It’s tough to be a Christian up Northern Nigeria, says Archbishop of Jos
“The Church is in trouble. Every physical thing has been destroyed. The only thing not destroyed is our faith.”
These were the words of the Catholic Archbishop of Jos Diocese, Most Reverend Dr. Ignatius Kaigama.
He was speaking at the golden jubilee celebration of the Association of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary, held at St. Agnes Catholic Church in Maryland, Lagos, on Friday.
Kaigama, who doubles as the National President of Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, also said it is the responsibility of every Nigerian to ensure that the country does not break up. “Everyone thinks the problem is the other person, or with those in government, when it truly lies within us,” he said.
On the call for Christians to take up arms to defend the Church, Kaigama said retaliation is not in the vocabulary of Jesus.
His words: “We are not saying that criminals who kill should be let off the hook, but we are not advocating a tit-for-tat approach. When we begin to engage in violence to solve violence, we only multiply violence.
“If other people kill in the name of religion, our religion does not allow that. But that doesn’t mean we should sit down and watch people burn down our houses, our means of livelihood and kill us. We have the right to self-defence, which is legitimate even in law”.
The occasion which had Archbishop of Lagos Emeritus, Dr. Olubunmi Okojie, as chief host and the Archbishop of Lagos, Rev. Adewale Martins, as a very special guest, also received priests from across the length and breadth of Nigeria and beyond, including delegations from the Cameroun as well as Reverend Sisters representing different religious bodies across the country.
Reacting to the downturn of the economy in recent times, Archbishop Martins regretted that there is so much poverty than the years before.
“Our government needs to find new initiatives that will help new investors come into this country,” he said.
