Catholic News 2

In a statement that echoes growing public frustration with the Government of President Muhammadu Buhari, elected on a platform of change and reform, the Catholic Bishops of Nigeria have voiced their own disillusionment with the government. The statement released in Akure, a city in south-western Nigeria says, “Nigerians are today disillusioned by the frittering away of the high hopes which they invested in his (Buhari's) resolve to turn things around” in the nation.

The Bishops say, “The President can no longer safely ignore the very strong allegations of a rise in nepotism and sectionalism in federal appointments. This has further deepened the feelings of alienation and the rise of centrifugal forces that are threatening the foundations of our unity,”  the statement reads.

According to the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), Nigerians are shocked and traumatised by rampaging criminals who have gruesomely murdered, raped, kidnapped and mutilated innocent citizens across the country. They remind the Nigerian President to remember that his primary duty and responsibility is the protection of lives and property. Without this, nothing else has meaning in any society says the Bishops’ statement. It is co-signed by Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama and Bishop William Avenya who are President and Secretary of CBCN respectively.  

Only two weeks ago, on 29 August, the Emeritus Archbishop of Lagos, Cardinal Anthony Okogie wrote an open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari that was widely publicised in the Nigerian media. In the letter, Cardinal Okogie reminded President Buhari and his party the All Progressives Congress (APC) that Nigerians are hungry and urgently him to fulfil his campaign promises by providing good leadership that will check hunger and poverty in the land.  Cardinal Okogie said in his letter, “Nigerians are still waiting for the promises to be fulfilled.”

(engafrica@vatiradio.va)

Below is a statement of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria on the state of the nation.

RESTORING CONFIDENCE IN NIGERIA

A Statement of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria on the State of the Nation

1. Less than two years ago, from His throne, the Lord looked down upon Nigeria with mercy and compassion and then showed us how much He loved us. Against all odds, even when as a people we had almost given up on ourselves and the international community looked on, we were able to conduct one of the most peaceful elections in our history. When Nigerians voted for General Muhammadu Buhari, they demonstrated, beyond the pale of religion, region and ethnicity, that they indeed wanted to turn a new page in a history replete with broken dreams.

2. We hoped that drawing from past experience, the government would rally our people around to confront the behemoth of corruption that had destroyed the very foundations of our society. Again, after we successfully contained Boko Haram’s murderous escapade, we had hoped that our nation would witness a massive programme of national rebirth and that the President would work assemble a cross section of patriotic citizens from diverse backgrounds to commence a programme of national rebirth and reconstruction.

3. One-sided appointments into public office have displayed a tendency towards a form of sectionalism that we have found difficult to associate with the high moral credentials of the President. A hurricane of violence by herdsmen and other agents of death has left in its wake a landscape of blood and destruction. Political violence, corruption, kidnappings, armed robbery, ritual murders and all the ills of the past, are still very much present and we seem to be progressively sinking deeper into the mud. Our people are now ravaged by disease and hunger. The result is the rise in the curve of violence both by the state agents and non-state actors among our own people.

4. We recall that in his address to us, the Catholic Bishops of Nigeria, on 11 February 2015, General Buhari as a Presidential candidate stated among other things: “Government has no business preferring one religion to the other. The role of government is to protect lives and properties of citizens and to respect and protect their constitutional rights. One critical right that every government must seek to protect is the right of citizens to exercise their respective faiths, Christians and Muslims or others, in a lawful manner without fear or hindrance and to prosecute those who use religion as an excuse to destroy homes, schools, and places of worship. When governments fail in that duty, they must then assist in the rebuilding of the structures including destroyed places of worship and giving full restitution to property.”

5. As things now stand, most Nigerians do not see a government committed to attaining these stated objectives. Furthermore, we find the calls for the expansion of the scope of Sharia law in public life at variance with the letter and spirit of the Nigerian Constitution. In view of all this, to restore confidence of our people in Nigeria, and to reverse the feeling of hopelessness and distrust, we make the following appeal:

To the People of Nigeria:

6. These are difficult and trying times for us as a nation and a people. We salute the courage and resilience of the majority of our people who, in the face of provocation and suffering, have continued to live by our traditional and genuine religious values of compassion and solidarity. While we must renew our commitment to the fact that God loves our country and that His promises never fail, we must stand together and remain resolute. We equally commend the courage of our young people, who, at various levels, sacrificed so much in the hope that this would mark the beginning of a new era. We call on them to resist all attempts to turn them into instruments of the destruction of the very legacy on which they have built their hopes. As Scripture says: “We glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, produces character; and character produces, hope. And hope does not put us to shame” (Rom 5: 3-5).

