President Bola Tinubu must find a way of taming Nigerians with paranoid dispositions who often blow the trumpet of disunity and hostility, the Catholic Archbishop Abuja Diocese, Ignatius Kaigama, said on Sunday.
He also advised Tinubu to fulfil his promise of promoting better religious harmony by being fair and just to all religious groups and their adherents, saying, “the ball is in his court for now.”
The cleric stated these in his “Corpus Christi: Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ” at St. Augustine’s Parish, Sun City, Abuja where he raised concerns over the rate at which Catholic priests were being persecuted and killed in Nigeria.
He also warned Christians against discriminating and looking down on others or promoting personal interests at the expense of others, instead of creating a community of love.
Kaigama said, “Despite the atrocities experienced, our Christian faith still teaches us that life is sacred. Christians must not discriminate and look down on others or promote our interest at the expense of others, but to create a community of love. We cannot be partaking of the Eucharist and be living in resentment towards other Nigerians.
“If some Nigerians speak with reckless abandon and arrogant insensitivity, claiming they are better than other Nigerians, and are determined to keep those they call “outsiders” and “inferiors” under domination, we can never grow as a nation to maturity and progress, and measure up to other developed nations.
“Unfortunately, presently Nigeria is not lacking people with egocentric, megalomaniac and exclusive tendencies, unconcerned about dragging the country into anarchy or hostile inter-religious, political, or ethnic relationships by their unmeasured utterances and actions. These were part of our concerns when the then presidential candidate, Ahmed Bola Tinubu, met a group of Catholic Bishops during our conference in Abuja, a few days to the presidential elections.
“Our memo to him was very clear about many hurting issues. Now as President, he must find a way of taming Nigerians with paranoid dispositions who often blow the trumpet of disunity and hostility. He should promote better religious harmony as he promised us, by being fair and just to all religious groups and their adherents. The ball is in his court for now.
“I was edified when invited by UFUK Dialogue Foundation, an Islamic Turkish Foundation, to join them to break the Ramadan fast and I saw this quote: “Reserve in your heart a seat for everyone.” Leaders, whether Muslims or Christians, must create a space for everyone in their hearts, in the spirit of equity, brotherliness and hospitality.
“We must learn to live under one canopy of love: sacrificing selfish ambitions for the common good. Uncontrolled venomous utterances will certainly generate unnecessary tension among Nigerians of whatever faith persuasion who want to live peacefully together, everyone pursuing his/her legitimate concerns.
“We live in a time of multiple needless deaths, increasing evil and hatred. Again, the recent brutal murder of a Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Charles Onomhaele Igechi, of the Archdiocese of Benin City, is very disheartening. May his soul rest in perfect peace.The authorities must ensure that Nigerians including Catholic priests are not kidnapped or killed just because they are agents of peace, unity, equity, dignity of life, etc.
“We are called to be true ministers and authentic witnesses to what we celebrate by alleviating the pains of those who suffer or lack the necessities of life. We are encouraged to receive Holy Communion reverently and with the right disposition, not as we take snacks or cookies. Catholics must not go late to Mass or dash out of the Church after receiving Communion. We must make the necessary spiritual preparations (including sacramental confession) to receive Jesus. Catholics should cultivate the regular habit of visiting Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament for adoration and to attend benediction.”
