Funeral of the Catholic priest murdered on Christmas Eve in Nigeria’s Abeokuta diocese held on Friday, December 31st.
Gaudium Press English Edition
Newsdesk (01/01/2022 8:44 PM, Gaudium Press) Fr. Luke Mewhenu Adeleke, was returning to his residence at St. Anthony Ijemo-Fadipe Parish in the Diocese of Abeokuta, after celebrating Holy Mass in Ogunmakin, when he was struck by a bullet and died from his injuries.
“The assailants shot at his vehicle and the bullets hit his legs, causing him to lose a lot of blood and die in his car,” the Catholic Network of Nigeria (NCN) reported, adding that the body of the late parish priest was “subsequently deposited at the morgue of Sacred Heart Hospital, Lantoro, Abeokuta.”
The circular from the diocese reported that the “farewell mass” was to be celebrated on Thursday, December 30th, at the parish where the late priest was serving.
“Kindly offer Masses and prayers for the repose of his soul. May God grant him eternal rest. Amen,” Fr. Gregory Fadele urges in a message.
Fr. Adeleke’s murder confirms the concerns that Christian leaders in Africa’s most populous nation are expressing about insecurity in the country that seems to be targeting followers of Jesus Christ.
Last month, the president of CAN (Christian Association of Nigeria) said the attack on a church in Nigeria’s Kaduna state on November 1st was “another sad story of how our deteriorating insecurity.”
“Citizens are being killed like chickens, and as a consolation, only press releases,” Pastor Joseph Hayab said in a November 2nd news release.
The same month, two Nigerian Catholic bishops said they were “surprised” that the U.S. State Department had excluded Nigeria from the list of countries with serious violations of religious freedom.
With information from aciafrica
Compiled by Roberta MacEwan
