蜜桃交友

Emmanuel Donatus - Jos

The three-day gathering, held in Jos, the Plateau State capital, from 27 January to 29 January, brought together Bishops and representatives of the three ecclesiastical provinces that make up the Catholic Church in northern Nigeria.

A shared culture and background

Speaking on the importance of the gathering, the Archbishop of Kaduna Ecclesiastical Province, Matthew Ndagoso, noted that 鈥渂ecause of so many things we have in common in northern Nigeria; culturally, socially, politically and so on, the Bishops of the old Kaduna Province, now made of Jos, Abuja, and Kaduna ecclesiastical provinces, meet annually to share ideas, encourage each other, to   discuss common issues and to see how we can help one another.鈥�

Collaboration between the Church and the State

While welcoming participants to Plateau State, the Executive Governor, Caleb Mutfwang called for more collaboration between the State and the Church.

鈥淭he arrival of the missionaries brought a lot of development to Nigeria as a whole and to Northern Nigeria in particular. We cannot deny the important role the Church has played in the socio-economic development of our people, especially in areas of health, education and agriculture. As partners in progress, there is need for continued collaboration between the State and the Church for the good of our people.鈥�

Insecurity and challenges to farmers

For decades, many parts of northern Nigeria have been plagued by insurgency, kidnappings, and violence against the Church, with tens of thousands of Christians killed and hundreds of Churches burnt over the years, 鈥淭here is need for governments in different states of the region to take proactive measures to protect lives and properties鈥� said Archbishop Mathew Audu, of the Ecclesiastical Province of Jos, and the host of this year鈥檚 gathering, 鈥淲e have said this consistently; the people are not asking to be fed or to be dependent on government, but for security so they can farm freely and be able to feed their families, the Archbishop emphasized.

Hope in the face of despair

As the universal Church marks the Jubilee of Hope, the Archbishop of Abuja and chair of the forum, Ignatius Kaigama, called on the Christian faithful to be hopeful in the face of many socio-economic challenges: 鈥淲here there is life, there is hope. We cannot, we should never give up on life. We tell our people that our Lord is alive, so let us sustain our faith in Him, praying in hope that things will get better,鈥� the Abuja prelate said.