Fed Govt Knows Root Causes of Nigeria’s Conflict, Catholic Bishops Say

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Burdened by the increasing humanitarian needs of citizens badly affected by the worrisome wave of insecurity in Nigeria, Catholic bishops have taken on the authorities, alleging that the root causes of the crises and criminal acts are not unknown to Abuja.

The obviously piqued clerics are suggesting that the unhealthy sentiments seem to be playing out in the handling of the menace with kid gloves.

While appealing for more Catholics to show active participation and cooperation in ecumenism, they pointed out that Justice, Development and Peace (Caritas) Commission has been able to assist some internally displaced people as a result of insurgency as the youths were given a special attention in the face of unfortunate unemployment in the country.

For the Catholic bishops in a communique after their two-day General Assembly in Abuja, law enforcement agencies must do all that is necessary to tackle national insecurity and restore lasting peace in the country. They also condemned in totality the violence and relentless attacks by insurgents, bandits, kidnappers across the country.

Insecurity has crippled economic and agricultural activities, forcing the nation to depend on external loans for survival, the bishops said, adding, “as part of the dividends of democracy, we call on government to put into judicious and effective use, the huge amounts being borrowed externally to run the affairs of government and finance projects across the nation.

‘’Many of our youths roam the streets with dim hopes for a brighter future. We cannot in Nigeria therefore remain blind to the issues of corrupt governance, unemployment, insecurity, the discontent among young people and the increasing inability of many to meet the basic necessities of life’’ the communique read..

In the communique jointly signed by the Archbishop of Abuja, Ignatius Kaigama,  and Chancellor.Rev. Fr. Sebastian Musa, the bishops also dwelled on COVId-19 pandemic.

They thanked God that Africa was spared from the widely speculated destruction by the pandemic that ravaged every continent of the world, saying, “the pandemic exposed our weak political stamina and fragile economy to more difficult situations that constitute a setback towards effective evangelization and the rapid development of our people.”

The bishops noted that the Abuja Archdiocese has continued to enjoy God’s blessings, particularly, in the area of pastoral growth. ‘’We renew our appeal to individuals or groups to sponsor a church building or rectory in any of these pastoral areas.It is hoped that as we mark the 40th anniversary of the jurisdiction of Abuja on November 6, 2021.’’

In the meantime, they also appreciated the various Commissions in the Archdiocese as they were up and doing, adding that ‘’ We commend their initiatives and are grateful to them’’, and on Liturgical Commission, they noted that the Commission is committed to increasing the awareness of prescribed liturgical guidelines and adaptations approved for use in the archdiocese.

 

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