Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Abuja (Agenzia Fides) – This year, Nigeria is celebrating its 50th anniversary of national independence and 60th anniversary of the constitution of the local Church. These two celebrations were at the heart of the message written by the Bishops, addressed to the nation and also sent to Agenzia Fides. “We recall that on April 18, 1950, Pope Pius XII declared the Catholic Church in Nigeria a local Church. Sixty years ago, Lagos and Onitsha were erected Metropolitan Sees, while Calabar, Benin City, Ondo and Owerri became dioceses,” says the statement published at the end of the First Plenary Assembly of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), held in Abuja, February 22-27. “Today, to the glory of God, the Church in Nigeria is constituted of 9 Metropolitan Sees, 41 dioceses, and 2 vicariates. In 1950, there was no single Nigerian Bishop, today, out of 64 Bishops, only two are non-Nigerians.”
This comes as a result of “the tireless efforts of the missionaries of old who brought the faith to us, and the generous response of our people.” Recalling the Year for Priests, the Bishops highlight that “Nigeria is blessed with many priests who serve within and outside Nigeria. We who used to receive missionaries now send missionaries to other countries” and invite priests to be faithful to their Catholic priesthood, with “simplicity of life, humility and celibate chastity.”
AS for the political and social side, the statement highlights that “the 50th year of Nigeria’s Independence providentially overlap. Fifty years after Independence, our country faces many challenges. We are in dire need of good governance at federal, state and local levels. We need to imbibe a culture of organizing free and fair elections. We must have the political will and build the capacity to fight corruption...We as a nation have the obligation to tackle the twin problem of unemployment and poverty which largely explains the high level of insecurity in the country.”
The recent conflicts of an ethnic and religious nature, which have affected several areas of the country, have been recalled by the Bishops, who offer their services as “agents of reconciliation in a country where many are wounded.” The Bishops, however, call politicians on to their responsibility: “How can we live with the contradiction of providing large contingents of peace keeping forces in the troubled spots of Africa while, in our own country, hostility between ethnic and religious communities recur within our borders? How is it that Nigerians end up as refugees in a country they call their own? With the spreading scourge of abduction, we must ask: why and how is it that Nigerians do not feel safe in their homeland?”
President Umaru Yar'Adua's return to Nigeria, although he has not yet returned to administering Presidential powers entrusted to Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan, appointed President ad interim, is thus mentioned in the message: “We thank God and we pray for his continued recovery. But in the meantime, the nation should be promptly restored to the path of stability and progress under a clear constitutional leadership. We pray for our Acting President and Commander-in-Chief, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, who now oversees the affairs of our nation. May God bestow on him the wisdom to know what needs to be done and the courage to carry it out promptly and effectively.” (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 27/2/2010)
