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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. The president of the Bishops Conference is Archbishop John Onnaiyekan of Abuja.^[1]

The Roman 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.^[2] The recent Annuario Pontificio lists 25 million.^[3]

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 eastern part (especially among the Igbo ethnic group) which accounts for over 70 percent of the country's Catholic population.

The second papal visit to the country in 1998 witnessed the beatification of Blessed Cyprian Michael Iwene Tansi. Pope John Paul II proclaimed him blessed at Oba, Onitsha Archdiocese, a local Church established by the apostle of eastern Nigerian, Bishop Shanahan.

In 2009 Oprah Winfrey recommended a short story collection of U.S.-educated Nigerian Jesuit Fr. Uwem Akpan as her 63rd influential book club selection. Apan said he was humbled to learn his debut collection of short stories had caught Winfrey's eye. Winfrey said that Akpan's 2008 collection, Say You're One of Them (published by Little, Brown, 2008), "left [her] stunned and profoundly moved." The five short stories give voice to an African child growing up in the face of incredible adversity.^[4] Asked if there was a conflict between being a priest and being a writer, he said he liked being both: "Both give me energy. Gaudium et Spes, a key Vatican II document, makes it very clear that the joys and anguish of the world are the joys and anguish of the Church. The Jesuits have a rich tradition of writing and involvement in social issues." ^[5]

Within Nigeria the hierarchy consists of:

Archbishopric
- Bishopric

Abuja
- Idah
- Lafia
- Lokoja
- Makurdi
- Otukpo

Benin City
- Auchi
- Issele-Uku
- Uromi
- Warri

Calabar
- Ikot Ekpene
- Ogoja
- Port Harcourt
- Uyo

Ibadan
- Ekiti
- Ondo
- Osogbo
- Oyo

Jos
- Bauchi
- Jalingo
- Maiduguri
- Shendam
- Yola

Kaduna
- Ilorin
- Kafanchan
- Kano
- Minna
- Sokoto
- Zaria

Lagos (Cardinal Archbishop)
- Abeokuta
- Ijebu-Ode

Onitsha
- Abakaliki
- Awgu
- Awka
- Enugu
- Nnewi
- Nsukka

Owerri
- Aba
- Ahiara
- Okigwe
- Orlu
- Umuahia

[edit] References

^ eds. "Concern over Nigeria's Elections," The Tablet, 22 March, 2003, 26.
^ Craig Timberg, "Nigeria's Spiritual Rainmaker is Eyed at Vatican," Washington Poet, 17 April, 2005, A1
^ Annuario Pontificio, 2009.
^ eds. National Catholic Reporter 2 October, 2009, 4.
^ eds., "The Roar of Africa's Literary Lion," The Tablet, 21 June, 2008, 12.

[edit] External links

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[0] s. "Concern over Nigeria's Elections," The Tablet, 22 March, 2003, 26.

[1] Craig Timberg, "Nigeria's Spiritual Rainmaker is Eyed at Vatican," Washington Poet, 17 April, 2005, A1

[2] Annuario Pontificio, 2009.

[3] s. National Catholic Reporter 2 October, 2009, 4.

[4] s., "The Roar of Africa's Literary Lion," The Tablet, 21 June, 2008, 12.

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