflicted on children either by parents (incest) or those who exercise any form of authority over them especially those responsible for their education.”

Referencing the Nigeria Police Force statistics that indicate 717 recorded rape cases, the Archbishop of Lagos says the high number of these cases is “an attestation that the society was fast plunging into the abyss of immorality.”

Increasing cases of rape have prompted protests in Nigeria’s streets with some citizens taking on social media under #WeAreTired to demand urgent action and justice for victims.

As a result, Governors in the 36 states of Nigeria declared a state of emergency over rape and other gender-based violence against women and children in the West African country.

The lamentations of the Archbishop of Lagos come days after Archbishop Ignatius Ayau Kaigama of Abuja decried the “heinous crime of rape” and demanded legal action against the perpetrators.

Archbishop Adewale of Lagos has called on various stakeholders in society to “work together to quell this social malaise before it consumes everyone.”

“Parents, religious bodies and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) must deliberately teach the boy-child respect for women; concerned government agencies must pay attention to suggestive contents that sexualize girls in musical videos as well as enforce more strict restrictions on pornographic materials that are so easily available on the internet,” Archbishop Adewale says.

He adds, “Each person must also resist the common view that people must satisfy whatever urge or desire they have as if we are lower animals that have no control over their desires and urges. Everyone must also advocate for justice for victims of rape and severest possible punishment for rapists.”

In the report, the Local Ordinary of Lagos calls on the security forces to “make justice for victims of rape a priority” and invites “health workers across the country to join hands with other relevant professionals to offer care and necessary counselling to victims of rape in order to help them overcome the trauma of the sad experience.”

To the country’s Members of Parliament, the Nigerian Archbishop says, “Find ways of ensuring that all States in the country domesticate the Child Rights Act in order to give full legal protection and guard against abuse of children, especially the girl child.”

Days after the Federal Government of Nigeria lifted restrictions put in place to curb the spread of COVID-19, the leadership of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja has announced the resumption of public Mass and outlined a raft of measures aimed at containing the possible spread of the coronavirus disease.

The directives range from hygiene, the time between masses, and the handling of offerings among others.

“Parishes should ensure that places of worship and church premises are clean and ventilated at all times,” the Archbishop of Abuja, Ignatius Ayau Kaigama directed.

In his letter issued Thursday, June 4, Archbishop Kaigama asks all Parishes in the Archdiocese to provide “handwashing facilities at strategic places, hand sanitizers at entry and exit points of all church buildings, including church conveniences, facilities for proper waste disposal and infrared thermometers which should be used at entry points.”

“The first Masses in all parishes and institutions must not begin earlier than 5 a.m. and must end no later than 8 p.m.,” the Nigerian Archbishop directs, adding that “all liturgical celebration must not last beyond an hour” and that “there should be at least thirty minutes intervals between Masses.”

“Only one third (⅓) of the holding capacity of the Church is allowed per liturgical celebration,” he further directed.

The Archbishop called for a collaborative approach in the activities in Parishes saying that “the number of Masses in the parish, suitable times for Masses, spaces that may be used for the celebration of Masses, Parishioners who may attend Masses” be decided by Parish Pastoral Councils (PPCs) under the direction of the Parish Priests.

Nigeria has recorded at least 11,516 cases of COVID-19 including 3,232 recoveries and 323 related deaths.

On Monday, June 1, the chairman of Nigeria’s Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha announced a four-week easing of COVID-19 restrictions effective June 2.

In a televised briefing, Mustapha said that churches and mosques are free to resume worship services while adhering to conditions such as wearing of face masks, proper washing or sanitizing of hands and the maintaining of physical distance.

During the celebration of Holy Eucharist, the Local Ordinary of Abuja directs, “all liturgical ministers in the sanctuary should wear face masks, except the concelebrating priests.”

“No more than one (1) Lector and two (2) Mass servers may stay in the Sanctuary with the Priests,” Archbishop Kaigama further directs in his June 4 statement and adds, “All the readings, prayers of the faithful and announcements should be taken by one person.”

“To ensure that the faithful whose hands would have been sanitized would have received the Holy Communion on their palms before touching money with their hands,” Archbishop Kaigama directs that the collection of offertory takes “place after the post-communion prayer.”

Extra-ordinary ministers of Holy Communion will be required to sanitize their hands before distributing communion, which should be received “directly on the palm.”

The sacrament of confession, the Archbishop directs, be celebrated in spacious venues that allow “required physical distancing and utmost confidentiality and physical distancing.”

He cautions against compromising the sacredness of the sacrament saying, “No confession through telephone or Zoom teleconferencing.”

For the Sacrament of matrimony, the 62-year-old Archbishop said it “may be administered taking into account the observance of physical distancing, except for the couple whom physical nearness is inevitable.”.

“Priests may celebrate the Sacrament of Baptism (for infants and children) within or outside Mass,” he said and directed that while administering the sacrament, cotton buds “be used for anointing and properly disposed afterwards” and that Clerics should not baptize more than ten persons in any liturgical celebration.

“Celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation has been put on hold for now,” Archbishop Kaigama announced.

He dispensed “those above 70 years, children below 10 years, nursing mothers, those who feel sick and those who don’t feel safe or comfortable enough to gather in a crowd” from their obligation to attend Sunday Mass and advised that these categories of people stay at home.

Abuja (Agenzia Fides) – “The spiritual life is a central element of humanity, it cannot be excluded from people’s lives”, said His Exc. Mgr. Ignatius Ayau Kaigama, Archbishop of Abuja, greeting the lifting of the ban on religious gatherings in churches and other places of worship in Nigeria, decreed on June 1, by the Nigerian presidential Task Force on Covid-19.

Mgr. Kaigama believes that with the opening of places of worship “reason has prevailed” and that “the government has seen the great importance of a spiritual approach to this crisis. They were attempting to solve it from the medical point of view, scientific point of view and other social issues that they felt were of utmost importance. But they forgot that the spiritual is a great aspect that they should have considered. Now that we are allowed to worship they would see the difference. God will do something. They will see the difference. God will intervene, through our individual prayers and through our liturgical assembly. So, let’s wait for God’s intervention, it’s already taking place and more will come”, hopes the Archbishop of Abuja,

Mgr. Kaigama adds: “To starve people of communal worship wasn’t very helpful, yes we are aware we needed to take all the precautions. Now that things seem to be going fairly well, people are allowed to worship, we thank the federal government and thank all those who have intervened”.

The reopening of the places of worship, which had been closed two months ago as part of the Covid-19 prevention measures, is based on strict compliance with the guidelines and safety protocols issued by the specific task force.
According to Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of June 2, Nigeria — Africa’s most populous country — had the highest number of coronavirus cases in the West African region and the third highest in the continent behind South Africa and Egypt.

On June 1, the Nigeria Center for Disease Control reported 10,578 confirmed cases, with 3,122 recoveries and 299 deaths. The cases are increasing. Just a month ago, on May 2, the number of confirmed cases stood at 2,388, with 85 deaths.

Back in May, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference on Nigeria offered the government all of the country’s 425 church-run health care facilities to use as isolation centers. Additionally, some priests who have expertise in epidemiology were sent as volunteers by the bishops’ conference to support the government.

Dioceses and parishes across the country have also distributed relief packages including food, face masks, hand sanitizers and gloves to help those whose livelihoods have been affected because of the pandemic and subsequent lockdown restrictions across the Country. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 9/6/2020)