To the Political Class:

7. It is a tragedy that over sixteen years after our return to Democracy, the political class has still not come to terms with the fact that politics is a noble vocation. Political parties ought to be platforms for the realisation of the lofty goals of nation building and human development. Unfortunately, far too many politicians in our country have continued to use politics merely as a platform for self-enrichment, oppression and the pursuit of goals that are totally at variance with our common good, collective wellbeing and aspirations. The result is that ordinary citizens have lost confidence in the political class. They have also become more vulnerable and many have resorted to violence as a means of self-protection and personal wellbeing.

8. We wish to state firmly that the debate about the restructuring of our country should not be seen as an act of rebellion or as a call for division. It should rather be seen as an expression of our people’s desire that the political class return to the fine principles of democracy such as true federalism, negotiation and consensus building as means of achieving a more equitable distribution of the resources of our country. To this end, we urge the entire political class to rise beyond party and sectional interests and loyalties and to heed the yearnings of Nigerians. Only in this way can we possibly reverse the dangerous slide towards self-destruction.

To the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria:

9. We call on our President to wake up to the fact that most Nigerians are today disillusioned by the frittering away of the high hopes which they invested in his resolve to turn things around. The President can no longer safely ignore the very strong allegations of a rise in nepotism and sectionalism in federal appointments. This has further deepened the feelings of alienation and the rise of centrifugal forces that are threatening the foundations of our unity.

10. Nigerians have been shocked and traumatised by the rampaging criminals who, without let or hindrance and under various guises, have gruesomely murdered, raped, kidnapped and mutilated innocent citizens across the country. In the process, they have vandalized and destroyed homes, farmlands, oil installations and sacked entire villages and communities. The President should remember that his primary duty and responsibility is the protection of lives and property. Without this, nothing else has meaning in any society.

An appeal and a Prayer:

11. Finally, we acknowledge that our current woes did not begin with this administration. We also support the President’s genuine resolve and efforts through the various government agencies to tackle corruption. Nonetheless, we reiterate that this must not be at the expense of civil liberties and the rule of law. The President must ensure that Nigerians do not feel that our country is sliding back into dictatorship.

12. We acknowledge the deep sense of genuine commitment of our people to live by the tenets of their various religious beliefs. True religion has to do with the relationship between human beings and God, which in turn guides and nourishes correct relationship among people. However, unfortunately, religion in our country seems to have been hijacked and held hostage by some charlatans who continue to exploit religion to further their ambitions and interests. We therefore urge our people to be more discerning in their spiritual quest. Government should make sure that these charlatans, no matter their claims, are not allowed to hide behind the mask of religion to continue to commit crimes.

13. May God the Father of mercy and compassion, bless our country Nigeria and turn our hearts towards His will.

+ Ignatius Ayau Kaigama                                                                          + William Avenya

   Archbishop of Jos                                                                                  Bishop of Gboko

  President of CBCN                                                                                  Secretary of CBCN

Akure, 15 September 2016

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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis was the principal celebrant at Mass on Saturday morning in the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta, together with a large group of Apostolic Nuncios who are in Rome for a major Jubilee Year of Mercy gathering.

In remarks following the Readings of the Day, the Holy Father thanked the Papal diplomats for their willingness to renew their commitment to service in new and different countries with joy and enthusiasm, and encouraged the members of the corps to get out of their comfort zones and go beyond the limits of their own strengths and abilities in order to carry the Gospel of Christ to every corner of the globe.

Taking the Gospel parable of the sower as his focal point, Pope Francis reflected on how Apostolic Nuncios sow the Good News everywhere in the world. The Pope acknowledged that often the life of the Nuncios is a “gypsy life” spent constantly on the road: “Just when you have learned the language well,” in one post, “a phone call from Rome and ... ‘Oh, look, how are you?’ – ‘Well ...’ – ‘You know, the Holy Father, who loves you so much ... he thought ...’ - because these calls, these calls are made of sugar, is it not so? – ‘... he thought of you for this .... and so you pack your bags and go to another place, leaving friends, leaving habits, leaving many things one has done ... to get out of yourselves, get out of that place to go to another,’ and there, to begin again.”

“When you arrive in a new country,” the Holy Father continued, “the Nuncio must make another” exit”:
“[He must get out of the – even only very lately acquired – comfort of his own skin] to learn, to dialogue, to study the culture, the way of thinking.

