Cardinal Rigali's Africa visit highlights Philadelphia-Nigeria ties

Published: 2007-08-06

PHILADELPHIA (CNS) -- In a visit that underscores a growing friendship between the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and the Nigerian Archdiocese of Onitsha, Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia went to Africa in July to ordain 10 priests. "Obviously there is great poverty in Nigeria, but there is an immense spirit," the cardinal told The Catholic Standard & Times, the archdiocesan newspaper, after his return July 19. "I saw the church, saw the challenges and saw also the vibrancy," he said. "The Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Onitsha is a vibrant, vibrant church." It was his second visit to the archdiocese of nearly 1.5 million Catholics. The cardinal went there with Pope John Paul II in 1982 as a member of the Vatican diplomatic corps. Then in 2005, he initiated the friendship between Philadelphia and Onitsha, shortly after he established an official Igbo Catholic Chaplaincy to serve the archdiocese's community of more than 350 Igbo Nigerian Catholics.

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