Category: Religion

A Catholic priest with the Umuahia Diocese, Very Reverend Fr. (Major) Goddy C. Oparaekwe (Rtd), has died after being violently attacked while attempting to mediate a domestic dispute involving a separated couple in his parish. The tragic incident occurred on June 17, 2025, when Fr. Oparaekwe, known for his peace-building efforts, was struck with a hard object by the estranged husband of a parishioner during a visit to the family’s residence. According to eyewitness accounts, the priest had accompanied the couple’s daughter and another man to the home to retrieve…

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Controversial Islamic scholar, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, was barred by the Saudi Arabian government from performing the Hajj pilgrimage. It was reported that Sheikh Gumi was barred from participating in the Hajj rites “due to his outspoken criticism of the Saudi Arabian ruling family, particularly regarding their handling of the Israeli-Hamas conflict.” The Saudi Arabian authorities barred Gumi from performing the Hajj pilgrimage, deporting him upon arrival in the Kingdom. Gumi arrived in Medina last Saturday at approximately 10:30pm aboard an Umza Air flight alongside other clerics. However, Saudi immigration officials…

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The Catholic Church has elected Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as the new pope, following a 24-hour conclave in the Vatican. The white smoke that billowed from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel late Thursday signaled the Church had chosen its new spiritual leader—ushering in a new era with the election of the first American pontiff in the Church’s 2,000-year history. Prevost, a former missionary in Peru and the head of the Vatican’s influential Dicastery for Bishops, will now be known as Pope Leone XIV. He succeeds Pope Francis, who passed…

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Pope Francis is dead. He died at the age of 88. The Vatican confirmed that the pontiff passed away on Easter Monday at his residence in the Casa Santa Marta within Vatican City. Camerlengo of the Apostolic Chamber, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, announced the death of Pope Francis from the Casa Santa Marta on Monday morning. Farrel said the Pope died at exactly 7.35am. His death comes hours after he greeted Catholic faithful who were at the Vatican on Sunday for the Easter mass. The announcement by Cardinal Farrel read, “Dearest…

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Jehovah’s Witnesses globally have launched a campaign to invite all persons to two special events in April 2025. On the evening of Saturday, April 12, Jehovah’s Witnesses around the world will gather for their annual commemoration of the death of Jesus Christ. In previous years, the event has drawn some 20 million people globally. “Every year, millions of Jehovah’s Witnesses invite others to join us in remembering Jesus Christ,” said Odeyemi Afolabi, a spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses. “The purpose of our month-long campaign is to extend the invitation to this…

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There has been an outburst between two popular Islamic clerics. Murdir (leader) of popular Islamic school, Markaz situated in the Agege area of Lagos, Sheikh Muhammed Adam (El-ilory), has accused popular cleric, Sheikh Sulaimon Farooq, popularly known as Onikijipa, of masterminding his recent sickness through diabolical means. Adam made this allegation on Sunday while speaking at the institution’s 2025 Ramadan Tafseer Programme. Tafseer comes from an Arabic word, “fasara,” which means the exegesis or commentary on the Quran, and aims to provide explanation, interpretation, and context for a clear understanding…

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The Archbishop of Owerri and President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, said that, the economic reforms introduced by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration has triggered sky-rocketing inflation and pushed millions of Nigerians into poverty. Ugorji said this at the opening session of the 2025 First Plenary Meeting of the CBCN, held at the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN), on Sunday, in Abuja. Speaking at the event themed ‘”Jubilee of Hope: A light for a better Nigeria, he said Nigerians have continued to endure increasing…

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Allocations for Nigerian intending pilgrims by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the 2025 hajj pilgrimage recorded a low turnout as the payment deadline lapses. National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) set the payment deadline for January 31, and reports indicate that there will likely be a repeat of last year’s situation where only 51,447 pilgrims paid, despite Nigeria receiving 95,000 slots. The same number of slots have been allocated for 2025, but officials attribute the low turnout to the high hajj fares and short payment window. This year’s hajj…

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