Sow the Word of God without getting caught up in mundane sophistication

Pope Francis went on to note how, “getting out” can often mean “attending receptions” – some of which are “rather boring” – but even so, “you can sow there,” too. “The seed is always good, the grain is good.” Someone, he noted, may think it is a job that is, “too functional, even administrative,” work many qualified lay people might do:
“The other day, talking about this, I heard the Secretary of State who said, ‘But, look, at receptions, the many people who seem superficial look for the collar – and you all know what you have done in so many souls: in that mundane society, but without taking on the worldliness, only taking people as they are, hearing them, talking with them ... this is also [one way in which] the Nuncio gets out of himself, to understand the people, to talk ... it IS a cross.”

The Pope went on to recall that Jesus says that we – that the sower – sows the seed, and then he rests, for it is God who makes it sprout and grow.” The Nuncio, too, he said, “must come out of himself and go toward the Lord who makes the seed grow and germinate – and he must go beyond himself before the tabernacle, in prayer, in worship.”

Always begin anew with joy and enthusiasm, even amid difficulties

It is a “great witness”, this, he reiterated, “the lone Nuncio adoring the One who makes things grow, the One who gives life”:

“These are the three ways in which a Nuncio must be called to ‘go beyond’ himself: there is the physical going beyond of the Nuncio’s ‘gypsy life’; there is the cultural skin that he must shed: to learn the culture, learn the language ... ‘Tell me’ - in that phone call – ‘tell me, what languages do ??you speak?’ – ‘I speak good English, French, I get along with him Spanish ...’ – ‘Ah, well, well ... But listen: the Pope has decided to send you to Japan, eh!’ – ‘But I do not know even one letter, of  Japanese!’ – ‘But, you'll learn!’. I was edified by one of you, before submitting credentials, in two months had learned a difficult language, and had learned how to celebrate [Mass] in that language: he started over with enthusiasm and with joy. This is the third ‘way of being for others’: prayer, worship.”

Thanks to Nuncios for their service to the Church, and may they always be ‘outward bound’

This, he said, “is stronger in emeriti nuncios.” It is also a task of “brotherhood”, the “Nuncio emeritus prays more, he must pray more for the brothers who are there, out in the world.” The Nuncio who is still in service, Pope Francis explained, must not forget this adoration, “that the Master might prosper that, which he has sown”:
“Three ways of being ‘outward bound’ and three ways to serve Jesus Christ and the Church: and the Church thanks you for all three of these. Thanks so much. And I, personally, want to thank you. I admire so often, when I, early in the morning, receive your communications: look how this fellow is getting on ... May the Lord give you all the grace to stay current in these three ways of being for others – these three ways of getting out of yourselves.”

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International rights groups have urged Indian authorities to immediately release a prominent rights activist in India’s troubled Kashmir region, who was arrested a day after ‎he ‎was ‎barred from leaving India to travel to Geneva to participate in a session of the United ‎Nations' ‎Human ‎Rights Council.   Police picked up Khurram Parvez from ‎his ‎home in the region's main city Srinagar late Thursday night. 

Parvez and his organization, the Coalition of Civil Society, were the first to report and ‎draw ‎attention ‎to thousands of mass graves in remote parts of Kashmir and to demand that the ‎government ‎investigate ‎them to make clear who the dead were and how they were killed.  His ‎organization has also ‎written ‎scathing reports on cases of brutality involving some of the hundreds of ‎thousands of Indian ‎troops in ‎the region and highlighted the widespread powers granted to troops ‎posted in the area, which ‎had led ‎to a culture of impunity and widespread rights abuses‎. Parvez, who is also chairman of the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD), was not given a valid reason nor was he informed of the grounds for the decision to prohibit him from leaving the country.

In a statement on Sept. 15, AFAD, based in Manila, the Philippines, said the ban imposed on him is a "violation of his freedom of movement and "a clear attempt to interfere with his work as a human rights defender."  AFAD also condemned India's decision to bar Parvez from traveling.  "In our view, travel bans preventing human rights defenders from accessing the UN are desperate efforts to isolate the people in Jammu and Kashmir, while ensuring impunity for the denial of basic human rights," the group said in a statement.

“Monitoring and engagement by civil society is necessary to prevent human rights violations and ensure accountability,” Sam Zarifi, Asia-Pacific director at the International Commission of Jurists said and called on the Indian government to immediately release Parvez and begin working with him and other activists to address the difficult issues facing Jammu and Kashmir.  “Instead of trying to silence human rights activists, India should be addressing the serious human rights problems in Jammu and Kashmir and holding abusers to account,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director at Human Rights Watch, demanding the release of Parvez. 

