Archbishop Augustine Akubeze’s opening address to all the Faithful at the Opening Mass of the Second CBCN Plenary in Enugu on Sunday 22nd August 2021 in Enugu.
- PROTOCOL: Your Graces, Your Lordships, Very Rev. Monsignori, Very Rev. Frs and Rev. Frs, Consecrated Persons, Leaders of various Lay Apostolate groups, Knights and Ladies fo the Church, Government Officials, Traditional Rulers, Political Office Holders, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, members of the Press Crew, Security Personnel, and all of you present here today, I greet you with the hearts of all the Bishops of Nigeria.. May God bless you for coming to join us at this Eucharistic Celebration.
- Gratitude to God: Praise be to our Lord Jesus Christ who has given us the opportunity to be gathered here in Enugu in this month of August 2021. We are grateful to God who has not allowed Covid-19 to ravage our land. God Almighty has been exceptionally kind to us as regards the death tolls of covid-19. God knows well that we lack the capacity to deal with the ravaging impact and he has protected us through his Divine intervention. If we were hit as hard as Western Europe and America, and even South Africa, our poor health care facility would have not been able to handle the problem. God has been good to us, but we on our part must do what is expected of us. Let us not take the Covid-19 pandemic for granted and stop observing the established protocol for the prevention and spread of the virus.
Let me first express our profound gratitude to His Excellency, Most Rev. Callistus Onaga the Bishop of Enugu Diocese, his Auxiliary, the Emeritus, his priests, and lay Faithful who are hosting us. We have been very well received and checked into the good accommodation you have provided for us. My Lord Bishop, thank you very much for your kindness and hospitality. May God continue to bless the people of Enugu.
Your Grace Most Rev. Antonio Filipazzi, I greet you on behalf of members of the CBCN. We are grateful to you for the close working relationship we have enjoyed with you. please, extend our appreciation to the Holy Father, Pope Francis, for always being close to us in prayer. At various times he had spoken about the plight of the poor and suffering victims of kidnapping around the world including Nigeria. There is no doubt that the prayer of Pope Francis and that of many other men and women of goodwill is helping to keep Nigeria moving on.
- The Recent Events in Nigeria: We regret to note that God has called to glory some of our brother-Bishops who have served the Church with total dedication. We remember:
Archbishop Peter Yariyok Jatau, Archbishop Emeritus of Kaduna who died on 16th December, 2020
Bishop Gregory Obinna Ochiagha, Bishop Emeritus of Orlu who died on 29th, December 2020.
Bishop Albert Ayinde Fashina, Bishop Emeritus of Ijebu-Ode diocese who died on 29th June 2021.
We pray Almighty God to grant them eternal rest in his kingdom. We humbly request their successors to seek ways of keeping them alive in our memories by considering naming institutions in honour of them.
It delights us to state that during the period between our last plenary and now, the following appointments were made by the Holy Father, Pope Francis:
Bishop Luka Sylvester Gopep was appointed the auxiliary bishop of Mina on 9th December 2020
Bishop David Ajang was appointed Bishop of Lafia on 31st March 2021
Bishop Peter Nworie Chukwu was appointed Bishop of Abakaliki on 6th July 2021.
We welcome these brother Bishops into the Conference and assure them of our support and prayers. In the same light, we thank their predecessors who worked hard for the development of their local churches.
- The Church and Politicians: We will like to state clearly that the Church is keenly interested in the political situation in Nigeria. Although the Church does not support any political party, she praises every government that prioritizes the welfare of the citizens. At the same time, the Church condemns vehemently any government policies that are not people-friendly.
