At the end of their recent meeting, the Catholic Bishops of Nigeria have said that attacks aimed at Pope Francis are ill-advised and describe them as “the proverbial ill wind that blows no one any good, bearing in mind that there are other more legitimate avenues of expressing opinions to the Holy Father.

The Second Plenary Meeting of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) was held at the Divine Mercy Pastoral Centre, Abeokuta, Ogun State from 11 September to 20 September 2019.

In their Communique issued at the end of the plenary, the Bishops particularly criticise those within the Church who are attacking Pope Francis.

“The Holy Father Pope Francis has come under attacks in recent times. Of more serious concern are the attacks coming from some higher levels of the church in some parts of the world. As members of the Episcopal College, of which the Holy Father is the Head, we regard these attacks as the proverbial ill wind that blows no one any good, bearing in mind that there are other more legitimate and traditionally tested avenues of expressing our opinions to the Holy Father,” the Bishops said.