U.S. Middle East plan could lead to ‘more bloodshed’, bishops warn

Sokoto, Nigeria, Sep 14, 2018 / 03:58 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- In the face of Nigeria’s upcoming general election, the country’s bishops have encouraged politicians and residents to participate in a just voting process.

The Nigerian bishops’ conference met in Sokoto Sept. 6-14, where they discuss the general election which is to be held in February 2019. Their concluding communique called for a respectful electoral process and emphasized its importance to the country’s success.

“We demand that the choice of the electorate, once made, be respected by all. Although elections are not enough to enthrone good governance, they are an important stage in that project,” read the statement.

“Unless we get our electoral process right, elections in Nigeria will only become expensive cosmetic exercises that legitimise corruption and ineptitude.”

The statement challenged citizens to ensure they are equipped with voter cards and to reject illegal voting practices, namely buying and selling votes. The bishops wrote that the voters should be wary of political inducements and not be swayed by the pressures of politicians.

“It is the right of Nigerians to fully participate in the electoral process without intimidation and violence” the bishops said.

The bishops urged politicians to reflect on the purpose of public office and its service to the people. Emphasizing the importance of law, the statement also asked lawmakers to construct just laws, remove unfair regulations, and uphold the equal rights of all citizens.

“We continually encourage the legislators to enact good laws and abrogate bad ones, so as to ensure order, safety, good conduct and safeguard the Common good,” wrote the bishops.

“We also enjoin the judiciary not to allow itself to be used as an instrument of subjugation, oppression, discrimination and injustice…We note that the rule of law connotes equality of all under the law; seeks the protection of fundamental rights of citizens; and guards against abuse of power.”

The Nigerian bishops advocated for the government’s aid in releasing the captives of the radical Islamist group Boko Haram.

“We advise the Federal Government to ensure the safe release of the remaining Chibok girls and all other persons in captivity.”

The path toward an ideal Nigeria must overcome ethnic and religious boundaries, the bishops said.

“We desire that mutual understanding and peaceful coexistence becomes a model for the adherents of all religions in the country,” the statement read. “This would enable us to collectively build the great Nigeria of our dreams.”

The bishops emphasized the power of prayer and encouraged all members of the Church to participate in continuous prayer for the upcoming election.

“Our Lord Jesus Christ demonstrated the power of prayer during his earthly life. He prayed incessantly, especially, at very decisive and significant moments of his life.”

“Following his footsteps, we direct that our Church at various levels continue to pray, especially as we approach the election year.”

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Vatican City, Mar 23, 2018 / 12:43 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- On Friday an ecumenical delegation from South Sudan met privately with Pope Francis and again invited him to visit the war-torn nation, which they said is in desperate need of hope as the situation becomes more dire.

“We are here as an ecumenical body…we came as Christians to show that the body of Christ is bleeding,” Bishop Paride Tabani told CNA March 23.

The people, he said, “[need] hope. They need healing, they are crying for peace, which cannot be brought by arms, but by love, by a sense of compassion, a spirit of love and forgiveness which God has shown to us, especially now.”

“We would like that this Easter would also be a resurrection of people from their suffering.”

Tabani, Bishop Emeritus of Torit in South Sudan, was part of a 9-person delegation from the Council of Churches of South Sudan (SSCC) who met the pope in a private March 23 audience at the Vatican.

Members of the delegation included bishops and leaders of different Christian denominations in South Sudan, including Catholics, Anglicans and Presbyterians, among others. They updated Pope Francis on several joint initiatives of the council to provide humanitarian aid and prompt international leaders to intervene in finding a solution to the conflict.

In a March 23 press briefing after the meeting, Rev. James Oyet Latansio, secretary of the SSCC, described the meeting as “familiar,” and said they sat and talked with each other about a variety of issues.

South Sudan has been plagued by civil war for more than four years. The conflict has split the young nation on several fronts, dividing those loyal to its President Salva Kiir and those loyal to former vice president Reik Machar. The conflict has also bred various divisions of militia and opposition groups.

Discussion at the Vatican meeting focused largely on the humanitarian crisis and the situation of the more than 2 million South Sudanese refugees who have fled to surrounding countries, as well as the need to fill the post of deceased bishops, some whose dioceses have been vacant for years.

They also touched on when a possible papal trip might take place. Francis had intended to visit the war-torn nation last year alongside the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby. However, the trip was postponed due to security concerns.

According to the delegation, the pope expressed a strong desire to go, but gave no specific date.

In his comments to CNA, Bishop Tabani said the pope “is willing to go, but there have been negative reports and even in the Vatican…they told him the situation is not so good.”

