Irish Catholic Roots In Nigeria

Nigeria is currently witness to one of most brutal ongoing persecutions of Christians. Despite this persecution the Church in Nigeria remains strong. What many people do not know is the deep connection the Church in Ireland and the Church in Nigeria.

By Clodagh Gallagher

People at the foot of a cross in Diocese of Maiduguri. (Credit: Aid to the Church in Need)

Christianity first came to what we now call Nigeria in the 1400s, through Augustinian and Capuchin monks from Portugal. From the Reformation it would take Protestants 300 years to establish their first mission in the country, which was done in 1842 by the Church of England. In the interim, the Gospel was spread by Catholic missionaries – who were overwhelmingly Irish. In the 1900s, 1 out of every 120 Irish citizens served as a missionary, sharing the hope of Jesus Christ around the world. The greatest concentration of these Irish missionaries was found in in the southern area of what we now call Nigeria. The country only came into being in 1914, and became independent from British rule in 1960. Prior to this, Nigeria was known by many different names and was comprised of many tribal territories. As the Irish missionaries were based in the south of the country, this is where the majority of Nigeria’s Catholics live today.

The Irish influence ran through every level of the Church there. In the mid 1900s, 1 of Nigeria’s 3 archbishops was Irish and the other two had Irish secretaries. The Nigerian Episcopal See of Owerri was held by Limerick-born Bishop Joseph Whelan. The Diocese of Iabadan was led by Bishop Richard Finn, from Mayo. Dioceses llorin, Ogoga, Ogo, Olo Kaduna, Benin and Calabar were all led by bishops from Ireland. 500 of Nigeria’s 800 priests were Irish. Irish religious ran 2,419 primary schools catering for 561,318 Nigerian pupils and 47 hospitals serving 714,441 Nigerian patients. As a result, Nigeria is now home to 29 million Catholics. However, there are far more Protestants in the country, due in part to privileges afforded to the Church of England under British rule between 1851 and 1960. The British-run government favoured granting municipal and local authority to Muslims, who populated the northern part of the country. In the south, which was Christian, they granted higher authorities to Anglican Protestants, over Catholics.

Given that Nigeria comprises peoples from hundreds of different cultures who were united under common political rule only in 1914, achieving unity is difficult. Nigerian peoples’ identities as members of particular ethnic and religious groups remain strong. Catholicism is a deep-rooted part of the identity of the Igbo people from eastern Nigeria. Their centuries-old contact with Irish Catholic missionaries meant that they usually spoke multiple languages – their own dialect and that of the missionaries. For this, they were strongly perceived as “upstarts” by the still semi-feudal north, which was largely inhabited by Muslims of the Fulani and Hausa tribes. A discovery of rich deposits of oil in Igbo territory in eastern Nigeria further contributed to the conflict, frustrating the Fulani people who were traditionally herdsmen. In present-day, they continue to live on poorer land than the Igbo farmers, who have benefited economically from the fertile soil of their region. The centuries-old Catholic roots of the Igbo people has compounded the hatred that many Fulani fundamentalists hold for Igbo farmers, whom they view as “infidels” and “upstarts”. The persecution that results from this hatred has reached genocidal levels, with an estimated 70,000 Christians murdered since 2010 in Nigeria’s Middle Belt. Combating this slaughter of Christians through prayer, aid and advocacy has occupied much of ACN Ireland’s work. It has been humbling to witness the faithfulness of Nigerian Catholics amid such persecution. Despite their strength, the Nigerian faithful remain in need of our prayer, support and compassion.

Widows of Christian men murdered by Boko Haram who have received support in the Diocese of Maidiguri. (Credit: Aid to the Church in Need)

In the first six months of this year, numerous attacks in Nigeria’s Middle Belt have left over thousands of Christians dead and forced a huge number of families to flee for their lives. The Bishops Conference of Nigeria have described the area as “killing fields” due to the increase in violence against the faithful. 300,000 Christian farmers and their families have been displaced from what is the most fertile land in the country.

Aid to the Church in Need works directly with a number of Catholic dioceses in different parts of Nigeria to help bishops build schools, religious houses, seminaries and other projects. Today, Nigerian seminaries send their ordinates all over the world to serve as priests. As many of you may be aware, numerous Nigerian priests have been assigned to Ireland in recent years. This reciprocal relationship between Ireland and Nigeria reflects the true universality of the Catholic Church. It also highlights the deep fraternal bond between our two countries – who also share a patron saint. In 1961, Irish bishops in Nigeria named St. Patrick as the country's patron. Today, 206 million Nigerians (of all creeds) and 5 million Irish, benefit from that same patronage.