2.3. Catholic Church in Nigeria It is said that the majority of Christians live in the south, but dio- ceses like Jalingo, Jos and Benue, in north and central Nigeria, are majority Christian, and others, like Kaduna, Abuja and Nassa- rawa are estimated to be about half Christian. On the other hand Kwara, which is in the south, is only around 40% Christian. The Yoruba area in the west has traditionally been Protestant and Anglican, whereas Igboland in the east has always been the area of greatest activity of the Catholic Church. Out of all Chris- tians: 64% are protestant and 25% are Catholic. There are many small African Churches that broke off from Protestant denomi- nations. Apart from Benin and Warri, in the Niger Delta, which had come
into contact with Christianity through the Portuguese in the 15th century, other regions only had contact with Christians in the 19th century. The colonial British rulers established a regulation that Chris- tians could not proselytize in the northern Muslim region, but small missionary activities were allowed to start up in the Midd- le Belt in the 1920s. Reading the history of the beginnings of the archdioceses in Kaduna, for example, one discovers a close link between the development of the railway and the arrival of the first priests, many of them Irish, in the north of the country. The Catholic Church has done, and continues to do, immense work for inter-religious and inter-ethnic dialogue in the country. The bishops in the north, especially, are peacemakers and com- munity builders.
Catholic Church at a glance
Statistical Yearbook of the Church 2020 (Libreria Editrice Vaticana)
Workforce for the Church’s apostolate
C A T HO L I C POPULATION 14 , 82%
73BISHOPS 53 DIOCESAN 20 TITULAR
8 PRIESTS , 778 7,162 DIOCESAN 1,616 RELIGIOUS
LAY MEN'S SECULAR INSTITUTES LAY WOMEN'S SECULAR INSTITUTES LAY MISSIONARIES CATECHISTS
47
6,322
RELIGIOUS MEN NOT PRIESTS RELIGIOUS WOMEN (PROFESSED)
206 , 175 , 000
TOTAL POPULATION CATHOLICS
30 , 556 , 00
1 , 948 20 , 416 9
683
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6 , 555 SEMINARIANS
STUDENTS OF PHILOSOPHY AND THEOLOGY
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