Category: News

Appointment of auxiliary bishop of Port Harcourt, Nigeria The Holy Father has appointed as auxiliary bishop of Port Harcourt, Nigeria, the Rev. Patrick Eluke, of the clergy of Port Harcourt, currently pastor of the Saint Francis of Assisi parish in Rumuokwuta, assigning him the titular see of Fotice. Rev. Patrick Eluke The Rev. Patrick Eluke was born on 25 March 1967 in Ekpeye, Ahoada, Rivers State, in the diocese of Port Harcourt. After primary school, he entered the Sacred Heart local minor seminary and continued with courses in philosophy in…

A Michigan priest criticised for emphasising suicide in his homily during a recent funeral for an 18-year-old who took his own life has since apologised. “As with any funeral, it was my intent to serve this family in their time of grief, but I fell well short of providing them the comfort they so desperately needed. Instead, I added to their pain. I deeply regret that, and I am sorry,” said Fr Don LaCuesta, pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Temperance, Michigan. He expressed his remorse in…

During an audience in the Apostolic Palace on Monday, Pope Francis addressed the President of the Swiss Confederation, Alain Berset. Pope Francis highlighted the loyalty of the Swiss Guards, who surround him so professionally. The information came in a communiqué released by the Holy See Press Office. The Pope also expressed his hope for an ever-growing collaboration on numerous interests shared by the Catholic Church and Switzerland. Reference was then made to the active commitment on both sides at European and International levels, in achieving a more fraternal society, in…

The four Catholic priests who were kidnapped on Tuesday, Nov. 6 by unidentified gunmen have regained their freedom. The priests were rescued by a joint police team from Delta and Edo States as the abductors fled when they noticed that the rescue team was closing in on them. According to Muhammad Mustafa, the Police Commissioner of Delta state, the victims were rescued on Friday evening and several suspects had been arrested. It was learnt that the priests had been taken to Benin, the Edo State capital for treatment.

Unidentified gunmen on Tuesday, November 6, abducted four Catholic priests between Agbor and Umutu in Ukwani Local Government Area of Delta State, Nigeria. The priests were said to be returning from their annual class meeting that took place in Warri on Monday and Tuesday to mark their 10th priestly ordination. They were on their way to the seminary of All Saints, Uhiele-Ekpoma, to celebrate with the seminary community when the gunmen waylaid them and took four of them away. The abducted priests include Rev. Fr. Victor Adigboluja of Ijebu Ode…

Pope Francis expressed sorrow for the victims of an attack on Coptic Christians in Egypt in his Angelus address Sunday. Islamic militants ambushed a bus carrying Coptic Christian pilgrims to a desert monastery south of Cairo on Friday, killing seven and leaving 19 injured. “I pray for the victims, pilgrims killed just because they are Christians, and I ask Holy Mary to console their families and the whole community,” Pope Francis said Nov. 4. The Coptic Orthodox Church held funerals on Saturday for six of the victims, who were killed…