C&SI - News from around the World - 31 July 2022 (S02E37b) (podcast excerpt)

On this weeks programme John and Shane take a run around the world to look at events happening. 

News from around the world

• Pope Francis visit to Canada on a penitential pilgrimage  - good summary from CNS here as to why the pope is in Canada.  The Pillar has analysis here.
• Pope Francis has made College of Cardinals ‘less European,’ analysis shows
• Will Pope Francis resign? - Pope: ‘If I resign one day, I’ll hear confessions and visit the sick’
• Changes to organisation of Opus Dei
• Persecution of Christians in Nigeria - refer to Pillar coverage HERE.

In the first three months of 2022, 896 Nigerians were murdered in violent attacks across their country.......In the last couple of months the abduction of priests have been on the rise:

• A priest of Auchi Diocese, Fr. Christopher Odia, was killed by his abductors after being kidnapped early in the morning on June 26; the priest was taken from his rectory.
• A priest of Kaduna Archdiocese, Fr. Vitus Borogo, was shot June 25 at a prison-farm in Kujama, along Kaduna-Kachia road, after a raid on the farm by terrorists.
• On March 8, gunmen invaded St. John Catholic Church, Kudenda, in the Chikun Local Government Area. They abducted the priest, Fr. Joseph Akete, and killed one security guard. The 48-year old priest was murdered between April 18 and 20, 2022.
• Fr. Emmanuel Silas, a priest of the Kafanchan diocese, in Nigeria’s northwest, was kidnapped in the early hours of July 4, just this week. 
• Fr. Peter Udo and Fr. Philemon Oboh were kidnapped July 2; their car was attacked as they traveled on the Benin-Ekpoma expressway.
• Fr. Stephen Ojapa, Fr. Oliver Okpara, along with a pair of siblings, were abducted by gunmen at midnight on May 25, in the rectory of St. Patrick's Catholic Church, in the Sokoto diocese in northwest Nigeria. They were released after more than 30 days in captivity.  
• Fr. Christopher Itopa, pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, Onotu, was abducted on June 4, and was eventually freed.
• On June 3, an expatriate priest, Fr. Luigi Brenna, was kidnapped in front of the Somascan community residence in Usen. He was later set free. 
• Fr. Peter Amodu, a priest of the Holy Ghost Congregation - a Spiritan- was abducted June 6 along the Otukpo - Ugbokolo road in the Otukpo diocese

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