-
We, the Catholic Bishops of Nigeria, held our Second Plenary Meeting of the year at St. CharlesBorromeo Pastoral Centre, Jalingo, Taraba State, from 7 to 15 September 2017. Havingprayerfully reflected on the issues affecting the Church and our country, we now issue thisCommuniqué.Our country is currently passing through a phase that is marked by tension, agitation and ageneral sense of hopelessness and dissatisfaction. This we believe is as a result of years ofinjustice, inequity, corruption, and impunity. There are agitations in many sectors of the countryagainst the one-sidedness in appointments to key institutions and sensitive national offices,against marginalisation, and unfair distribution of resources and amenities. There are alsoallegations of cases of selective application of the rule of law.In his inaugural speech as civilian President of Nigeria on 29 May 2015, the President sent out amessage of hope and of his commitment to national integration and cohesion. He said:“Havingjust a few minutes ago sworn on the Holy Book, I intend to keep my oath and serve as Presidentto all Nigerians. I belong to everybody and I belong to nobody. A few people have privatelyvoiced fears that on coming back to o”ce I shall go a#er them. These fears are groundless.There will be no paying o% old scores.”More than two years later, the reality on ground and the verdict of most of our people across thenation – irrespective of religious affiliation, ethnic group or social status – point to the contrary.The inability of the Government to address the inequitable situation in the country has providedbreeding ground for violent reactions, protests and agitations, which exploit the grievances ofdifferent segments of the country. We call on Government at all levels to urgently address theseanomalies, remove everything that smacks of injustice, and give everybody and every part of ourcountry a sense of belonging. We insist that merit and ability should be the primary criteria inmaking appointments and genuine needs the criteria for the distribution of amenities. We alsourge the Government to be always sensitive to the multi-religious and multi-ethnic configurationof the nation.As Catholic Bishops, we affirm that the legitimacy of every Government derives from its abilityto listen to the legitimate yearnings and genuine cries of the people and honestly seek to addressthem. We therefore urge the Government at all levels to engage the aggrieved sections of thecitizenry in a conversation worthy of a democracy. We are concerned that the deployment ofsoldiers in the midst of already restive youths could increase the nervousness among thepopulace with the potential of igniting a fire that could turn into an uncontrollable conflagration.On the other hand, we enjoin all aggrieved persons and groups to employ peaceful means withinthe framework of the existing laws of the land to express their grievances or even exerciselegitimate pressure on the Government. Care must be taken by all to avoid actions and utterancescapable of causing yet another armed conflict in the nation or any of its parts.We demand fair treatment from those State Governments in the North that deny some of ourDioceses their rights to own landed properties for mission work by their refusal to issue themwith Certificates of Occupancy. People of different religions need to co-exist, communicate, andbe allowed to freely practise their respective religions everywhere in this country.Furthermore, the other members of the political class in all the arms of government have, as amatter of urgency, to reduce drastically the immodest cost of running government in this country.If for no other reason, they have to do this as a sign of solidarity with most of their compatriotsfor whom the basic necessities of life – feeding, clothing, shelter, healthcare, energy, qualityeducation – have almost become unrealizable dreams.
-
The continued havoc caused by armed herdsmen in various parts of our country, can no longer betreated as mere clash between pastoralists and farmers. For apart from wanton destruction offarmlands and crops, some of these armed herdsmen are known to have laid siege on entirevillages, killing, maiming, kidnapping, and raping. Besides, there are also reports that some ofthem are foreigners who have entered the country without proper checks by the competentauthorities. Such persons are therefore to be considered a great threat to our national andindividual security and their activities treated as acts of terrorism. We demand that adequate andprompt action be taken and be clearly seen to have been taken to stop their onslaught.Along with other groups in Nigeria, we acknowledge the modest success recorded in the ongoingfight against corruption, the substantial curtailing of the activities of Boko Haram, and therelease of some of the Chibok Girls. We note the positive report about the economy graduallycoming out of recession. Nevertheless, we expect the Government to put in place economicpolicies and strategies that will make positive impact on the lives of our people, thereby reducinghardship and advancing the socio-economic welfare of citizens.We commend the vast majority of Nigerians for standing together and remaining law-abidingcitizens in the face of many difficulties, challenges and even provocation. We condole with thevictims of terrorism, natural disasters, conflicts and violent crimes, while we continue to pray forthe deceased. The solidarity shown by many Nigerians to those affected by the recent floodsthataffected some parts of the country is a sign of hope for our common peaceful co-existence. Weequally commend the assistance rendered by individual Dioceses and other humanitarianagencies to the displaced and distressed persons. We appeal to the Government to carry theChurch along in the work of the rehabilitation of such persons.Since the founding of our country Nigeria, too much attention seems to have been focused on“sharing the national cake” rather than on “baking that cake” by first building a strong and stablenation. The task of nation-building is a responsibility that rests on all the citizens of the country.We therefore call on all Nigerians to put more effort into working for the common goodaccording to the principles of subsidiarity and solidarity. Individuals as well as smaller groupsought to have enough space for development while all contribute to the commonweal.Irrespective of nomenclature, we sincerely believe that most Nigerians earnestly desire a trulyfederal system