Torchlight News

By divine coincidence, two main religions in Nigeria, Christianity and Islam, begin their religious fasting observances today, February 18, 2026.  Catholics, in particular, kickstart the lenten season, marked by three cardinal injuctions of fasting, almsgiving and prayer, with the symbolic sign of ashes on the forehead, with the message, "repent and believe in the gospel." Hence, today is called, Ash Wednesday.  "Repent and believe in the gospel."  It is not the first time the faithful would hear the message. Every now and then, the same message is preached. Every year, the same ritual is performed. But each time, the congregation walks away probably retaining the same old garb.  "Repent and believe in the gospel."  This was the very first message of Jesus Christ at the beginning of his public ministry. The Gospel of Mark reports, "‎Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, 'Th...

  Screenshot picture: US Republican Mayor Mike Arnold Delegation leader, US Ambassador Lewis Lucke retired A visiting U.S. fact-finding team has concluded that Christian genocide is ongoing in Nigeria. The team disclosed the conclusion while addressing the media Tuesday, October 14, 2025, in Abuja, the Nigerian capital. It also issued the following: Formal Statement on Widespread Violence and Displacement in Nigeria October 14, 2025 By Mayor Mike Arnold, MBA Founder, Africa Arise International / Africa Arise USA Presented at Abuja Hilton, 4 p.m. WAT on Tuesday, October 14, 2025 Contributors: US Amb. Lewis Lucke (retired) Pastor Jed D’Grace Mr. Judd Saul I. Purpose and Credentials My name is Mike Arnold. I recently served as the elected Mayor of the City of Blanco, Texas. I first visited Nigeria in 2010 as a board member of Unity for Africa. Since then, I have made 15 trips to Nigeria, including six extended investigative missions since 2019. I founded Africa Arise International and...

It was a strange spiritual occurrence on Friday, September 5, as a Catholic priest shares a shocking experience of witnessing first hand consecrated wine during holy Mass turned real blood! ‎In a video that is now viral, the priest, whose identity could not be ascertained at the time of this report, narrated how he saw the wine inside the Eucharistic cup became real Blood of Jesus Christ, after distributing holy communion to his communicants. ‎Sharing the experience, the priest said, "During the Mass, during the consecration, everything went well. The wine (was) poured into the chalice, as it ought to be; nothing inside the wine, nothing! However, after distributing communion, I came back to the altar to purify the vessels and the chalice, and something strange occurred. The Blood of Jesus was discovered inside the wine."  As to whether  it was indeed real blood he saw, the priest said, "Of course, after consecration it is now Blood of Jesus Christ. But truly, I saw the ...

                        Beautiful sight of lunar eclipse Are you a night sky watcher? Or a natural phenomenon enthusiast? There is a good treat for you tonight. Those living across Nigeria and several other African countries will have a rare opportunity, this Sunday, September 7, to witness a lunar eclipse gracing the night sky,  a couple of hours away from now . ‎According to scientists, the eclipse will last for about 83 minutes, beginning around 8:00 p.m. Nigerian time. It will be visible across most of Africa, though some western regions may miss the early stages due to the Moon rising closer to or during totality. ‎Countries expected to witness the phenomenon include Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Benin, Togo, Niger, Chad, and São Tomé and Príncipe . ‎Experts explain that a total lunar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Earth, and Moon perfectly align, with Earth positioned between the Sun and the Moon,...

"PASSING SIX, NOT PASSING SENSE":  A Mirror of Self-Assessment ‎ ‎By Pascal Chimezie  ‎ ‎There is a world of difference between classroom learning, also known as, formal education, and "street sense," variously called, in local parlance, "No. 6", "native intelligence", or "common sense." In a more technical sense, it is about the difference between "acquired learning" and "infused knowledge."  ‎ ‎My late less literate father, Sir Louis, used to say, "passing six no be passing sense." He would make such a remark each time we committed one thing! (And trust us we always commit something...) My father, not really high-handed, would excoriate or chide us for our foolish mistakes. But his rebuke would not be complete without saying, "passing six, no be passing sense." The import of his words, as at that time, was lost to us. We never really understood what he meant. In our childish innocence, we were a...

