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Fr. Matthias Opara

Fr. Matthias Opara freed after spending three days in captivity in Nigeria’s Catholic Archdiocese of Owerri. Credit: Catholic Archdiocese of Owerri

Catholic Priest in Nigeria Freed on Pentecost Sunday after Three Days in Captivity

May 29, 2023

Fr. Matthias Opara, the Nigerian Catholic Priest who was abducted on May 26 while returning from a funeral has been set free.

Fr. Matthias Opara abducted on Friday, May 26 while returning from a Funeral Mass in Nigeria’s Catholic Archdiocese of Owerri. Credit: Catholic Archdiocese of Owerri

“That he may be released unharmed”: Prayer Appeal for Priest Abducted in Owerri, Nigeria

May 26, 2023

Nigeria’s Catholic Archdiocese of Owerri is appealing for prayers for the release of Fr. Matthias Opara, who was abducted on Friday, May 26 while returning from a Funeral Mass.

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Pope Francis leads the Angelus prayer and gives an address from the chapel of Casa Santa Marta on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, at the Vatican. The pope delivered his marks indoors due to the intense cold, combined with cold symptoms that have manifested in recent days, the Holy See Press Office said. / Credit: Vatican Media

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Blessed Jacques-Désiré Laval (right) and Bishop Jean Michaël Durhône (right). Credit: Catholic Diocese of Port Louis

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Major Religious Freedom Win for Nigeria: Christian Mother Acquitted of Blasphemy Charges 

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Members of the envisaged Association of Catholic Bishops' Conferences of Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe (ACBC-MAZAZI) and Apostolic Nuncio in Zambia and Malawi, Archbishop Gian Luca Perici (in white). Credit: Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM)

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Nigerian Christian mother of five Rhoda Jatau was acquitted of blasphemy charges after a two-and-a-half-year legal battle. / Credit: Photo courtesy of ADF International

Major Religious Freedom Win for Nigeria: Christian Mother Acquitted of Blasphemy Charges 

Blessed Jacques-Désiré Laval (right) and Bishop Jean Michaël Durhône (right). Credit: Catholic Diocese of Port Louis

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Members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Ethiopia (CBCE). Credit: CBCE

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Bishop Gerhard Feige of Magdeburg in Germany. / Credit: Magdeburg Diocese

German Bishops Respond to Deadly Magdeburg Market Attack, Call for Prayer and Peace

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