Catholic Bishops in Nigeria Pray, Call for Global Unity, Peace, Development

The Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) says it will continue to pray for the unity, peace and development of the country and world.
The Outgoing President of CBCN, Most Rev. Augustine Akubeze, in a communiqué issued on Thursday said that the decision was reached at the end of CBCN’s first 2022 plenary meeting in Abuja.

The bishops said they must go“ beyond sophistry and rhetoric and work toward a tradition of love that transcends the barriers of race and nationality”.
They added that barriers of culture, ethnicity, religious or political affiliation and geographical distance must be shunned.
“We earnestly join millions of Catholics around the globe to pray for unity and peaceful dialogue between nations and communities, without which the deeply divided world cannot find the much-needed healing.
“We continue to pray especially for peace in Ukraine and Russia and other war-torn regions of the world.
“We, therefore, call for fair and equitable treatment of all those displaced by this avoidable conflict, regardless of their origin, race and nationality.”
The CBCN noted that politics was a noble vocation for the common good emphasizing that political office holders must provide good leadership.
“We equally affirm that political office holders have a fundamental role to play in providing good governance.
“We urge elected officials to build fraternity among all citizens irrespective of differences in creed, ethnic group, sex, and political opinion.”
They urged the Federal Government to quickly and permanently settle disputes in the interest of human and national growth.
“We observe a gross lack of job opportunities, equity, gender balance between male and female, good moral standards, an adequate justice system, transparency and accountability.”
They also called on governments at all levels to respect and protect people’s fundamental rights and shun all forms of ethno-religious favoritism.
“” We encourage all citizens to participate in the forthcoming national population census exercise to help Government have the data needed for proper policies that will aid development.
“We thank the Government for initiating processes towards reforming our national Constitution handed down by the military Government.
“We urge the legislature and the executive to exercise their relevant roles to give the nation an adequate Constitution that reflects our common aspiration to live in unity, justice, and peace.
“We commend the efforts of the National Assembly, the President, and all who made it possible for our country to now have a reformed electoral law, the Electoral Act 2022″, the bishops said.
“We gladly welcome the adoption of modern technology to improve the quality of our electoral process and encourage good and qualified people with the right intention to vie for political offices.
“We ask all eligible citizens to secure their voter’s cards and come out en masse to vote for those who can lead our people to a better life.
“We also urge the electoral commission and other relevant bodies to organize and promote appropriate voter education.”
They also called for dialogue and friendship to counter violence and insecurity in Nigeria, advising Catholics to use the Lenten period for more of such prayers.
Similarly, they urged the media to be alive to their responsibilities.
“We firmly acknowledge the role and power of the media for influencing and creating a fraternity of humanity and serving as tools of positive social friendship.
“The media in themselves are gifts from God for the good of the society.
“However, the media are sometimes manipulative and destructive.
“In Fratelli Tutti, Pope Francis calls for the use of media in a manner that not only connects people but also builds bridges, develops authentic interpersonal relationships and therefore builds community.
“We nevertheless caution against the inappropriate use of digital media platforms.”
The Catholic Bishops said they had instituted a Communications Week (COMWEEK) to facilitate the attainment of the above objectives of the media.
“We call on the different segments of the particular Churches in Nigeria, the media organs and pastoral agents to work closely with the National Directorate of Social Communications, Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria.
“We will ensure that the media literacy programme scheduled to run in our Parishes from May 22 to May 29 this year is successful (comweeknigeria.com).
“All Catholics and non-Catholics are also requested to log on to the Nigeria Catholic Network (nigeriacatholicnetwork.com) for synergy and pastoral guidance,” the communique quote the Catholic Bishops as saying.