Nigeria: Church worried about systematic elimination of Christians


A 24 February 2017 picture shows a roadblock made of stones outside of Kafanchan, follwoing attacks by suspected Fulani herdsmen - AFP
A 24 February 2017 picture shows a roadblock made of stones outside of Kafanchan, follwoing attacks by suspected Fulani herdsmen - AFP
28/03/2017
The Catholic Bishop of Kafanchan Diocese, Joseph Bagobiri, has called for an effective synergy by all Christian denominations in the country to counter the systematic elimination of Christianity in the northern part of the country.
Bishop Bagobiri made the call when he received an official delegation of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) which visited him in Kafanchan. The delegation was in the diocese to commiserate with him; the entire Catholic faithful and the Christian community of southern Kaduna on the recent atrocities of Fulani Cattle herdsmen in the area, which resulted in the deaths of thousands of Christians and the destruction of property worth millions of Naira.
According to Bishop Bagobiri, Christians of Southern Kaduna have taken their case to God in prayer. They want God to fight their battle for them because He is the only one who can rescue them from the systematic elimination of Christians in the area which has the support of both the Federal and State governments as well as the country’ security agents.
In his words, “Since we have no government that would listen to our plight, we have carried our case directly to God. It is only God that can save us from our present situation. Our hope in Him is never in vain since he knows our problem and He will deliver us one day just as he delivered the people of Israel from the hands of the Egyptians,” Bishop Bagobiri said.
“We have greater challenges on how Christianity can survive in Northern Nigerian especially in Southern Kaduna because of the structural injustices that are institutionalised,” The Bishop outlined.
He added, “We as a Church must evolve new ways on how we can face violence without losing faith. It is our prayer that God will give us strength and the needed direction on how to make Christianity survive despite the constant attacks and persecution.”
(CNSNg.org)
Email: engafrica@vatiradio.va