According to Tabani, the situation on the ground is so desperate that people are nearly begging the pope to come as a sign of hope and consolation. He said that during their meeting, he reminded Francis how St. John Paul II in 1993 visited Khartoum in the midst of a violent genocide.

“That gave hope to the people, and then people became very courageous,” Tabani said, adding that with more than 2 million people are living as refugees, now is the time for another papal visit.

“People are dying from hunger, the economic situation is really bad…the people are eager to have consolation, and they are asking ‘when will the Pope come?’” he said, explaining that in the meeting, Pope Francis told the delegation that “my heart is bleeding for the people in South Sudan,” and asked them to pray that the conditions would change, allowing him to come.

More than 2 million civilians have fled the country in the four years since violence broke out. Neighboring Uganda has so far taken in more than 1 million refugees from South Sudan, leaving resources strained.

In comments to CNA, Archbishop John Baptist Odama of Guru, Uganda, who was also part of the ecumenical delegation that met the Pope, said the situation is out of control. Many people had to flee with nothing but the clothes on their backs, and the majority of refugees, who face a worsening humanitarian crisis, are women, children and elderly.

“You have the youth who don’t have enough food, they don’t have enough medical support. What they get is the minimum. Some have died of malaria, some have died from other things like cholera, and then they don’t have the facilities to prepare the children for the future, education,” he said.

Odama, whose diocese is home to some two million refugees, said the Ugandan government is willing to help and has pitched in with some NGOs, but lacks the resources to sustain the increasing influx of refugees while also supporting their own citizens who live in poverty.

In northern Uganda near the West Nile area, there are more than 300,000 people living in one camp, he said, explaining that this area “is the most difficult, because the government of Uganda has found itself in a certain level that it cannot afford, because its resources are also limited.”

“So to care for its own citizens and at the same time for refugees, it becomes very heavy. This is where the biggest challenge is.”

Both Bishop Tabani and Archbishop Odama voiced gratitude to Pope Francis for holding the Feb. 23 day of prayer and fasting for peace in South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Syria.

They also asked that the pope appoint more bishops, because many bishops have died and none have been re-appointed. Tabani, who retired early to launch a project aimed at providing education to refugees and promoting peaceful coexistence, said his successor died five years ago and has not been replaced.

Tabini said that upon hearing their requests, Pope Francis did not immediately make any promises or guarantees. “He just listened,” the bishop said, adding that “it’s good to be a good listener…this is what I like.”

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The Diocese of Kafanchan in Nigeria said Father Jeremiah Yakubu was taken from his parish’s rectory on Sunday, June 11. / Credit: Diocese of Kafanchan

ACI Africa, Jun 13, 2023 / 11:00 am (CNA).

The Diocese of Kafanchan in Nigeria is calling for “intense prayers” for the safe and quick release of Father Jeremiah Yakubu, who was kidnapped on Sunday, June 11.

In a statement shared with ACI Africa, CNA’s African news partner, on Monday, the chancellor of the diocese announced “with great pain” the news of Yakubu’s abduction.

Father Emmanuel Uchechukwu Okolo said Yakubu, a priest from Holy Trinity Parish in Karku, was taken from the rectory at about 11 p.m. on Sunday.

“While we solicit for an intense prayer for his quick and safe release, we equally call on all to refrain from taking the law into their [own] hands,” Okolo said.

He added that diocesan leadership “will use every legitimate means to ensure his quick and safe release.”

“May Jesus, crucified on the cross, listen to our prayers and hasten the unconditional release of his priest and all other kidnapped persons,” Okolo said.

Yakubu’s abduction is the latest in a series of kidnappings and murders in Nigeria involving members of the clergy, seminarians, and other Christians. 

On June 7, Father Charles Onomhoale Igechi of Benin City Archdiocese, who was set to mark his first anniversary as a priest in August, was shot dead while returning from pastoral duties.

On June 2, Father Stanislaus Mbamara, a priest ministering in Nigeria’s Nnewi Diocese, was kidnapped and later set free.

Officials of the Christian Association of Nigeria have urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who was sworn in on May 29, to prioritize the security concerns and economic struggles of the people of God in the West African nation. 

“Nigeria is facing a number of challenges that require strong and decisive leadership. From security concerns to economic struggles, it is clear that there is much work to be done in order to ensure that Nigeria can reach its full potential,” Rev. Daniel Okoh said May 29.

Earlier, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of the Sokoto Diocese called upon the new president of Nigeria to identify what is behind the “scars, wounds, and injuries” of Nigerians even as he prioritizes their healing.

This story was first published by ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa. It has been adapted by CNA.

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