Praying at the tombs of the Apostles in Rome, Cardinal Peter Ebere Okpaleke said he laid down "the joys, pains and hopes" of the Catholic Church in Nigeria, a country with vibrant faith besieged by kidnappings and violence.

The cardinal is one of more than 70 Nigerian bishops who are meeting Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican in March for their ad limina visit.

In an interview with OSV News on March 11, Cardinal Okpaleke, the bishop of Ekwulobia, Nigeria, spoke about the significant security challenges facing the country, U.S. President Donald Trump's airstrikes in Nigeria and Pope Leo's upcoming first apostolic journey to Africa.

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Cardinal Okpaleke's group of 37 bishops met with Pope Leo on March 6. He said the pope spoke with the bishops "about the situation of the Church in Nigeria" and that Pope Leo "appreciated the commitment of all and encouraged all to continue walking in the footsteps of the apostles."

A second group of 35 Nigerian bishops is scheduled to meet with the pope on March 13.

The bishops' visit comes as Nigeria grapples with severe insecurity. Cardinal Okpaleke said the situation "is affecting everybody adversely and not only the Catholic communities and schools," and stressed that "the state alone has the resources to address the security situation."

Reflecting on the kidnappings and ongoing violence in parts of the country, including the November abduction of around 300 students and staff from St. Mary's Catholic School, Cardinal Okpaleke said the Church in Nigeria "continues to pray for divine intervention while engaging those in power through advocacy, mobilizing opinion and assisting victims."

When asked about international military responses to the violence in Nigeria, particularly President Trump's suggestion that the United States could carry out further airstrikes in response to the killing of Christians by Islamist militants, the cardinal said, "While bombs and a show of strength may appear to be a solution, often they remain quick-fixes, if ever, they fix anything."

"It is significant that the Holy Father continues to speak of peace, the peace of Christ, which the world cannot give. It is also clear that violence begets more violence," he added.

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Despite his skepticism about military responses, the cardinal acknowledged a silver lining.

"What is clear from the airstrikes is the openness of the Nigerian government to be assisted in what could have easily been described as internal affairs," he said, adding that he hoped "that the global community may mobilize bias and apply pressure, if necessary, to ensure the sanitization of the political space."

The ad limina trip to Rome, usually made together with all the bishops from a country or region, also serves as a pilgrimage to "the threshold of the apostles," giving bishops, who are the successors of the apostles, the opportunity to pray at the tombs of Sts. Peter and Paul. For each country, ad limina visits typically take place every five years, as the world's more than 5,400 bishops rotate through Rome.

For Cardinal Okpaleke, the spiritual dimension of the trip proved as significant as the formal meetings.

"The ad limina visit was for me a spiritual journey," he said. "The visit to the tombs of Sts. Peter and Paul woke up a palpable sense of the mystery of the Church and of divine grace."

During the Roman pilgrimage, the cardinal said he "laid down to the Lord the joys, pains and hopes" of his diocese and the Church in Nigeria.

"I felt privileged and challenged anew to walk in the footsteps of these great apostles. Through them I felt united with the whole Church -- the pilgrim Church, the triumphant Church and the Church suffering -- over the ages and with the Holy Father, the symbol of that unity," he said.

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Looking ahead to Pope Leo’s first apostolic journey to Africa in April, which will include stops in Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea, the cardinal expressed enthusiasm.

"It is interesting that for the first time, Algeria will host a papal visit. Significantly, this is the birthplace of St. Augustine of Hippo," he said, calling it "a huge boost to the Catholic and the Christian population and an opportunity to promote interfaith relations."