Pope Leo receiving in audience altar servers Are you an altar server? Do you serve at the Mass, as a young woman, or a young man, or even as an adult? His Holiness, Pope Leo XIV, has a message for you. ‎ ‎"Help lead the faithful into the Sacred Mystery of the Mass. The dignity of your service helps lead people into the sacred greatness of the Mystery," Pope Leo says to you. ‎ ‎If it needs further breakdown, the Pope is reminding you of the dignity of your ministry of service in the House of God.  He is reminding you of the great importance of the memory of Jesus’ sacrifice at the cross to save mankind which is handed down to us, by the Church, through the Eucharist and daily celebration of Mass, which you, the altar servers, assist the priest in celebrating. ‎ ‎Papa delivers this message Monday, August 25, while receiving a delegation of more than 300 French Alter Servers who are in Rome for pilgrimage as part of the Jubilee Year of Hope. ‎ Address...

‎.....Fr Fadairo takes over ‎                   Msgr. J. K. A Aniagwu  ‎At last, the news the parishioners of St Leo's Catholic Church Ikeja, Lagos, dreaded to hear is delivered to them.  Rt. Rev. Msgr. John Kanebi Asuquo Aniagwu, their darling priest,  ceases to be the Parish Priest of St. Leo's, and will soon bid good bye to the parish he has pastured for 30 years. This comes as part of a major shake up that sees the appointments and transfers of many other priests in the Archdiocese. ‎The information is contained in a circular released on Monday, August 25, and personally signed by the Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, His Grace, Most Rev. Dr. Alfred Adewale Martins, and addressed to all the priests and religious in the Archdiocese. ‎The circular reads in part, "In keeping with the Church's mission of promoting evangelization and building authentic communities of engaged Catholics, we hereby make the following appoi...

       Pope Leo XIV worried by too many wars   As too many conflicts continue to tear the world apart, Pope Leo XIV Wednesday, August 20, invites the faithful to prayer and fasting on Friday, August 22, for peace. Addressing the faithful gathered at the Paul VI Hall, during his weekly General Audience at the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV reflected on the world’s many conflict zones, and called for a "disarmed and disarming peace" in all places torn by armed conflict.  Recalling the upcoming liturgical commemoration of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary, to be celebrated on Friday, August 22, the Pope invites the faithful to celebrate that day by praying and fasting for peace. “Mary is the Mother of the faithful here on earth and is remembered as the Queen of Peace,” the Pope said. As our world continues to be wounded by wars - in the Holy Land, in Ukraine, and in other parts of the world -  the Pope invites all the faithful to take pa...

‎"Even if it ends, the desires for revenge will persist, and we will have to struggle with the consequences of this war on people’s lives for a long time to come.” ‎This was the heart-rending response to the question on the intractably knotty conflict between Israel and Palestine, which has claimed thousands of lives and rendered millions homeless in recent times, by the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, in his homily during the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary, August 15. .        Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa The prelate, whose diocese covers both Israel, those living in the Palestinian territories of Gaza, and the West Bank, stated that while everyone wants an end to the conflict, its end will not mark “the end of hostilities and the pain they will cause,” as the desire for revenge will persist, and “we will have to struggle with the consequences of this war on people’s lives for a long time to come.” ‎ His vintage positio...

‎- Seeks Church's help for peace  building  ‎               Paul Biya of Cameroon Ahead of Cameron's general election coming up in October, the government is widening its consultations with various interest groups and stakeholders, including leaders of the Catholic Church, for peace building efforts. ‎The 92 years old Paul Biya, Africa’s second-longest-serving president after Teodoro Obiang of Equatorial Guinea, in July announced that he would be running for the presidency in October for the 8th time, even as he shuttles abroad frequently for medical tourism.  Last year, it was rumoured that he had passed on, prompting the government to publicly deny the rumors. Paul Biya is Cameroon’s second president since independence from France in 1960, and has been in power since 1982. There have been widespread discontents among the populace as a result of myriad of socio-economic challenges pushing the people to the brink. ‎Cameroonian Mi...