Religion
“Blessed Tansi needs one more miracle” – Cardinal Arinze.
Yesterday evening we had the pleasure of visiting Cardinal Arinze at his Vatican residence. Although he is not going to the conclave, everyone will admit that this is indeed a busy time for all the Cardinals. All the more reason we were grateful that he spared some of his precious time to receive us.
Father Ken Amadi, priest of Abuja archdiocese and doctoral student at Notre Dame University, is working on his dissertation research focusing on the history and development of thanksgiving rituals in the post-Vatican II Catholic liturgy.
Given Cardinal Arinze pedigree as a pre-Vatican II and post-Vatican II ecclesiastic as well as his former role as Prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments (2002-2008), he seemed the go-to person for Father Ken’s research exploration.
The Cardinal started by confessing that he has limited knowledge on the subject matter but ended up bringing deep historical, theological, and cultural perspectives to bear on Father Ken’s inquiries, leading Ken to conclude that the wisdom shared by the Cardinal is such that “one cannot find in any book.”
When we commented about the impeccable Latin diction with which he led the second part of Eucharistic Prayer III at Pope Francis’ funeral Mass last Saturday, he smiled and said, “There’s no mystery about it; I simply read what the text says.”
He explained that he had that role at the Pope’s funeral Mass by virtue of his rank as a Cardinal Bishop and in virtue of seniority – 3rd most senior after the Dean and Vice Dean of the College of Cardinals. As some people who watched the funeral Mass might have noticed, the presider was the Dean of the College (Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re), while the other two concelebrants were the Vice Dean (Cardinal Leonardi Sandri) and Cardinal Arinze, who is the Cardinal Bishop of Velletri-Segni. When Cardinal Ratzinger was elected as Pope in April 2005, he personally relinquished his titular see as Cardinal Bishop of Velletri-Segni to Cardinal Arinze who until that time had been a Cardinal Deacon.
Father Kris asked the Cardinal why our elder brother Blessed Tansi has not yet been canonized. Contrary to popular perceptions among some Catholics and non-Catholics in Nigeria that Tansi’s canonization is being delayed for racial reasons (“Because he is a black man”), Cardinal Arinze explained that Tansi needs “one more miracle” to be canonized. “We almost got one, but when the scientific experts analyzed it, it didn’t meet the criteria.” He concluded: “We have to pray for one miracle. The British waited so long for Cardinal Newman before the miracles came. John Paul II and Mother Teresa of Calcutta had so many miracles.”
Cardinal Arinze gave us gifts of some of his published pastoral writings, a Rosary each, and a sticker of Blessed Tansi. After blessing us, he shared some brief thoughts about the dire political and economic situation in Nigeria: “The pain in our country, the priests can contribute a little at least to reduce the pain and give the people some minimum hope. The politicians are a sad group. But we keep on praying. We have only one Nigeria. We haven’t another one.”

Credit: Omokugbo Ojeifo, 2025
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…”
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DRb2LF9DNnh/?igsh=eGY2aWxvbzM5eDc=
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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