Pastoral Mission to Nigeria to Promote Human Dignity

Strategies to Combat Human Trafficking

The Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development (DPIHD) carried out a pastoral mission to Nigeria.

The Vatican Dicastery delegation—comprised of the DPIHD Undersecretary, Cardinal Fabio Baggio, CS; the regional coordinator for Africa, Mario Almeida; and the regional coordinator for the Middle East, Pascale Debbane—participated on May 19 and 20 in the conference “Inclusive Strategies for Ending Human Trafficking: Reaching the Most Marginalized.”

The initiative was organized by the PFAN (Pathways to Freedom Africa Network) and hosted by the Archdiocese of Abuja and the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales. The participants came from Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa, and the group also included people with disabilities.

Cardinal Baggio addressed the Congress to talk about “the Church’s role in the fight against human trafficking.” In his presentation, he emphasized that “cooperation and collaboration among national and international institutions are crucial in struggling to eradicate human trafficking whether in places of origin, transit or destination” and highlighted the importance of reintegration programs, advising that “they must include the spiritual dimension as an essential element of the person’s integral human development.”

Following the conference, representatives of the Dicastery visited the Nunciature in Nigeria and then were able to have other pastoral meetings, namely, at the offices of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, at the headquarters of the Regional Episcopal Conference of West Africa (RECOWA / CERAO), and at the Kukah Center.

At the Kukah Center, they were received by Bp Matthew Hassan Kukah, Bishop of the Diocese of Sokoto and a member of the DPIHD, and by Fr. Athanasius Barkindo, the director.

The Center’s mission advocates that the pursuit of the common good of all citizens should be the basis for the existence of government and that citizen participation should be at the heart of governance, without exclusions on the basis of ethnic, religious, social status, economic or other differences.

At the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, they were received by the Secretary General, Fr. Michael Banjo and by Dr. Emmanuel Ifeabunike Okechukwu, a medical doctor and member of the Dicastery, accompanied by several staff members from the Department of Church and Society, who expressed their gratitude for the visit and for the continued support they receive from the Vatican Dicastery.

During the meeting, both groups exchanged digital and printed materials, while expressing their desire to continue collaboration on the mission of promoting integral human development.

Finally, at the headquarters of the Regional Episcopal Conference of West Africa (RECOWA / CERAO) a meeting was held with Fr. Vitalis Anaehobi, Secretary General, and Fr. Vincent de Paul Boro, 1st Deputy Secretary General, to discuss the collaboration between RECOWA and the Dicastery, during which there was a presentation of the Dicastery’s mission and structure to the staff members.