Religion
pope francis appoints Sister Simona Brambilla as first woman prefect in Vatican
Pope Francis announced that a 59-year-old Italian nun, Sister Simona Brambilla, would serve as prefect for one of the most important offices in the Vatican.
Sister Brambilla will oversee every religious order — from the Jesuits and Franciscans to smaller newer movements — in an office known as the Dicastery for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.
Pope Francis reformed the Holy See’s founding constitution, allowing laypeople, including women, to head a dicastery and become prefects. He also asserted that the Catholic Church should be more sympathetic toward members of the LGBTQ+ community.
However, the pontiff has also upheld the ban on female priests and dampened hopes of women being ordained as deacons.
Although women have been named number two in certain Vatican offices, Sister Brambilla’s appointment marks the first time that a woman serves as prefect of a dicastery or congregation within the Holy See Curia, the central governing organ of the Catholic Church.
Given that a prefect must be able to celebrate Mass and perform sacramental functions — which can only be done by men — Pope Francis simultaneously named Salesian Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime as a co-leader, or “pro-prefect” of Sister Brambilla’s religious order.
A member of the Consolata Missionaries religious order, Sister Brambilla will succeed the retiring Cardinal Joao Braz de Aviz, who is 77 years old.
A nurse, Sister Brambilla worked as a missionary in Mozambique and led her Consolata order as superior from 2011 to 2023, when Pope Francis made her secretary of the religious orders department.
An evolving position for women in the Catholic women
Catholic women do much of the church’s work in schools and hospitals, as well as working to pass down faith to future generations. However, many complain of second-class status in an institution that reserves the priesthood for men.
During Pope Francis’ papacy, the number of women in leadership positions rose from 19.3% in 2013 to 23.4% today, according to statistics reported by Vatican News. In the Curia alone, the percentage of women is 26%.
Among other women holding leadership positions is Sister Raffaella Petrini, the first-ever female secretary general of the Vatican City, responsible for the territory’s health care system, police force and Vatican museums.
Sister Alessandra Smerilli from the development office is another woman serving as an undersecretary, while several other women have been appointed to similar positions, such as French nun Sister Nathalie Becquart in the Synod of Bishops’ Office.
Religion
Pastor Chris Reportedly Fills Up Fifteen Stadiums in One Night at the Night of Bliss
Pastor Chris Oyakhilome’s Night of Bliss on November 21, 2025 has quickly become one of the most talked-about Christian events in Nigeria. The programme was held simultaneously across the country, originally promoted as a ten-stadium event, but several reports and social media posts now claim the gatherings took place in fifteen stadiums nationwide.
Videos, photos and livestreams show massive turnouts across multiple cities, including Benin City, Port Harcourt, Lokoja, Asaba, Jalingo, Eket and others. Reports say all the stadiums involved were filled, though independent verification of exact attendance figures remains limited. What is clear from public footage is that each location recorded huge numbers of worshippers who gathered through the night for prayer, teaching and praise.
Even without confirmed capacity counts, coordinating ten to fifteen major gatherings across different states at the same time is a remarkable accomplishment. The atmosphere in each venue appeared vibrant and unified, with many participants describing the night as spiritually impactful.
For many believers, the Night of Bliss stands out as a moment of nationwide connection, sweeping attendance and extraordinary scale.
Have you ever witnessed anything like this?
Religion
Every member of this church should be awake one hour every night — Bishop Oyedepo reveals how to battle alleged gen0cide of Christians in Nigerians
Presiding Bishop of Living Faith Church Worldwide, David Oyedepo, has warned Christians over the escalating insecurity in Nigeria, following a spate of recent @ttacks on churches that resulted in multiple d3aths and abductions, saying Christians must take decisive action.
The bishop’s warning comes as international concern mounts, with Italy becoming the second G7 nation, after the United States, to openly demand an immediate end to the targeted k!llings of Christians in Nigeria.
Speaking at a Pre-Shiloh Encounter Church Service, Bishop Oyedepo expressed deep concern over the nation’s current situation.
“Developments in the past two weeks, particularly in Nigeria, are worrisome to say the least. There is need for a prompt response in prayers to stop the k!llings once and for all. You can’t trade people’s lives for your comfort.”
“All the innocent bloo.d shared is speaking vengeance… all the perpetrators will pay with their lives.”
The cleric urged church members to launch into “midnight raid (prayers)”.
“Every member of this church should be awake one hour every day for one week before v!olence descends to an@rchy in Nigeria…”
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Religion
‘Children Were Crying’ – St Mary’s Principal Recounts Midnight Raid As More Details Emerge
More details have surfaced regarding the abduction of students and staff of St Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Agwara LGA of Niger State, with the school principal, Rev. Sr. Felicia Gyang, giving a chilling account of how the attackers stormed the premises.
In a video clip dated November 21 and obtained by Sunday Punch, Gyang narrated how the terrorists forced their way into the school in the early hours of the morning while terrified children screamed for help.
According to her, the armed men arrived shortly after midnight, using motorcycles and vehicles to break through successive gates.
“The unfortunate incident happened past 12 when we heard noise, motorbikes, and the sound of cars. Before we knew it, there were serious bangs on different gates in the compound,” she recounted.
She said the sisters quickly gathered to observe the commotion.
She stated, “We got up, and I called my other sisters for us to peep out. When we peeped, we heard noise and children were crying.”
Gyang explained that in the confusion, locating keys to some gates became difficult, leaving her no choice but to exit through an alternative route to assess the situation.
“Apparently, when we were there trying to see what would happen with those that were out of danger at that moment, we could hear the sound of the other bus,” she said, referring to the vehicle used by the attackers.
She added that distress calls echoed from various parts of the compound as the bandits advanced.
The principal revealed that multiple attempts to reach security personnel during the attack were unsuccessful.
She added, “At the end, we heard the security man at the main gate rowing. We couldn’t hear what he was saying, but after some time, we heard them driving off on bikes.
“One of us was making calls to see who we could call for help. We tried to call places around where we could get help. We tried the Divisional Police Officer, too, but we couldn’t get through.”
Asked whether the school had received any prior alerts from security agencies, Gyang dismissed the claims.
“No, we didn’t receive,” she said.
She also denied suggestions that the school had earlier been advised to shut down over security concerns.
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