[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
CBCN-NIGERIA - COMMUNIQUE
Please find here below the Communique issued at the End of the Plenary
Meeting of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) held in
Abuja, from 5th to 10th March 2001
Greetings
Paolo
anb-bia brussels, 13/03/2001
---------------------------
A COMMUNIQUE
Issued at the End of the First Plenary Meeting of the Catholic Bishops'
Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) for the Year 2001, held at the Pope John Paul II
Catholic Centre, Abuja, from 5th to 10th March 2001
BUILDING GOD'S KINGDOM OF JUSTICE AND PEACE
1. PREAMBLE
We, the members of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria, held our
First Plenary Meeting for the year 2001 at the Pope John Paul II Catholic
Centre, Abuja, from the 5th to 10th March 2001. The theme of our
Conference was Building God's Kingdom of Justice and Peace. After
prayerful deliberation on matters affecting the Church and society in our
nation, we issue the following communique.
2. VISION OF THE KINGDOM
"I have observed the misery of the people. I have heard their cry. Indeed
I know their sufferings. I have come down to deliver them" (Exodus
3:7-8). We, the Catholic Bishops of Nigeria see and share in the misery
of the people of Nigeria. We know their sufferings. We sympathize with
their cries that often go unheard. In response to the cry of the
people and the call of the Lord, we pledge our efforts and energy
to "bring good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives, and to
the blind new sight, to set the downtrodden free, to proclaim the Lord's
year of favour" (Lk. 4: 18-19).
The building of the Kingdom of Justice and Peace is the commission and
mandate Jesus left for us his followers. This mission calls for
conversion on the personal level, a spiritual revolution in our behaviour
and attitude to life. It also calls for a response at the social level,
challenging us to play our part to ensure that truth and justice prevail
so that our society can live in peace and tranquility.
3. OUR BLESSINGS
We thank God for the opportunity to celebrate the Great Jubilee Year 2000
at local and national levels. It was a Year of Grace, rich with the Lord's
blessings for the entire world, and for us in Nigeria. We have
experienced signs of forgiveness, reconciliation and restoration. We
thank God that we are now in our second year of civil rule. The nation is
witnessing a certain degree of civil liberties, freedom of assembly and
freedom of expression. Our relationship with the nations of the world has
improved. We are grateful to God that we have not been victims of natural
disasters, such as earthquakes and devastating floods. We have been
spared the armed conflicts ravaging several African nations.
4. COUNTER-SIGNS TO THE KINGDOM
While we thank God for his goodness, we cannot pretend that all is
well. What we witness every day in the lives of Nigerians is far from
the kingdom of God. We see that government is failing to live up to its
first duty to ensure the safety of life and property of its citizenry.
Armed robbers continue to threaten our possessions and indeed our
lives. People are turning to unacceptable violent vigilante solutions
because the official Security Agencies remain ineffective and unable to
prevent or respond adequately to criminal activities.
Many Nigerians feel that their rights are being infringed upon where the
Sharia law has been imposed as state law. Because of Sharia
law, thousands have been forced to relocate from their places of abode
and work at great cost and loss to themselves. Many others, indigenes of
these states, have nowhere to relocate to. Others suffer in silence
because they are too poor to relocate or powerless to seek legal
redress. We regard this imposition of Sharia law as state law grossly
irresponsible and unacceptable.
We suffer from the persistent and increasing fuel crisis and wonder why
government cannot improve this situation. In the discussions
concerning the de-regulation of the oil industry, we must consider the
poor, and ask how this will affect their lives, already impoverished and
suffering from unending inflation. In spite of promises and assurances,
we experience longer and more frequent power outages, and we are shocked
that one solution the government offers is to impose a tax on the
importation of generators.
We see the government at all levels dissipating scarce resources on
expensive projects that do not directly improve the lives of the
people. At the same time, so many salaries and pensions are months in
arrears, with the excuse that there is no money.
5. A CRUCIAL TIME IN OUR HISTORY
Democratic rule was re-introduced two years ago. It is being tried, and
we believe, sad to say, it is not living up to our hopes and
expectations. We see many members of the political class, at federal,
state, and local levels, looking not to the needs, even the most basic
needs of the people, but spending time and money looking only to how they
can be re-elected two years from now. It is surely a sign of a democracy
which is deficient.
