During his trip, the Pope is set to present the working document for the October Synod of Bishops for Africa, which will be dedicated to finding ways Africa can overcome lingering conflicts and seek reconciliation, justice and peace.

Bishops from Nigeria were at the Vatican Feb. 5-28 for their “ad limina” visits to report on the status of their dioceses. The visits gave Pope Benedict the chance to get a firsthand account about the situation on the ground.

Nigerian Bishop Michael Odogwu Elue of Issele-Uku told Catholic News Service Feb. 26 that the problems of ethnic conflict, poverty, corrupt political leaders and religious intolerance would give synod participants “enough work for a lifetime.”

Bishop Anthony Okonkwo Gbuji, the retired bishop of Enugu, said, “We don’t need to look very far to see problems and know reconciliation is needed.” He said the bishops see the Pope’s upcoming trip “as an opportunity for us to really emphasize that reconciliation is serious for the church.”

“The head of Christendom is coming to bring that message powerfully to the people who need reconciliation, peace and love,” he said.

Gbuji, 77, said the Nigerian government has succeeded in preventing local conflicts and skirmishes from “exploding into a holocaust.”

He said Nigeria “became very wise after the Nigerian civil war” from 1967 to 1970, which still “remains very fresh in our minds.” The government created a federal police force and army that are dispatched immediately to quell an uprising before it gets out of hand, he said.

“That way, no nation, particular state or tribe can rise against another without intervention from federal authorities,” he said.

While religious life is growing by leaps and bounds in Nigeria, Bishop Francis Ogbonna Okobo of Nsukka, 72, said he would like to see a more thorough teaching of church belief and a more careful administration of the sacraments, especially the sacraments of initiation.

It is important “people know what they are doing, what they are getting into and what is expected of them; we can’t baptize the whole world overnight,” he said.