Having stated the above, we must make it clear once again, that no cleric is expected to use his position or ecclesiastical property for promoting what appears to be partisan politics. The Church strongly believes that all political parties do have something or persons that can lead. There is no political party monopoly of good leaders. There is no political party monopoly of bad leaders. Therefore, it is imperative that clerics must avoid every form of political endorsement using the ecclesiastical positions given to them. At the same time, it is not the practice of the Church to identify unelected leaders through some form of prophetic visions or dreams or revelation. The Church does not and no one who speaks as a cleric represents the Church when he pronounces a particular candidate as God’s anointed political leader. The role of clerics is to educate the people to choose leaders who will work for the good of humanity. We call on diocesan bishops to ensure that appropriate actions are taken immediately when any priest or religious violates this traditional Catholic belief.
- The Situation in Nigeria: We want to commend Nigerians for their patience in the face of what appears to be repeated government failure to meet the minimum requirement of the government. Nigerians are bearing a high level of inflation, depreciation of the naira, increased poverty, shortage of food because of herders/farmers crisis, insecurity to life and property, insensitivity and lack of Federal Government response to the cries of many Nigerians in the area of economic revolution, structural development, through eradication of corruption, avoidance of selective sectional appointments to important Federal positions. The call for constitutional reforms that respect the rights of every Nigerian, and provide opportunities for equal access to the resources of Nigeria is something that should be debated fairly. The right to self-determination should follow a civilized pattern and should not be demonized. The Church believes that the Government must avoid criminalizing those who disagree with them.
The Federal Government has changed the service chiefs after many Nigerians have cried out loudly for change. The change is yet to produce the desired effect. The level of insecurity in every part of the country is of great concern to us Bishops. Many of us Bishops have had to bury our faithful who died because of attacks of insurgents, bandits, kidnappers, cultists, and those who have died because of road accidents caused by bad roads. Too many Nigerians are dying of preventable deaths, the Federal Government, State Government, and Local Government must rise to their responsibility.
- Electoral Reform: We strongly reject any form of electoral system that makes it possible for the votes of Nigerians not to be respected. The world is moving towards a more digital system of administration. The electoral reform in Nigeria must align itself with this change. Electoral transmission of results should be worked on so that rigging of elections at the various points of collection should become a thing of the past. Furthermore, the electoral reform should allow a more transparent declaration of election results and expeditious judicial adjudication of electoral matters. Every one of us must work for a better Nigeria. We must develop a culture of taking personal responsibility for our actions. The electorate must learn to hold their political leaders accountable for their actions.
On the call for independence being demanded by some parts of the country, we call on everyone to be calm and exhaust extensive consultation. The Federal Government as well as those leading the call for independence of some regions should be listened to. Everyone must avoid the temptation to demonize those who disagree with them. The first step that should be taken is an open and unconditional dialogue with every group. Dialogue is always better than the taking up of arms. No one should call for the killing of military personnel, and no military personnel should intimidate any Nigeria because of their view. Freedom of speech and respect for diversities of opinions must be respected.
- Hope in God for a Better Nigeria: Dearly beloved in Christ, I will like to end this address on a note of hope. Let us hope for a better Nigeria. This hope is not predicated upon the economic or human analysis of our present situation. If we rely on our human strength alone to get us out of the terrible situation we are in now, we will certainly not come out of it. I, therefore, want us to pick up the second theological virtue, which is Hope in God. The Catechism of the Catholic Church underscores the very essence of the nature of hope in God when it states: “that the theological virtue of hope allows us to seek eternal happiness and union with God, and happiness on earth placing our trust in Christ’s promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit” (CCC, no. 1817). We must learn to rely on the strength and grace of the Holy Spirit.
To everyone who has come here today, I want you to be hopeful of a better tomorrow. Without hope, we cannot move forward. Wake up every day with joy, peace, and serenity knowing that you are loved by God who always fulfils his promises. No matter the situation you may find yourself, you are still redeemable. No matter how bad Nigeria is right now, we are still redeemable. No one is beyond the redemption of God. God’s mercy endures forever. Swim in the ocean of God’s mercy with the hope of a better future. Let no one take away your hope. The reason for your hope is because God never fails. May God fill our hearts with hope, peace, joy, and serenity. Amen.
Comment here