By Fr. OKHUELEIGBE OSEMHANTIE ÃMOS

Archbishop Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji – Archbishop of Owerri & President, CBCN:

In the official CBCN 2025 Christmas Message, Archbishop Ugorji proclaims Emmanuel—God with us, as the Church’s response to Nigeria’s anguish. He soberly acknowledges the nation’s economic distress, insecurity, kidnappings, and displacement, including the trauma surrounding abducted schoolchildren. Yet he firmly declares that evil does not have the final word. Christmas is presented as God’s solidarity with suffering humanity and as the wellspring of Christian hope that refuses despair. He calls Nigerians to unity, moral responsibility, and renewed commitment to justice, peace, and the dignity of human life, insisting that hope is not naïveté but faith rooted in the Incarnation.

Cardinal Peter Ebere Okpaleke – Catholic Diocese of Ekwulobia:

Cardinal Okpaleke’s 2025 Christmas Message, titled “Jesus, the Prince of Peace,” interprets the Nativity through the prism of peace as a divine gift rather than a political construct. Drawing from Isaiah 9:6 and Luke 2:14, he insists that authentic peace is rooted in truth, reconciliation, and interior conversion. The Cardinal warns that violence, falsehood, and injustice fracture society precisely because they resist Christ’s peace. Christmas, therefore, becomes a summons to embrace truth, forgive injuries, and rebuild broken relationships. Peace, he argues, is not merely the absence of conflict but the presence of Christ reigning in hearts and communities.

Archbishop Augustine Obiora Akubueze – Archdiocese of Benin City:

Archbishop Akubueze’s 2025 Christmas Message, themed “Christ Amidst Our Shadows,” situates the Nativity within Nigeria’s moral and civic darkness. He presents Christ as the light who enters not ideal conditions but fractured realities marked by injustice, poor governance, and social despair. Christmas, he argues, challenges leaders and citizens alike to accountability, justice, and ethical renewal. The Archbishop emphasizes that Christ’s presence in the shadows is not passive consolation but an active call to transformation, urging Nigerians to allow Gospel values to shape governance, public conduct, and social responsibility.

Archbishop Adewale Martins – Catholic Archbishop of Lagos:

In his Christmas 2025 message, Archbishop Martins urged Nigerians not to respond to fear or despair despite pervasive insecurity and socio-economic strain. He emphasized that authentic and lasting hope is found in God and called Christians to reflect Christ’s love through empathy, kindness, and cohesive action for national renewal. He also challenged political leaders to complement spiritual hope with concrete, courageous work to secure lives and restore peace and dignity

Bishop Michael Odogwu Elue – Catholic Diocese of Issele-Uku:

In his 2025 Christmas Message, Bishop Michael Odogwu Elue proclaims Christmas as the decisive reassurance that God has drawn near to humanity. Anchoring his reflection on the angelic proclamation, “Do not be afraid… today a Saviour has been born to you” (Luke 2:10–11), he presents the Nativity as God’s definitive response to fear, uncertainty, and despair. Christ, the Prince of Peace, is portrayed as the unextinguishable light who enters human darkness not as an abstraction but as a saving presence. Bishop Elue exhorts the faithful to live Christmas as a renewed confidence in God’s fidelity, urging charity, hope, and peace to flow from the manger into homes, communities, and the nation at large.

Bishop Peter Kayode Odetoyinbo – Catholic Diocese of Abeokuta:

In his 2025 Christmas Message, Bishop Odetoyinbo reflects on the Johannine assurance that “the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5). He invites Nigerians to lay their anxieties, fears, and national wounds at the manger of the Christ Child. Emphasising renewal, he prays for restored joy, unity, justice, and peace in families and society. Christmas, he notes, is not escapism but an encounter with divine light that empowers perseverance and moral courage amid adversity

Bishop Martin Uzoukwu – Catholic Bishop:

In his 2025 Christmas Message, delivered through a video address, Bishop Martin Uzoukwu reflects on the Nativity as God’s saving entry into human history and fragility. He presents Christmas as a call to renewed faith and perseverance, assuring the faithful that Christ’s birth brings hope that transcends present hardships. Emphasising trust in God’s abiding presence, he urges Christians to live the mystery of Christmas through lives marked by peace, love, and steadfast hope

Bishop Bulus Dauwa Yohanna – Catholic Diocese of Kontagora:

Though articulated through a Christmas-season communiqué, Bishop Yohanna’s message emerges powerfully from the return of abducted schoolchildren, described as “Kontagora’s Christmas gift”. He attributes their release to divine providence sustained by prayer, solidarity, and communal resilience. The Bishop expresses gratitude to security agencies and all who worked for the children’s freedom while calling for continued healing and vigilance. Within the Christmas context, the event becomes a living testimony that God still intervenes in history and that hope remains credible even amid Nigeria’s security challenges.

•Fr. Okhueleigbe Osemhantie Amos, PhD, is of the Catholic Institute of West Africa (CIWA), Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

PHOTO CAPTION: •File photo of Catholic Bishops

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