The arrest comes as the troubled Himalayan region has been hit by some of the most serious anti-‎India ‎protests in recent years.  Triggered by the killing of a popular rebel leader two months ago, the ‎protests ‎have left more than 80 people dead and thousands wounded, mostly by government forces ‎firing ‎bullets and shotgun pellets to quell the demonstrations.‎

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As world leaders gather in New York in the coming days, it will be the busiest diplomatic season of the year at the United Nations Headquarters.  During the high-level segment of the General Assembly’s 71st session, which starts next week, heads of state and governments and world leaders will debate to define international responses to many of the global challenges of today, including protracted conflicts, extreme poverty and hunger, the refugee crisis and climate change. 

The high-level week will kick off with a summit on Monday, 19 September, International Day of Peace,  to address large movements of refugees and migrants. This is the first time the General Assembly has called for a summit at the Heads of State and Government level on this topic and it is a historic opportunity to come up with a blueprint for a better international response.  World leaders are expected to adopt a political declaration as an outcome document at the summit, during which the UN will see a new addition to its family – a dedicated migration agency. Leaders of the UN and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) will sign an agreement to officially make IOM a related agency of the UN system.  IOM, an intergovernmental organization with more than 9,500 staff and 450 offices worldwide, assisted an estimated 20 million migrants in 2015. Founded in the wake of the World War II to resettle refugees from Europe, the organization celebrates its 65th anniversary in December of this year.

From Tuesday 20 September to Monday 26 September, world leaders will address the annual general debate under the theme of The “Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): a universal push to transform our world.”  The following day, the Assembly will hold a high-level meeting on antimicrobial resistance, which has become one of the biggest threats to global health and endangers other major priorities, such as human development.  On the same day, the Secretary-General will make a pitch for an early entry into force of the Paris Agreement on climate change by convening a special event at which countries can deposit their ratification instruments with him. To date, it will require 28 more countries, representing 16 per cent of global emissions, to ratify the Agreement, which was reached last December.  Beyond the high-level week, the 71st session will continue to tackle implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a 15-year blueprint towards a healthy planet and a world free of extreme poverty.  (Source: UN)

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Vatican City, Sep 17, 2016 / 08:15 am (CNA/EWTN News).- A mentally ill man rammed his car through a police checkpoint at St. Peter’s Square on Friday evening, demanding to meet with Pope Francis.

The 64-year-old Italian man was immediately stopped by police officers. No one was injured in the incident, according to the Italian publication Il Messaggero. 
    
The man entered the area of the colonnade near the Paul VI Hall. After breaking through the security barriers, he exited his car and began ranting, saying, “I want to see the Pope.”

According to reports, the man was visibly agitated. He is now being treated at a mental health center.

The Vatican has increased security in recent months, in response to a wave of global terrorism. 

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Vatican City, Sep 17, 2016 / 09:39 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In a special Jubilee audience with nearly all of his 108 ambassadors around the world, Pope Francis thanked them for their dedication, and encouraged them to continue their work in humble service, without getting caught up in useless politics.

“(You are) the link between the Successor of Peter and the different local Churches to whom you are bearers and artisans of that communion which is sap for the life of the Church and for the announcement of her message,” the Pope said Sept. 17.

As papal ambassadors – also called nuncios – “you touch with your hand the flesh of the Church, the splendor of the love which renders her glorious, but also the wounds and sores that are begging for forgiveness,” he said. 

He thanked the nuncios for their service and fidelity, as well as their generous dedication and availability to their missions, often times demanding.

As the Pope’s representatives, nuncios must be bearers of Christ’s love and one who “sustains and protects, who is ready to support and not only to correct, who is willing to listen before deciding, to make the first step in eliminating tensions and fostering understanding and reconciliation.”

Francis stressed the importance of humility in their role, explaining that “without humility no service is possible or fruitful.” 

“The humility of a nuncio passes through love for the country and for the Church in which he is called to serve,” the Pope said, and cautioned his ambassadors not to get distracted by politics or thinking of the next assignment, but to be fully present “with an undivided mind and heart.”

Pope Francis met with 106 out of his 108 ambassadors serving in various countries throughout the world. They gathered in the Vatican Sept. 15-17 for a special meeting convened specifically for the Jubilee of Mercy.

Among the 108 nuncios currently in service, 103 are bishops, and 5 are prelates who have the mission of Permanent Observer at various international bodies.

In his broad and lengthy speech, Pope Francis said as his representatives, nuncios must be pastors who “meet, listen, talk, share, propose and work together” both with Catholics and civil society, always showing “sincere love, sympathy and empathy with the people and with the local Church.”

Francis cautioned them not to “point fingers at or attack” those whose opinions differ from their own, explaining that this is “a miserable tactic of today's political and cultural wars, but it cannot be the method of the Church.”

