The Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission (NCPC) has disclosed that it was set to begin the 2021 main pilgrimage exercise in the first quarter of this year.
According to a press statement issued Tuesday by the Commission’s head of media and public relations, Celestine Toruka, the NCPC executive secretary, Rev. Yakubu Pam, made the disclosure during an interview with Catholic TV in Abuja.
It indicated that the Commission would ensure that the 2021 main pilgrimage exercise would experience a hitch-free operation.
It added that Rev. Pam affirmed that the 2020 maiden pilgrimage to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan was a huge success despite the fact that the exercise took place at the peak of the global Covid-19 pandemic.
He said he was particularly encouraged that the pilgrimage recorded zero abscondment of pilgrims, adding that” because of the huge success recorded in Jordan pilgrimage, countries like Israel and Turkey are now eager to work with the Commission, which is a healthy development for the growth of our Christian pilgrimage.”
“The pilgrimage route for the 2021 pilgrimage will start from Israel to Jordan, while the Rome package will start from Rome to Israel. The Commission will make every effort to raise as much as 10,000 intending pilgrims for the 2021 main pilgrimage.
“As part of the preparations for the 2021 pilgrimage, the Commission will embark on the State of Readiness visit to Israel with the state pilgrimage leaders by the end of January, 2022,”the ES said via the statement.
He disclosed further that the Commission would ensure that it “meets with the requirements of international travels in line with the guidelines of the federal government and the Israeli authorities on Covid-19 protocols.”
