An African Catholic Bishop who survived the terror group Boko Haram is to visit Ireland this month.
Bishop Oliver Dashe Doeme, an outspoken Church leader against religious persecution, is to headline a Rosary Rally at Knock Shrine next Saturday, 6th June.
Organisers say thousands are set to attend in what is to be a day for prayer for peace around the world. 10,000 people took part last year, according to organisers.
Bishop Doeme leads the Diocese of Maiduguri in northeastern Nigeria – birthplace of Islamist terror group Boko Haram in 2009.
Since its beginnings in the major northeast Nigerian city, the group went on to seize multiple towns and villages, declaring some part of an Islamic caliphate.
Since 2009, it is estimated to have killed 20,000 people and displaced more than two million others.
The Islamist militia group has carried out a campaign of kidnappings in Nigeria, including the 2014 Chibok schoolgirl abductions and similar tragedies, with one young woman speaking out earlier this year after being held for eight years by the group after being abducted at 16 years old.
The infamous school raid, which saw 276 schoolgirls kidnapped, generated the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls, and while many survivors returned to school, others remain unaccounted for more than a decade on.
As recently as last month, gunmen from the terror group stormed a primary and secondary school in Mussa, abducting 40 children and killing eight others in an assault on a nearby Christian community.
The majority of communities around Chibok are Christians, with Boko Haram and ISWAP having been waging attacks on them to either force them to Islamise or force them out of their ancestral lands since 2011, according to Genocide Watch.
Bishop Doeme has become a well-known voice worldwide for his spiritual and political resistance against the extremist group.
“On the day I agreed to be bishop, I knew I was signing my death sentence. Despite all this, we do not give up our public witness to our faith,” said the Nigerian Bishop speaking prior to his visit to Ireland.
Bishop Doeme made global headlines for sharing a vision he received in his chapel in 2015, claiming that Jesus extended a sword to him that turned into a rosary.
He interpreted it as a divine sign to combat the terrorists through prayer as opposed to violence.
The Bishop has spoken widely about experiencing the “vision of Christ” while in prayer.
“Jesus Christ appeared holding a sword, which He offered to me,’ he said. “The moment I took the sword from Jesus’ hands, it transformed into Rosary beads. I didn’t need any prophet to explain it to me. It was clear that with the Rosary we would be able to expel Boko Haram,” he said.
After the experience, the Bishop mobilised a widespread prayer initiative across Nigerian schools, families, and parishes.
One of the chief organisers of the 41st annual All-Ireland Rosary Rally, Cork priest, Fr Marius O’Reilly, said: “Bishop Doeme is coming to Ireland to share his testimony of survival, peace-building, and the inspiring story of the resilience of the Nigerian people in the face of radical extremism.”
According to Bishop Doeme, the faith of the Nigerian people is “unshakeable” despite hardships.
“We have more Catholics now than before the Boko Haram crisis. For our people, their faith has sustained and fortified them.
“After the crisis started, between 2009 and 2014, our community came under repeated and sustained attacks that led to massive displacement of people who were traumatised and terrorised,” he said.
Bishop Doeme has attributed the containment and gradual fracturing of the terrorist group in his region to a deep, collective reliance on prayer across his diocese.
“When our church is persecuted, our people become alive, their faith grows stronger and more active.
“More than 200 churches were destroyed, and 10 parishes were decimated by Boko Haram. But whatever happened, we continued to go out to villages and rural areas to give them the sacraments. The situation has only served to strengthen the faith of our people.”
“More than 90,000 Catholics were displaced, and more than 1,000 Catholics were killed. Of 279 people, including children, who were kidnapped, 100 have not come back. The Boko Haram army forcibly conscripted young men; many never returned.”
He emphasised that the humanitarian crisis crossed all boundaries, causing immense suffering for people of all faiths, including moderate Muslims who reject the group’s extremist ideology.
Rosary Rally organiser Fr Marius O’Reilly told Gript: “We are honoured to have Bishop Doeme with us, where his powerful personal witness is a huge example of faith and hope which we are sure will resonate and inspire the Rosary Rally pilgrims.
“The message is so relevant in the modern world, where people are seeking stability, peace, and cross-community solidarity in these turbulent times.”
“This year we will continue to pray for peace in the world in these troubled times. We will join in prayer for a renewal of the Catholic faith in Ireland; and for the people of Ireland.”
He added: “We are inspired, uplifted and encouraged by Pope Leo’s courageous and powerful message of peace.
“So we will be echoing his call and praying to Our Lady for her intercession for Ireland, for our families and for peace. The Irish people’s devotion to the Rosary goes back generations to our most difficult times.”