The Catholic Bishop of Nsukka Diocese, Most Rev. Godfrey Onah, has alleged that he was subjected to a special withdrawal restriction at the Vatican Bank because he was born in Nigeria.
The Vatican Bank, formally known as the Institute for the Works of Religion, is a financial institution based in Vatican City that serves the Catholic Church and its associated institutions.
Onah made the allegation while addressing Catholic faithful in Rome in a video shared on his YouTube account on Wednesday, October 14, 2026. The bishop said he visited the Vatican Bank two days earlier to withdraw money from his account but was informed that he needed authorization from the administration or secretariat because he had exceeded the permitted cash withdrawal limit.
The development reportedly surprised him, as he said he had not encountered such a requirement previously. “I was amused and also a little irritated. It wasn’t that way before,” the bishop said.
The develooment raises concerns about racist treatment of African Catholic faithfuls in the Vatican. Onah said a priest, identified as Father Johnson, who accompanied him, sought clarification from bank officials about whether the restriction applied to all customers or specifically to bishops.
According to the bishop, the response indicated that the requirement depended on where a customer was born. “So this rule is specific, targeting Nigerians,” Onah said.
He expressed concern that being Nigerian had increasingly complicated access to services available to other people living abroad. “For us Nigerians, the very fact that you are a Nigerian is a problem. It complicates life for you,” he said.
Beyond his experience at the Vatican Bank, Onah also referred to Nigerians in Italy who had reportedly encountered difficulties opening accounts with Postepay, a payment service offered by the Italian postal system.
His remarks have drawn attention to the broader challenges Nigerians may encounter when accessing banking and payment services outside the country.
However, the bishop’s account does not independently establish whether the restrictions he described reflect a formal policy targeting Nigerians across the relevant financial institutions.
The Religion Journalism Foundation has not independently verified the response from the Vatican Bank establishing whether a formal policy exists that specifically restricts Nigerians and other Africans-born customers from withdrawing their funds.
Nevertheless, his remarks have contributed to a wider discussion about the difficulties Africans may face when seeking financial services abroad and the need for transparent, consistently applied banking rules.