Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Jos (Agenzia Fides) – On March 21, a Mass was celebrated at St. Fidelis Catholic Church, at Dogon Na Hawa (about 20 miles from Jos, capital of Plateau State, central Nigeria), where Fides has learned from Archbishop Ignatius A. Kaigama of Jos, “Fulani cattle farmers visited fatal attacks on the residents killing women and children, possibly in reaction to the loss of their cows and loved ones in a previous crisis. The Fulani cattle farmers value their cows more than anything else and can go to any length to take revenge for them.” (see Fides 17/3/2010).
On March 19, another Mass was said for the repose of the victims of the massacres that took place earlier in the Plateau State and was celebrated in the church of St. Jarlath in Bukuru (15 miles from Jos). The Mass was presided by His Eminence Cardinal Peter Turkson, President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, in the presence of a large number of priests, lay people, and representatives of institutions, including the Vice-Governor, Pauline Tallen.
During the Mass, various messages of solidarity were read, coming from: Pope Benedict XVI, His Eminence Cardinal Ivan Dias, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, Cardinal Turkson, and several dioceses in Europe, America, and Africa.
Materials were distributed to the affected victims whose homes and means of livelihood were destroyed through the assistance of the Catholic British Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD), Catholic Relief Services, USA, Missio Aachen, and dioceses in Nigeria and parishes in Jos Archdiocese. Of the 25,000 displaced persons, over 5,000 are Catholics with nearly all of them still facing lack of accommodation and the immediate needs of life. “The two Catholic churches in Ubiel and Chwelnyap are still in ruins and need to be rebuilt. The faithful were encouraged to reinforce family prayer and seek the face of God who has promised to be with his people no matter how trying the moments seem to be,” the Archbishop of Jos told Fides.
“The Mass was the Christian response to the attacks that saw hundreds killed in cold-blood in a crisis that is often said to be religious but we know that it was generated by a mixture of political, economic, ethnic and religious factors. Men, women, children were very visible as they expressed deep compassion and empathy to the affected persons. Prayers were said for a cessation of the circle of violence, peace in the land, the eternal repose of departed souls and for social harmony between Christians and Muslims,” concluded Archbishop Kaigama. (LM) (Agenzia Fides 25/3/2010)
