The Catholic Church in Nigeria is recording a boom in the number of young persons interested in religious vocations, a cleric said on Sunday in Abuja.  ``An increasing number of young persons have indicated interest to become priests and reverend sisters,'' Rev. Fr. Aloysius Udo, Associate Priest, Saints Peter and Paul Parish, Nyanya, Abuja, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

Udo said the country was not facing any crisis in vocation unlike the declining figures of priests in the U.S. and Europe, and highlighted that senior seminaries in the Archdiocese of Abuja were witnessing a rise in candidates interested in such vocations. ``There is a tremendous response to vocation by our youths, both boys and girls. In fact we jokingly but emphatically say there is a vocation boom in Nigeria.  In Africa, we have a tremendous response to vocation, to religion and priesthood, quite unlike in countries in Europe and the United States where vocation is minimal in religious congregations.  For example, in the Archdiocese of Abuja, candidates in formation in the senior seminaries cannot be less than 120 in number,'' he said, attributing the response to religious vocations to the need to live a life devoted to God and the service of humanity.

On celibacy, he said the position of the Catholic Church in Nigeria had not changed. ``The principle of celibacy is still maintained in the Western Church, to which Nigeria belongs. This is to give full attention to the mission of Christ, which is primary and uppermost in the mind of any candidate going into the senior seminary or formation to be ordained into priesthood,'' he said.

Udo, however, acknowledged that the moderate growth in priestly vocations and the proliferation of churches did not mean that Nigeria was a religious nation. A study had, more than a year ago, rated Nigeria as the world's most religious nation. The priest expressed dismay at the unbridled corruption, injustice and social malaise in the country, saying: ``For me, the more we think we know God in Nigeria the more stiff-necked in evil we become. Does it mean that evil wants to have an upper-hand in the country or does it mean that prayers to God are no longer effective? No. The point is praying to God is one thing and the actual change of mind is another. We must mix our prayers with good works; our faith must be bound to good works. The Church has been doing its best through sermons, prayers and fasting but without backing that up with change of mind and attitude, corruption will still continue. The Church has been encouraging good leadership and we thank God that few are changing because of the appeals,’’ he said.

The priest commended the efforts of the anti-corruption agencies such as the EFCC and ICPC, and implored Nigerians to cooperate with them in the effort to eliminate corruption in the society.  Udo, who was ordained a Catholic priest in 1984, launched a book entitled ``The Golden Rule’’ on Saturday to commemorate his 25 years in the priesthood.