Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - Cardinal Fernando Filoni, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, will make a pastoral visit to Nigeria for the centenary of the Evangelization of the Ecclesiastical Province of Owerri, in southeastern Africa. Owerri is the capital of Imo State and in this region, in 1912, the Portuguese missionaries brought the Catholic faith. The Ecclesiastical Province of Owerri includes, in addition to the Archdiocese of Owerri, the suffragan dioceses of Aba, Ahiara, Okigwe, Orlu and Omuahia.
The Cardinal will be in Owerri on Tuesday, November 6 and his first meeting will be with the Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha. The following day, November 7, the Prefect of the Congregation will meet the Bishops of the ecclesiastical Province and will preside a Mass attended by children and young people in particular. In the afternoon, during a sharing of pastoral missionary experiences, Cardinal Filoni will illustrate the responsibilities of the Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. On Thursday, November 8th a Symposium on Evangelization is scheduled, during which the Cardinal will deliver his main speech on the theme "Missio ad Gentes and the New Evangelization." On Friday, November 9 the Prefect of the Congregation will preside the Mass in the Chapel of the Seminary "Seat of Wisdom", and in the afternoon will participate in a cultural entertainment on the theme "The arrival of the Catholic Church in the Province of Owerri." On Saturday, November 10, Cardinal Filoni will preside at the concelebrated Mass during which he will read the message sent by the Holy Father. On Sunday, November 11 he will return to Rome. (SL) (Agenzia Fides 05/11/2012)