We experience the evils of corruption, and we read about them. Going by
the admission of the Head of State to us in his message that "Corruption
continues unabated in our country," government seems powerless to stem
this tidal wave, a wave which we believe originates in the halls of
government itself.
We continue to demand as a matter of justice the return of Church schools
to the Churches. However, throughout this discussion we have continued to
witness the deterioration of these schools, with attendant decay of moral
standards among our children.
We hear the cries of women, desperate to survive and in the process, sold
and entrapped in sexual slavery here and abroad. We are appalled at
learning that over 15,000 Nigerian women live in forced prostitution in
Italy alone. We see an increasing number of persons suffering and dying
from HIV/AIDS, and the major solution offered is the use of condoms. This
solution is not only unsafe, it is also counterproductive. It encourages
sexual promiscuity and is morally unacceptable. We hear calls for the
legalization of abortion, calls not to protect, safeguard and share human
life, but to destroy it.
6. CAUSES OF THE PRESENT SITUATION
Several factors are responsible for the current situation. Some go back to
the historical foundations of the nation, and others have arisen more
recently. Prominent among them are the following:
Power has been taken away from the people, and put into the hands of an
elite. The voice of the people is no longer heard in the halls of
government and the people have become numbed and passive. One reason for
this is that people do not have a proper understanding of the
personality and responsibility of the officials they elect in
supposedly free and fair elections. As a result, many elected officials
are not accountable and have no sense of service to those who elected
them. Small blocks of persons, either in government or connected with
government, selfishly seem to obstruct what the people want.
The crushing poverty and ignorance of the people have left them vulnerable
to manipulation by unscrupulous and self-seeking politicians, and other
persons or groups who exploit them. The people themselves appear
complacent and passive, unwilling to face the challenges of nation building.
We perceive an imbalance in the power structure in the land. Hence many
agitate for a review of the existing structure of Nigeria and the return
of power to the people.
7. BUILDING THE KINGDOM OF JUSTICE AND PEACE
In his message to our Conference, President Obasanjo, realizing the
depth of the problems of corruption, violence and disunity, stated: "The
nation is knocking at the door of the Church for peace and harmony at this
midnight hour. Rise up and meet our need." In response to this plea we
will continue to play an increasingly active and important role as a
positive element within the Nigerian society.
We direct every parish to begin a programme of basic education in the
civic rights and responsibilities of its members, especially through the
Justice, Development, and Peace Committees. If one does not know his or
her rights, it is all too easy for government and others to take them
away. In addition, we commit ourselves to a nation-wide programme of
education on the Social Teaching of the Catholic Church
We ask Nigerians to scrutinize and publicly call to task elected
officials, law enforcement agents, civil servants, and those in
business, whose public service does not live up to the demands of
probity. In a special way, we expect Catholic faithful in public and
private life, to live up to the standards of the Gospel and the values of
the Kingdom.. Similarly, we enjoin our members to say a clear and
definite "No" to any public official who refuses to behave
responsibly. This should be done peacefully and non-violently, but firmly.
In the effort to bring about a more democratic climate and build
national unity on the basis of a true federalism, a national conference
may prove helpful. Such a conference will succeed only if it is
representative of all the people, from all parts of Nigeria, men and
women, rich and poor, and not another assembly of leaders who have
already tried and failed to rebuild the nation. We are convinced that
true federalism would recognize diversity in unity, the right of every
Nigerian to reside and work in any and every part of Nigeria. It would
also guarantee the genuine federal character in all organs and institutions
of government, especially the judiciary, the military, the police and the
civil service.
8. SIGNS OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD
We commit ourselves to be signs of God's Kingdom of justice and peace. We
will endeavour to model what we wish for Nigeria, namely communities of
unity and peace, where the gifts, voices, talents, hopes, and aspirations
of the people are listened to. In the Church and in civil society, there
must be no first, second, or third class members or
citizens. Discrimination based on gender, ethnic origin, religion, or
cultural prejudices is a violation of fundamental human rights.
