As the country squares up for the 2027 general election, the Catholic Archbishop of Abuja Diocese, Most Rev Ignatius Kaigama, has advised that Nigeria should learn a big lesson from the election of Pope Leo XIV by the Cardinals in the Vatican.
According to him, there was no court case that would have dented global Catholicism, brought rancor and heavy expenditures and even serious physical conflicts among political combatants.
While expressing optimism that such peace is also possible in Nigeria, even though money cannot buy peace for the nation, the cleric said global peace is the collective responsibility of everyone and every religion.
Kaigama expressed these views in his Homily delivered during the confirmation of 172 parishioners at Our Lady Queen Of Peace Church, Utako with the theme, “The Fruit of Constructive Dialogue and Genuine Discernment is Lasting Peace and Love.”
He said, “The phrase, it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us, mirrors the Catholic belief that the Church, when gathered in unity, is led by the Spirit to interpret God’s will. This was obvious during the recent conclave, the Holy Spirit was alive. All media speculations and human calculations succumbed to the power of the Holy Spirit.
“The Cardinals were guided and prompted by the Holy Spirit to choose one of them who is now Pope Leo XIV. The election was peaceful, decorous, and according to the mind of God, not according to the mind of secular man. There was no court case as would have been the case here when election results are announced, resulting in rancour and heavy expenditures in court cases and even serious physical conflicts.
“We all need to work for peace. If Christians today live by the Sermon on the Mount; if the Jews live by the Ten Commandments; if Buddhists live by the teachings of the Noble Eightfold paths; if Muslims truly follow the teachings of the Prophet Mohammed, there would be peace everywhere..
“You are as aware as I am that our troubled world needs peace. I was so glad that the first words of our Holy Father on his first public outing at the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City, on May 8 were those of Christ after His resurrection: Peace be with you.
“A fruitful and constructive dialogue can produce real peace and love. We see how the situation among the early Christians, whereby the Greek-speaking widows were neglected in the distribution of material goods, led the apostles to make a collective decision after prayer and discernment.
“The immediate temptation to resort to conflict or even war is a clear manifestation of the inability to use our rational thinking to avoid the negative consequences of the absence of peace. Today, we witness international conflicts, ethnic conflicts, religious conflicts, clannish conflicts, and even conflicts in the family. This upsets society and promotes an atmosphere of fear, instability, and other forms of antisocial behaviours like banditry, terrorism, needless aggression, etc.
“The temptation to look down on others or to become too rigid or legalistic is also found among us Christians today. Some Christians believe that they are more Christian than other Christians. You hear things like Catholics worship idols hence, they are not true Christians and are damned. Even among us Catholics, we have people who believe that the church organisation they belong to is superior to that of others.
“The point being made today is that faith in Jesus, not Jewish customs, or contemporary pagan practices is the basis for salvation. The gathering of Church elders to resolve the dispute that arose among the believers came to be regarded as the first Council of the Church, held in Jerusalem. There was a decision reached at the Council by the apostles and the elders without arguing or voting; they discerned together as a body, what God asked of them.
“The peace which the world gives is transitory, but the peace, which Jesus gives, like all His blessings, is eternal. Nothing can take away that peace – neither sickness, nor hunger, nor poverty, nor plenty, nor life, nor death. Lasting peace is given by Christ, and Christ only. It is peace that transcends the world.
“Such peace is also possible in our nation, but we know that money cannot give us peace. You must have heard the saying: You can purchase many things, but you cannot purchase peace. You can purchase soft beds, but you cannot buy sleep. You can buy good food, but you cannot buy a good appetite. You can buy a good health insurance plan, but you cannot buy good health. You can buy good books, but you cannot buy wisdom.
“We read in Gaudium et Spes a critical self-analysis, and we hope each religious group will undertake a similar internal evaluation and criticism of the manner they practice their faith.
“We, in Nigeria, lack the capacity and ability to sincerely criticise the bad aspects of our religious utterances and practices. We prefer to point the fingers of blame at the other religion and defend our bad or anti-social religious teachings and practices with fanatical zeal and aggressive bigotry. But as followers of Christ, we are called to be instruments of His love and peace in the world, to reach out to those in need, to show compassion and kindness to all, and to work for justice and peace.
“Our Church is not just for one group alone. It is for all. Let everyone who enters this church regardless of their lowly background feel loved by all of you parishioners.”
Friday Olokor
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