“Our gaze must be far-reaching and deep,” he said, adding that “the formation of the conscience is our primary duty of charity and requires delicacy and perseverance in being carried out.”

He acknowledged that there are many threats in the world that attack the flock, confuse it, disrupt it, “disperse and even destroy it.”

Nuncios must be aware of the different faces of danger that threaten their flocks, Francis said, and pointed to the situation of Christians in the Middle East, noting that “the violent siege seems to aim, with the complicit silence of many, toward their eradication.”

He highlighted the importance of going to the root of the problem, saying “it’s good to have the eyes opened to recognize where hostilities come from and to discern the possible paths to counter their causes and tackle their pitfalls.”

Closeness and fraternity with local bishops is something the Pope also pointed to as essential to a nuncio’s mission. “To be ready and happy to spend (sometimes even lose) time with bishops, priests, religious, parishes, cultural and social institutions,” he said, is ultimately “the job of a nuncio.”

To be close and available to the local Churches doesn’t consist of “a supine strategy to collect information and manipulate reality or people,” but rather of an attitude “that befits one who is not only a career diplomat, nor merely an instrument of Peter’s concern, but a pastor gifted the interior ability to bear witness to Jesus Christ.”

While it can be natural and understandable in their work, Francis told the nuncios to “overcome the logic of bureaucracy which can often impede your work, rendering one closed, indifferent and impenetrable.”

He encouraged his ambassadors to make sure the apostolic nunciature is truly the “Pope’s home” and a constant reference point where both faithful and public authorities can come for support and advice, not just diplomatic functions. 

“Make sure that your nunciature never becomes a refuge for ‘friends and friends of friends,’” he said, telling them to “flee from gossip and careerists.”

The Pope also warned his nuncios against endorsing political or ideological battles, because “the Church's permanence is not based on the consent of living rooms or squares, but on fidelity to the Lord.”

The Church's true source of power flows from God's mercy, he said, adding that “we have no right to deprive the world, the diplomatic forum and large areas of international discussion of this wealth that no one else can give.”

Awareness of this fact allows the Church to become the prophetic voice of the marginalized, he said, asking “may their cry become our cry and together we can break the barrier of indifference that often reigns to hide hypocrisy and selfishness.”

Francis told the nuncios that in order to accompany their people, they have “to move,” and encouraged them to visit dioceses, religious institutes, parishes and seminaries in order to understand how the people live and think, and which questions they ask. 

He told the nuncios to be “a true expression of an outgoing Church, or a ‘field hospital’” capable of being part of the local Church, country or institution to which they have been sent.

Pope Francis urged the nuncios to be close to local bishops and encourage their ideas, adding that “vague priorities and theoretical pastoral programs are not enough. You need to focus on the concrete reality of the present, of the company, of proximity, of accompanying.” 

He said that one of his great concerns is the selection of good bishops, and voiced his hope that bishops would be pastors, “and not principals or officials. Please!”

Acknowledging that the speed of our times demands constant training and updating, Francis said the current challenges we face are big ones, and papal diplomacy must be involved and make “mercy palpable in this crushed and wounded world.”

While the Church shouldn’t underestimate the extent of current problems, she is also called to look ahead, and not focus on the need for immediate results, he said.

“There will always be that tension between fullness and limits, but it’s not useful to the Church to worry about spaces of power and of self-affirmation, but rather to make born and grow the seed of good, patiently accompanying its development,” he said.

Francis told nuncios they ought to rejoice “with the temporary collection that you can obtain, without becoming discouraged when a sudden and icy story ruins what seemed golden and ready to harvest.” 

He also urged them not to be afraid to speak confidently both to the faithful and to public institutions. 

“We face a world in which it’s not always easy to identify the centers of power and many get discouraged, thinking that they are anonymous and unreachable,” he said, but voiced his certainty that these people are still able to be reached. 

He told them to dialogue clearly and never fear that mercy will “confuse or diminish” the beauty of the truth, because “the truth is fulfilled in its fullness only in mercy.”

The world, Pope Francis said, “is afraid and is spreading fear. Often this is the key it adopts in its reading of reality and chooses – as its strategy – to build a world founded on walls and trenches.”

However, while the reasons for this fear are understandable, “we must not embrace it, ‘for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control,” he said, and urged the nuncios to “open doors, build bridges, create ties, make friendships, promote unity.”

“Be men of prayer: never neglect this, especially silent adoration, the true source of your work.”

Fear, Francis said, “always lives in the darkness of the past, but has a weakness: it’s provisional. The future belongs to the light! The future is ours because it belongs to Christ!”
 

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