The Catholic Church in Nigeria was recently honoured to welcome Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, who is in the country to mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Nigeria and the Holy See.
Upon his arrival, Archbishop Gallagher was warmly welcomed by the Apostolic Nuncio to Nigeria, Archbishop Michael Francis Crotty, alongside the President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), Most Rev. Matthew Man’Oso Ndagoso, the Archbishop of Abuja, Most Rev. Ignatius Ayau Kaigama, the Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, as well as priests, religious and the lay faithful of the Archdiocese of Abuja.
As part of his pastoral itinerary, Archbishop Gallagher visited Veritas University, Abuja, one of the CBCN’s agencies, where he interacted with members of the university community. He also celebrated the Holy Eucharist at Our Lady Queen of Nigeria Pro-Cathedral, joining the clergy and faithful in prayer and thanksgiving.
The visit continued with a courtesy call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the State House in Abuja. Their meeting provided an opportunity to reflect on five decades of fruitful diplomatic engagement while looking ahead with hope for deeper collaboration in addressing the challenges facing Nigeria and the wider global community.
Also, on July 6, Archbishop Gallagher, accompanied by the Apostolic Nuncio, the Archbishops, and delegates from the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, paid courtesy visits to the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Archbishop Daniel C. Okoh, at the CAN National Secretariat, and to the National Mosque, where he met with the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III. Both engagements reaffirmed a shared commitment to promote peace, interreligious dialogue, and unity in Nigeria.
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