The Holy Rosary Is More Powerful than the Terrorists’ Weapons, Nigerian Catholic Bishop says

The Catholic Bishop of Katsina-Ala Diocese in Nigeria has attributed the progress made in combating insecurity in his Episcopal See to the power of prayer, particularly through the Holy Rosary.

Speaking to ACI Africa on Wednesday, October 2 on the sidelines of a special thanksgiving Mass for the outgoing Executive Secretary of Caritas Nigeria, Fr. Uchechukwu Obodoechina, Bishop Isaac Bundepuun Dugu said reciting the Holy Rosary in the Diocese has proven more effective than the weapons wielded by criminals terrorizing the region.

“The Rosary is more powerful than the AK-47 rifles used by the bandits,” Bishop Dugu told ACI Africa.

Reflecting on his early days as a Bishop, he recalled how some members of the Clergy in his Diocese had encouraged him to engage with criminals directly in the forest. 

“When I became Bishop, my people and Priests advised me to go into the forest, where the bandits and herdsmen are, and preach to them for conversion. But I told them I didn’t know the bandits. I had no history with them, and I wouldn’t know what to say to them,” he recounted.

Although yearning for direct intervention in the attacks, the Catholic Church leader believed that a spiritual strategy would be more effective.

“I told them, let us carry our Holy Rosary. I knew that our Rosary is more powerful than the AK-47 rifles those guys in the bush rely on. We began praying various decades of the Holy Rosary, and now, the situation is changing,” he said.

Bishop Dugu further said that their prayers have brought some of the criminals out of hiding.

“The boys who were once faceless are now known to us,” Bishop Dugu said, and added, “Just this morning, two of the most notorious ones in the bush called me after I sent word that I wanted to meet with them. One of them even sent me a video.”

The Nigerian Catholic Bishop underscored the necessity of prayer in addressing insecurity in the West African country, saying, “Prayer is something we cannot trade or compromise for anything. It is the key to success, no matter the position you hold.”

Abah Anthony John, October 3, 2024

Adapted from www.aciafrica.org