We will collaborate with governments here and abroad, and with security
officials in freeing women who are enslaved in sex exploitation overseas
and returning them to their homes. In pursuit of this, we encourage our
faithful towards effective collaboration with existing national networks of
Church societies, NGO's, and other established organizations. We support
the efforts of the Nigeria Conference of Women Religious in spearheading
this campaign. We on our part will soon issue a Pastoral Letter on this
issue.
Human life originates from God, is sacred and as such must be loved,
respected and protected from conception to natural death. God alone gives
life and God alone can take it. Abortion is against the law of God. Thus
we say "No" and will continue to say "No" to abortion. We will do so
with our voices, our votes, and our feet. We endorse the actions so far
taken by the Catholic Women Organization of Nigeria, and other
organizations in this regard.
In the light of the lack of progress and the ineffectiveness of
government initiatives at national, state, and local levels, we will
intensify our efforts at providing basic health and social services, and
the building and improvement of schools. At the same time, we continue to
insist that government has the responsibility to provide basic education,
health and other social services to the entire citizenry. We also commend
the gesture of those states that have already returned schools and
hospitals to their owners, and urge others to do likewise.
We will expand our programmes of HIV/AIDS awareness to stem this pandemic,
and through sermons and pastoral letters, instil in our people a
compassionate response to those suffering from this condition. In place of
a condom mentality, we advocate a return to God's plan for human sexuality
which demands pre-marital continence and fidelity in marriage.
The path to the Kingdom of Justice and Peace will demand sacrifice.
Self-interest must yield to self-sacrifice and labour for the common
good. We must renounce attitudes of greed and accumulation in favour of
a commitment to meet basic needs. Nigerians should be ready to take up
this challenge.
In all of this we do not work alone. We are willing to collaborate
with others who share our ideals and our vision of the Kingdom. In
particular we stretch out a hand of cooperation to government at local,
state, and national levels.
9. CONCLUSION
We believe with the prophet Ezechiel that the dry bones will live
(Ezechiel 37)! We also believe with the prophet Jonah that even Nineveh,
that great city, changed its ways and turned to the Lord in repentance
(Jonah 3). We remain a people of hope especially as we continue to renew
ourselves, heart and mind, during this holy season of Lent.
Pope John Paul II urges us at the beginning of the New Millennium:
Let us go forward in hope. A new millennium is opening before the
Church like a vast ocean upon which we shall venture, relying on the help
of Christ. The Son of God who became incarnate two thousand years ago out
of love for humanity, is at work even today; we need discerning eyes to see
this, and above all, a generous heart to become instruments of his work
(No. 58, Novo Millennio Ineunte, January 6th, 2001).
Even "at this midnight hour" it is not too late for Nigeria. Nigeria
has the people, the resources, and the talents to do what needs to be
done. Through the intercession of Our Lady Queen of Peace and Queen of
Nigeria, we continue to pray that Almighty God, whom most Nigerians
acknowledge as the Lord of history, will sustain our efforts in building
God's Kingdom of Justice and Peace.
+ Most Revd John Onaiyekan + Most Revd
Joseph Ajomo
President,
CBCN Secretary, CBCN
Archbishop of Abuja Bishop
of Lokoja
***************************************
Veuillez nous excuser si vous avez deja recu ces textes
We apologise for any cross-posting
x - Le materiel contenu dans ce document ne reflet pas forcement les points
de vue de l'expediteur. Celui-ci n'accepte aucune responsabilite' sur la
precision des sources originales.
x - The material contained in this document may not be taken always to
reflect the views of the sender. He accepts no responsibility as to the
accuracy of the original sources.
************************************
x - Un homme meurt chaque fois que l'un d'entre nous se tait devant la
tyrannie (Wole Soyinka, Prix Nobel litterature)
x - Everytime somebody keep silent when faced with tyranny, someone else
dies (Wole Syinka, Nobel Prize for Literature)
*****************************************
* Greeting from:
ANB-BIA - Av. Ch.Woeste 184 - 1090 Bruxelles - Belgique
Tel (32.2)420.34.36-Fax 420.05.49 - E-Mail anb-bia@village.uunet.be
WWW:
<http://www.peacelink.it/anb-bia/anb-bia.html>http://www.peacelink.it/anb-bia/anb-bia.html
************************************************************