The Roman Catholic Diocese of Sokoto ( la, Sokotoën(sis)) is a

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...

located in the city of

Sokoto Sokoto is a major city located in extreme northwestern Nigeria, near the confluence of the Sokoto River and the Rima River. As of 2006 it has a population of over 427,760. Sokoto is the modern-day capital of Sokoto State and was previously the c ...

in the

Ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' + 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United State ...

Kaduna Kaduna is the capital city of Kaduna State, and the former political capital of Northern Region, Nigeria, Northern Nigeria. It is located in north-western Nigeria, on the Kaduna River. It is a trade Centre and a major transportation hub as the ...

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. Its territory includes the states of

Zamfara Zamfara (Hausa: Jihar Zamfara Fula: Leydi Zamfara 𞤤𞤫𞤴𞤣𞤭 𞤶𞤢𞤥𞤬𞤢𞤪𞤢) is a state in northwestern Nigeria. The capital of Zamfara state is Gusau and its current Governor is Bello Matawalle. Until 1996, the area was ...

Kebbi Kebbi state ( ha, Jihar Kebbi; Fulfulde: Leydi Kebbi 𞤤𞤫𞤴𞤣𞤭 𞤳𞤫𞤦𞥆𞤭) is a state in the northwestern Nigeria, Kebbi state is bordered east and north of Sokoto and Zamfara states, and to the south by Niger state while i ...

, and

Katsina Katsina, likely from "Tamashek" eaning son or bloodor mazza enwith "inna" otheris a Local Government Area and the capital city of Katsina State, in northern Nigeria.

History

* June 29, 1953: Established as Apostolic Prefecture of Sokoto from the Apostolic Prefecture of Kaduna * June 16, 1964: Promoted as Diocese of Sokoto

Special churches

The

Cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

is Holy Family Cathedral in Sokoto.

Bishops

* Prefect Apostolic of Sokoto (Roman rite) ** Father Edward Thaddeus Lawton, O.P. (1954.01.15 – 1964.06.16 ''see below'') *

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

s of Sokoto (Roman rite) ** Bishop

Edward Thaddeus Lawton Edward T. Lawton, OP (October 12, 1913 – December 19, 1966) was an American-born bishop of the Catholic Church. He served as the bishop of the Diocese of Sokoto in Nigeria from 1964 to 1966. Early life and education Born in South Boston in Mas ...

, O.P. (''see above'' 1964.06.16 – 1966.12.19) ** Bishop

Michael James Dempsey Michael James Dempsey, OP (February 12, 1912 – March 19, 1996) was an American-born bishop of the Catholic Church. He served as the bishop of the Diocese of Sokoto in Nigeria from 1967-1984. Early life and education James Edward Dempsey was bo ...

, O.P. (1967.07.13 – 1984.12.03) ** Bishop

Kevin Joseph Aje Kevin Joseph Aje (25 April 1934 – 27 May 2019) was a Nigerian Catholic prelate, who served as the bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Nigeria, from 1985 to 2011. Early life and education Kevin Joseph Aje was born on 25 April 1934 in Am ...

(1984.12.03 – 2011.06.10) ** Bishop

Matthew Hassan Kukah Matthew Hassan Kukah (born 31 August 1952) is the current bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sokoto. In December 2020, Pope Francis appointed him as a member of the Dicastery on Integral Human Development. Early life and education Bishop ...

(since 2011.06.10)

Coadjutor bishop

(1982-1984)

Persecution

Situated in the North of Nigeria, in a Muslim-majority atmosphere, there have been incidents of persecution in Sokoto against Christians and Catholics in particular. In May 2022, following the

lynching of Deborah Yakubu On 12 May 2022, Deborah Samuel Yakubu, a second-year Christian college student, was killed by a mob of Muslim students in Sokoto, Nigeria, after being accused of blasphemy. Background Nigeria is evenly divided into a largely Muslim north ...

, there was violence against other Christian sites, according to a statement released by the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto. "During the protest, groups of youths led by some adults in the background attacked the Holy Family Catholic Cathedral at Bello Way, destroying church glass windows, those of the Bishop Lawton Secretariat, and vandalized a community bus parked within the premises. St. Kevin’s Catholic Church was also attacked and partly burnt; windows of the new hospital complex under construction, in the same premises, were shattered. The hoodlums also attacked the Bakhita Centre �� burning down a bus within the premises.” In 2022 two Catholic priests were kidnapped, and later released, in the diocese. Their names are Fr Stephen Ojapah and Fr. Oliver Okpara.

References

Sources

GCatholic.org Information

* ttp://domsistersnigeria.org/ Dominican Sisters in Gusau, Zamfara State, Nigeria Roman Catholic dioceses in Nigeria Christian organizations established in 1953 Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 20th century Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Kaduna 1953 establishments in Nigeria {{Nigeria-RC-diocese-stub