Select Page
According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of Sts. Marius, Martha, Audivax and Abachum, a group of Persian martyrs of the third century who died for the faith in Rome. St. Canute was king…
Read MorePresident-elect Biden has selected Rachel Levine to become the assistant secretary for health in the Department of Health and Human Services. Levine, a biological male who identifies as a woman, could become the first transgender federal official to wi…
Read MoreAh, to be able to play such music – Monteverdi, Frescobaldi, Dalza, Handel and Merula – in an Italian, or French villa: A little slice of heaven, and hope in grey days. Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness is not able to overcome …
Read MorePosted by bcadmin | Jan 19, 2021 | News, Nota in Brevis |
George Orwell’s final warning. pic.twitter.com/nzXnhJ4GTP — Fukushima Exposed🇨🇦 (@fukushimaexpos2) January 19, 2021
The post George Orwell’s Final Warning appeared first on Catholic Insight.
Read MoreThis week, we are hearing from some of the best and brightest women in the world on issues ranging from life, to work, to roles in the Church.
Questions Covered:
20:22 – How can you say that no human has ever been born into the world without dis…
Read MorePosted by bcadmin | Jan 18, 2021 | News, The Dispatch |
Twice a week, very early in the morning, I walk from London’s Waterloo Station across the river to the West End to help serve breakfasts at St Patrick’s Church in Soho Square. In what could […]
Read MoreThis week, we are hearing from some of the best and brightest women in the world on issues ranging from life, to work, to roles in the Church.
Questions Covered:
19:39 – What is your idea of how the feminine genius comes through in certain roles…
Read MorePosted by bcadmin | Jan 18, 2021 | Featured, Featured Commentary, News, pro-life |
Editor’s Note: We believe that considering and discussing multiple perspectives on the future of the pro-life movement and social conservatism in general is important at this time in our nation’s history. The following, therefore, is the opinion of the author […]
The post It’s High Time to Say Goodbye to the March for Life appeared first on OnePeterFive.
Read MorePosted by bcadmin | Jan 18, 2021 | Archbishop Gomez, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Featured, Martin Luther King Jr., News, U.S. & World News, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops |
In the spirit of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., “we must meet the forces of hate and ignorance with the power of love,” the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said in a statement for the Jan. 18 federal observance of the slain civil rights leader’s birthday.
Read MoreWashington D.C., Jan 18, 2021 / 03:35 pm (CNA).- The National Garden of American Heroes will include statues of many notable Catholic figures, including five saints and numerous people who are on the path to sainthood.
President Donald Trump announced…
Read MoreCNA Staff, Jan 18, 2021 / 03:10 pm (CNA).- The passing of pro-life icon Joseph M. Scheidler, 93, former National Director of the Pro-Life Action League on Martin Luther King Jr.’s Day, is “absolutely fitting,” his son Erik Scheidler told CNA after conf…
Read MoreEl Salvador lacks a food and nutrition security policy, says Archbishop José Luis Escobar Alas
Read MorePosted by bcadmin | Jan 18, 2021 | News, Politics/United States, ProLife & Family Issues |
Every human life is a gift to the world. Whether born or unborn, young or old, healthy or sick, every person is made in the holy image of God. The Almighty Creator gives unique talents, beautiful dreams, and a great purpose to every person. On National Sanctity of Human Life Day, we celebrate the wonder of human […]
Read MoreLay theologian and member of the Pontifical Academy of Life argues that we all have a “moral responsibility” to get the anti-coronavirus vaccine
Read MoreIt was foreseen that Abel Gabuza would succeed Cardinal Wilfrid Fox Napier as Archbishop of Durban around March 8, the day the cardinal turns 80
Read MoreRome Newsroom, Jan 18, 2021 / 12:00 pm (CNA).- Catholics and Jews in Poland observed the annual Day of Judaism with psalms, music, and silent prayer on Sunday.
