The Catholic Church in Nigeria is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope, the curia in Rome, and the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria (CBCN). In 2022, the present president of the CBCN is Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, Archbishop of Owerri Archdiocese. He followed on from the previous president, Augustine Obiora Akubeze.

Overview

The Latin and Eastern Catholic Churches comprise the world's largest Christian Church, and its largest religious grouping. In 2005, there were an estimated 19 million baptised Catholics in Nigeria. In 2010 the Catholic population accounted for approximately 12.6% of the population, 70% of which can be found in Southeast Nigeria. Historically, the Holy Ghost Fathers maintained a strong presence in Igboland in today's Southeastern Nigeria, whereas the White Fathers operated in Western and Northern Nigeria, and the Society of African Missions in Lagos. Nigeria, together with Congo Democratic Republic, boasts of the highest number of priests in Africa. The boom in vocation to the priesthood in Nigeria is mainly in the Southeastern part, especially among the Igbo ethnic group, of which the first evangelizers were Holy Ghost Fathers. The second papal visit to the country in 1998 witnessed the beatification of Blessed Cyprian Michael Iwene Tansi. Pope John Paul II proclaimed him blessed at Oba, Onitsha Archdiocese, a local Church established by the apostle of eastern Nigerian, Bishop Joseph Shanahan, CSSp. The official patron saints of Nigeria are Mary, Queen of Nigeria, and Patrick of Ireland.

Demographics

Christianity was followed by an estimated 46.18% of the Nigerian population in 2020; one-quarter of Christians in Nigeria are Catholic (12.39% of the country's population). In the same year, over 9,500 priests and 6,500 nuns served over 4,000 parishes.

List of dioceses

Within Nigeria the hierarchy consists of: ( Cardinal Bishop) Immediately subject to the Holy See:

Episcopal conference

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria is the Nigerian episcopal conference. Its current President is Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji.

Catholic traditionalism

A more traditionalist subset of the Catholic Church is also present in Nigeria and embodied by the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (Nne Enyemaka Shrine, Umuaka). There also exists a community of the irregular status Society of St. Pius X (Saint Michael's Priory, Enugu).

Catholic universities in Nigeria

Dominican University, Ibadan

Major seminaries in Nigeria

Minor seminaries in Nigeria

Nigerians who have been canonized or beatified

Catholic religious congregations founded in Nigeria

Missionary societies active in Nigeria