Sturdy cars for priests ministering in an unsafe region 5.2. Examples of our help
Pankshin is a young diocese in the central part of Plateau State, in North-Central Nigeria. Today, Pankshin diocese has 36 parishes and over 550 outstation churches. The diocese covers 8,486 square km, but due to the poor roads (less than 200 kilometers are paved) it can take up to four hours to travel from one part of the diocese to the other. The roads, mostly mountainous and rocky, are in deplorable conditions and are covered with potholes, and during the rainy season become muddy and difficult to drive on. The top average speed on the paved roads is about 50 km/h and 25 km/h on the rest of the unpaved roads that make up the vast majority in the diocese. The security situation in the diocese is worsening, with the bi- shop describing it as follows: “One of our diocesan priests was kidnapped in October 2021, though he has now been freed, and the stories are devastating and worrisome. Generally, the- re is fear of attacks when you travel on lonely roads, especially when the vehicles used are not safe and break down. There is
now a culture of fear and discrimination in some places within the diocese. The Catholic Church, Christians of other denomi- nations and Muslims tend to compete for followers.” With the current waves of kidnapping and terrorist attacks, ACN is trying to do everything possible to ensure that priests and sisters in these remote areas have sturdy cars that will guarantee more safety as they travel past the bush and isola- ted areas of the diocese.
Cars for priests’ security
- 35 -
Powered by FlippingBook