Foreign News
How I Survived COVID-19 — Onyema
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffery Onyeama, has described how he contracted and survived the COVID-19 infection for three weeks.
Onyeama spoke on Thursday in Abuja at the joint national briefing of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19.
The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that the minister, who was confirmed positive on July 19 after his fourth COVID-19 test, joined the list of governors and other prominent Nigerians who have contracted the virus.
While some died of the complications of the virus, some survived to tell their stories.
He said: “I have to say that one of the things I was thinking about is that the PTF is like a military high command.
It occurred to me that none have been tested positive.“Maybe it was a good thing that a member of the team can now speak from experience and not just from hearing. COVID-19 is real. I used to have a three layers of protection but it did not stop that.
“I will like to say that the issue of stigmatisation is nothing to be ashamed of. Anybody can get this virus and it is nothing to fear. It is not a death sentence.
“In my case, the moment I felt something different on a Friday, I was tested the following day but we don’t have the capacity.
“I was discussing with the Minister of Health that if people cannot be tested sooner enough, they can recommend some medication. Don’t feel it is anything shameful. Just treat it like any other sickness.”
The minister added: “I will like to use the opportunity to thank the medical crew in the isolation I was staying and very proud that they are Nigerians.
“We can be negative on ourselves but for the three weeks in isolation, I cannot speak more highly of our medical crew. The most agreeable. I could even go back there for weekends. I really congratulate them for the work they did.”(NAN)
China on Friday congratulated the newly elected Pope Leo XIV and expressed hope for a “steady” improvement in relations with the Vatican.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Lin Jian stated this while speaking with reporters in the Chinese capital.
According to Lin, he hopes that under the new Pope’s leadership, the Vatican will continue dialogue with China in a constructive spirit, deepen communication on international issues of mutual concern.
He also expressed hope that they would continue to work together to steadily advance China-Vatican relations, while contributing to global peace, stability, development, and prosperity.
The Vatican on Tuesday announced that American Cardinal Robert Prevost had been elected as the new Pope, taking the name Leo XIV.
He is the first American-born pontiff in the history of the Catholic Church.
In 2024, Beijing had extended a provisional agreement with the Holy See by four years regarding the appointment of bishops.
The agreement which allows both sides to have a role in selecting bishops for China’s Catholic community, which numbers around 12 million in the world’s second most populous countr. (AA/NAN)
The Vatican on Friday announced that Pope Leo XIV’s inauguration will take place on May 18 with a mass in St. Peter’s Square, following his election to succeed Pope Francis.
The ceremony is to take place at 10a.m (0800 GMT) May 18 at the Vatican.
Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was announced as the first U.
S. pontiff on Thursday after white smoke emerged from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel following four rounds of voting in the papal conclave.The new pope is set to keep Francis’ top employees in the Vatican in place for the time being, the Holy See said.
The first of his weekly general audiences is planned for May 21. (dpa/NAN)
The election of Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost of Chicago, has ignited pride and celebration at St. Rita of Cascia High School, where the new pope once served as a teacher.
The 69-year-old Augustinian cardinal’s historic rise as the first American pope was met with elation across his former school community.
Students and faculty remembered him not just as a religious leader but as a humble and compassionate mentor.
Leo was born in Chicago and graduated with a degree in mathematics from the University of Villanova in Pennsylvania in 1977.
He also studied religion at the Catholic Theological Union of Chicago.
In 1982, he received a doctorate in church law from the Pontifical University of St Thomas Aquinas in Rome before being sent to serve in a Catholic mission in Peru.
In 2023, he became prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, a key Catholic administrative body, based in Rome
He succeeds Pope Francis who died on April 21. The late pontiff made Prevost a cardinal in September 2023.(AA/NAN)(www.nanne
The election of Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost of Chicago, has ignited pride and celebration at St. Rita of Cascia High School, where the new pope once served as a teacher.
The 69-year-old Augustinian cardinal’s historic rise as the first American pope was met with elation across his former school community.
Students and faculty remembered him not just as a religious leader but as a humble and compassionate mentor.
Leo was born in Chicago and graduated with a degree in mathematics from the University of Villanova in Pennsylvania in 1977.
He also studied religion at the Catholic Theological Union of Chicago.
In 1982, he received a doctorate in church law from the Pontifical University of St Thomas Aquinas in Rome before being sent to serve in a Catholic mission in Peru.
In 2023, he became prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, a key Catholic administrative body, based in Rome
He succeeds Pope Francis who died on April 21. The late pontiff made Prevost a cardinal in September 2023.(AA/NAN)
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