The main commemorative event took place on Jan. 17 at the Bródno Jewish Cemeter…
Read MorePosted by bcadmin | Jan 18, 2021 | News, The Dispatch |
CNA Staff, Jan 18, 2021 / 11:05 am (CNA).- The body of a Catholic priest was discovered in Nigeria on Saturday, a day after he was kidnapped by armed men. Agenzia Fides, the information service […]
Read MorePosted by bcadmin | Jan 18, 2021 | Middle East - Africa, News |
CNA Staff, Jan 18, 2021 / 11:05 am (CNA).- The body of a Catholic priest was discovered in Nigeria on Saturday, a day after he was kidnapped by armed men.
Agenzia Fides, the information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies, reported on Jan. 18 that Fr. John Gbakaan “was allegedly executed with a machete in such a brutal manner that identification was hardly possible.”
The priest of the diocese of Minna, in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, was attacked by unidentified men on the evening of Jan. 15. He was traveling with his younger brother along Lambata-Lapai Road in Niger State following a visit to their mother in Makurdi, Benue State.
Fides reported that the kidnappers at first demanded 30 million naira (around $70,000) for the two brothers’ release, later reducing the figure to five million naira (approximately $12,000).
Local media said that the priest’s body was found tied to a tree on Jan. 16. His vehicle, a Toyota Venza, was also recovered. His brother remains missing.
Following Gbakaan’s murder, Christian leaders called on Nigeria’s federal government to take action to stop attacks on clergy.
Local media quoted the Rev. John Joseph Hayab, vice chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in northern Nigeria, as saying: “We are simply pleading to the federal government and all security agencies to do whatever it will take to bring this evil to a stop.”
“All we are asking from the government is protection from evil men that are destroying our lives and properties.”
The incident is the latest in a series of abductions of clergy in Africa’s most populous country.
On Dec. 27, Bishop Moses Chikwe, an auxiliary of the archdiocese of Owerri, was abducted alongside his driver. He was released after five days of captivity.
On Dec. 15, Fr. Valentine Oluchukwu Ezeagu, a member of the Sons of Mary Mother of Mercy, was kidnapped in Imo State en route to his father’s funeral in neighboring Anambra State. He was released the following day.
In November, Fr. Matthew Dajo, a priest of the archdiocese of Abuja, was kidnapped and released after 10 days in captivity.
Hayab was quoted as saying that the spate of kidnappings was discouraging young men from pursuing priestly vocations.
“Today in northern Nigeria, many people are living in fear and many young people are afraid to become pastors because pastors’ lives are in great danger,” he said.
“When bandits or kidnappers realize that their victims are priests or pastors, it seems a violent spirit does take over their heart to demand more ransom and in some cases go to the extent of killing the victim.”
ACI Africa, CNA’s African news partner, reported that on Jan 10 Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Abuja said that the abductions would give the country “a bad name” internationally.
“Left unchecked by the Nigerian authorities, this shameful and disgusting act will continue to give Nigeria a bad name and scare away visitors and investors to the country,” he said.
Releasing its annual World Watch List report last week, the advocacy group Open Doors said that insecurity in Nigeria had worsened to the point that the country had entered the top 10 countries for persecution of Christians.
In December, the U.S. State Department listed Nigeria among the worst countries for religious freedom, describing the West African nation as a “country of particular concern.”
This is a formal designation reserved for nations where the worst violations of religious freedom are taking place, the other countries being China, North Korea, and Saudi Arabia.
The step was praised by the leadership of the Knights of Columbus.
Supreme Knight Carl Anderson said that “Nigeria’s Christians have suffered grievously at the hands of Boko Haram and other groups.”
He suggested that the murders and kidnappings of Christians in Nigeria “verge on genocide.”
He said: “The Christians of Nigeria, both Catholic and Protestant, deserve attention, recognition, and relief now. Nigeria’s Christians should be able to live in peace and practice their faith without fear.”
A version of this story was first published by ACI Africa, CNA’s African news partner. It has been adapted by CNA.
Recent Comments