Nigerian bishop in Muslim-majority region says being ‘creative minority’ is key to diocese’s mission

KIGALI, Rwanda — The pioneer bishop of Nigeria’s Diocese of Katsina said the young diocese is building its future around the vision of becoming a “creative minority,” seeking to transform society through education, faith formation, interreligious dialogue, and witness rather than being discouraged by its small Catholic population.

Speaking to ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, at the Aug. 3–8 SIGNIS World Congress in Kigali, Rwanda, Bishop Gerald Mamman Musa said the diocese, erected in October 2023 , has chosen to focus on its mission instead of dwelling on the challenges Christians in northwestern Nigeria are facing.

“Even though Katsina has a small population of Christians or Catholics, we want to be a creative minority,” Musa said, explaining that Catholics should resist defining themselves by their numerical weakness or the hardships they face.

“Sometimes we can be lamenting about the fact that we are very few. We can be lamenting about the fact that we are oppressed, persecuted, or discriminated against. We must not focus on all those negatives,” he said.

Instead, he urged Catholics to ask, “What can we do in this society? How can we, few as we…