Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Lagos (Fides Service)- “We thank God for the graces we have received during this year as a Church and as a nation” the Catholic Bishops of Nigeria affirm in a communique “Towards Mature Nationhood”, thanking the Lord at the end of the special Year of the Eucharist convoked by the dearly beloved Pope John Paul II for October 2004 - October 2005.
The Bishops issued the communique at the end of the 2nd plenary meeting of 2005 held 12 to16 September at Bishop Kelly Pastoral Centre, Benin City.
“We thank God also for granting us the privilege of hosting the conclusion of the continental celebration of the Year of the Bible for Africa and Madagascar in Abuja, July 14 19, 2005. The celebration created an awareness of the centrality of the Bible in Christian faith and worship and its importance in the Christian family life.” the Bishops said.
“Since our last meeting in Abuja in February 2005, they wrote, the Church and indeed the entire world witnessed the glorious departure of Pope John Paul II and the successful election of Pope Benedict XVI. While we continue to pray for the repose of the late Pope who had great affection for Nigerians demonstrated by his two pastoral visits to our country, we pray for his successor, Pope Benedict XVI, that God may assist him to provide an even greater spiritual leadership to the Church and the world at large.” The Bishops also thank God for World Youth Day celebrated in Cologne, Germany (16-21 August) and underline the importance of programmes for youth: “The event brought a glimmer of hope to sustain our various local initiatives on behalf of the youth. We are not relenting in our commitment to educate and empower the youth who are the future of the Church and our nation. We continue to call on the government, other institutions and organisations to reassess and strengthen their various programmes on behalf of the youth, as well as create an environment which favours their growth and maturity.”.
The Bishops expressed concern for “the recent move by the Federal Government of Nigeria to introduce at the Junior and Senior Secondary School levels, a Curriculum for Sex Education which is harmful to the ethical and moral development of the young” because it fails to take into full consideration the level of human development and maturity of the young and they declared their willingness “to work in partnership with the government and other stakeholders in the educational sector to draw up a more acceptable curriculum.”.
In the communique the Bishops did not fail to mention social and political problems facing the country and to express concern for frequent episodes violence in Nigeria. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 28/9/2005 righe 35 parole 398)
