Patrick Egwu

A D.C.-based Catholic network is training sisters and others in Nigeria to promote the welfare of children and women, with workshops focused on ending child exploitation and violence against women.

Commentary: "It shows the triumph of good over evil": NCR speaks with Catholics in Berlin, who reminisced about the fall of the Berlin Wall 30 years ago.

Since 1999, an interfaith council of 50 Muslim and Christian members has been providing a forum for interreligious dialogue in Nigeria to diffuse tensions and build trust in a nation with a history of conflict and where extremist voices often get more attention.

Violent riots have targeted stores owned by foreigners in South Africa. "It is xenophobia, plain and simple," said the Johannesburg archbishop, one of numerous Catholic leaders to condemn the attacks.

The killing of Fr. Paul Offu triggered a massive protest by priests in the Diocese of Enugu, who marched through city streets. Many priests have been killed or victimized in Nigeria in recent times.

Nigerian prison conditions have been described as deplorable, and the number of inmates awaiting trial is high. The Catholic Institute for Development, Justice and Peace regularly visits the four prisons in Enugu to provide legal services so people's cases can move forward.

There has been a wave of kidnappings in Nigeria over the years, targeting politicians, foreigners and individuals from wealthy homes. More recently, kidnappers have shifted their attention toward priests.