Month: February 2018

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News Briefs

Women religious in Nigeria hold National Day of Prayer and Fasting

February 17, 2018 CNA Daily News 1

Abuja, Nigeria, Feb 17, 2018 / 06:01 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Women religious in Nigeria held a National Day of Prayer and Fasting for the respect of human life on Ash Wednesday, in light of the ongoing violence within the country.

The Feb. 14 day of prayer and fasting was facilitated by the Nigeria Conference of Women Religious and the African Faith & Justice Network’s women empowerment project, with the theme “Nigeria Catholic nuns uphold the sacredness of life through prayer.”

The event included women from multiple religious congregations throughout the country, according to CANAA.

The sisters gathered reflected on the increasing “communal clashings” within Nigeria, including the alarming conflicts between farmers and herdsmen. They also pointed to the various killings, kidnappings, and particular violence against women that has been ongoing within the country.

The sisters additionally noted personal experiences of violations against human dignity, including multiple kidnappings within their own religious communities. One community recalled having their major superiors and councilors kidnapped and held for ransom in a dungeon for weeks, while another group of sisters expressed a similar occurrence.

Other instances of kidnapped or killed religious have surfaced over the past few years in Nigeria, causing further concern over the ongoing violence produced mainly by ethnic or religious conflicts, as well as the insurgency of the radical Islamist group Boko Haram.

As violations against human dignity continue to plague Nigeria, the sisters encouraged the government and officials to enact measures of security for the defenseless and to create a safe environment for the people of Nigeria that would safeguard the lives of all people.

Prompted by the AFJN to use their influence for the good of human life, the sisters have taken up the mission to defend life within the country by bringing these issues to the public square – particularly through their most recent day of prayer and fasting.

While overwhelmed by the gravity of the challenge, the sisters said that after prayer, they have risen to the call to give public witness to the sacredness of life. AFJN also asked for prayers for the sisters’ challenge ahead in promoting human dignity in Nigeria.

“May the sisters’ boldness and courage to act on behalf of justice in the public forum bring change of hearts, move the government and elected officials to act for the common good, and bring consolation to many who have lost their loved ones to violence in Nigeria.”

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News Briefs

Bolivia: Bishops call for ‘thorough investigation’ of explosions in Oruro

February 16, 2018 CNA Daily News 0

La Paz, Bolivia, Feb 17, 2018 / 12:00 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The General Secretariat of the Bolivian Bishops’ Conference called on civil authorities to conduct a “thorough investigation” of recent explosions in the city of Oruro that have left 12 dead and at least 60 injured.

“We lift up our prayers for the victims and express our solidarity with relatives of those who have died in the two explosions in Oruro during the carnival festivities. We call on the authorities to conduct a thorough and transparent investigation and to take measures to prevent these lamentable incidents,” the bishop said in their  Feb. 14 statement.

The first explosion occurred Saturday Feb. 10 during a procession honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary. Eight people died and 40 were injured.

According to police reports, the cause was an exploding gasoline container.  Bolivian official Carlos Romero informed local media that there was no evidence that dynamite or some other explosive was the cause.

Another explosion took place Feb. 13, one block from the previous one.

This time the police ruled out a gasoline leak and reported that the explosion was caused by six pounds of dynamite and ANFO (ammonium nitrate-fuel oil), a highly volatile explosive.

The explosion left four dead.

The Archbishop of Sucre Jesús Juárez said it is the task of the civil authorities to discover the reasons  and the truth behind the incidents. “May truth ever triumph over the darkness of lies,” the prelate said, according to the Bolivian bishops’ communications office.

Bolivia’s Secretary of Defense, Javier Zavaleta, told Red Bolivisión reporters that three people have been arrested on “suspicion” in the last incident.

Zavaleta said that “the possibility that the two events may be coordinated” has not been ruled out, and although the police maintain that the first explosion was accidental, the secretary noted that there still remain “loose ends” in the investigation.

He pointed out that dissemination on social media of “edited audios, not spontaneous, with special effects in the background,” along with testimonies of supposed witnesses, creates suspicion of an organized “operation.”
The Secretary of Defense also called for calm, noting that a contingent of Bolivian police are deployed in the affected city.

Meanwhile, experts from the Institute for Forensic Investigations from Cochabamba and La Paz and from the Institute for Technical Scientific Investigations of the Police Academy, along with prosecutors, are working on gathering evidence to determine the facts.

 

This article was originally published by our sister agency, ACI Prensa. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

 

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