of government that enhances the welfare of all citizens. This would not onlyaddress the allegations of marginalization, but also make the fight against corruption moresuccessful. Nevertheless, no matter what system of government we adopt, without a trueconversion of heart by all and the readiness to make sacrifices for the common good, especiallyby persons in public office, we shall only be reshuffling our problems without solving them andshifting the epicentres of our national tragedies.As a Church, we reaffirm our commitment to the integral development of the citizens of Nigeria,especially through the provision of quality education. In this regard, we once more call on allState Governments to return to the old tradition by which Church and State collaborated in theprovision of high quality education for all our citizensWe also enjoin the Federal and State ministries and departments of education to ensure adequateand comprehensive curriculum for Christian Religious Studies (CRS), in such a way thatindividual right to religious freedom and the right of the Church to teach and disseminate theChristian faith is not infringed upon. We totally condemn the so-called Comprehensive Sexuality
-
Education (CSE) and dubious Maternal Health techniques that are not only contrary to divinelaw but also would encourage immorality. All health related programmes ought to show respectfor the dignity and sanctity of human life, every human life, from conception to natural death.We note with great concern the ongoing strikes among various members of professional groupsin our country. We appeal to the federal government to honour all legal agreements with theseorganisations so as to limit the grave damage that is already being done to our society.In our journey towards national restoration, the role of Christians, the Clergy as well as theLaity,is fundamental. As priests, our commitment to Christ in our total and obedient self-giving to himthrough prayers and service of our brothers and sisters not only makes us grow in holiness butalso contributes immensely to the restoration of our nation. While not permitted to participate inpartisan politics, clerics are urged to foster among people peace and harmony based on justice(cf. Canon 287). The lay faithful, on the other hand, are expected and encouraged to bear witnessto the Gospel in their private, public and political lives. In the words of Pope Benedict XVI:“The Mission of the lay faithful is… to configure social life correctly, respecting its legitimateautonomy and cooperating with other citizens according to their respective competence andfulfilling their own responsibility” (Deus Caritas Est,22).We therefore earnestly call on the LayFaithful to intensify their efforts in bringing the light of the Good News to those places only theycan reach. They are by their life of witness to bring Christ into the temporal order such aspolitics, business, and in their places of daily engagements (Christifideles Laici 42). By theirvocation they are to challenge government policies that negate fundamental human rights andtheir individual and collective right as Christians.We observe that modern media, especially social media, can be effective means of information,education and evangelization. We, however, note that rather than tap their great potential benefitsfor expanding knowledge, many, especially our youth, have become exposed to such negativedimensions of the social media as organs for crime, the dissemination of hate speeches, slander,for peddling outright falsehood and misinformation. In these difficult times, we appeal to ourpeople to be more circumspect and positive in the use of information obtained from anddisseminated through the modern media.The Catholic Church in Nigeria declared the year 2017 a Marian Year, in honour of theCentenary of the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Fatima, Portugal. We invite allChrist’s Faithful to participate actively in this national celebration and to its solemn conclusionscheduled to take place in Benin City from 12 to 14, October, 2017. During this celebration weshall re-consecrate Nigeria to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. In doing so, we entrust Nigeria tothe Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Nigeria, asking her to intercede on our behalf to stabilize theNigerian ship of state. May she also obtain for us all the blessings and graces that we need as anation. May she pray for us to attain peace in our hearts, unity, and tranquillity.We are grateful to God for the appointments, ordinations and installations of new CatholicBishops in Nigeria: Most Rev Donatus AKPAN, ordained and installed Bishop of Ogoja Dioceseon 7 July 2017; and Most Rev Hilary DACHELEM, ordained and installed Bishop of BauchiDiocese on 17 August 2017. We heartily congratulate them and warmly welcome them into theCBCN. We are grateful to His Holiness Pope Francis for the appointment of a new ApostolicNuncio to Nigeria, Archbishop Antonio Guido FILIPAZZI. We welcome him to Nigeria and pray
-
that his tenure be blessed with a resounding pastoral and spiritual growth for our Church and thenation.We thank the Holy Father Pope Francis for intervening directly to definitively resolve the crisisin Ahiara Diocese, which has lingered for nearly five years. We urge all the priests and the layfaithful of Ahiara Diocese to unconditionally embrace the paternal gesture of the Holy Father.We, the Catholic Bishops of Nigeria,do hereby make a passionate appeal to all our Christians andthe rest of Nigerians not to lose hope. We may be traumatized but we shall not be broken (cf.2Cor.4:8).We advise that Nigerians look at themselves and the country in a better light. Muchcheering news abounds in the land amidst the suffering and hardship, the pain and the feeling ofhelplessness. We are hopeful that Nigeria will survive the present hardship and will become thebetter for it. “And our hope does not disappoint us” (Rom 5:5). We all are stakeholders in theNigerian project. We must therefore work hand in hand with a better understanding of ourselvesto build the Nigeria of our dreams.We welcome back our President, Muhammadu Buhari, from his medical leave. We thank Godwho brought him back safely to the country to continue to work assiduously for the betterment ofour land.May our Lady Queen of Nigeria continue to intercede for us now and forever. Amen.Most Revd Ignatius Ayau KAIGAMA(Archbishop of Jos)Most Revd William A. AVENYAPresident (CBCN) Secretary (CBCN)(Bishop of Gboko)