Nigerian Catholics Wear Black On Ash Wednesday

Catholics in Nigeria and other Christians have been enjoined to wear black on the occasion of Ash Wednesday in reflection of the harrowing times Christians have recently been subjected to.

A statement by the president of Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, CBCN Most Rev. Augustine Akubeze and his Secretary, Most Rev. Camillus Umoh bemoaned the level of insecurity in the country and called on the international community to immediately step in to help.

“The repeated barbaric executions of Christians by the Boko Haram insurgents and the incessant cases of kidnapping for ransom linked to the same group and other terrorists have traumatised many citizens,” the Catholic Bishops said.

While noting that the perpetrators of the crimes are not prosecuted, the Catholic Bishops said:

“We are sad. We are in sorrow and grief. But we are confident that the light of Christ, which shines in our hearts, will brighten the dark corners of our Nigerian society.

“As a mark of mourning for all our brothers and sisters who have been victims of the most recent wave of violence against Christians, we are all dressed in black today and offer our prayers and penance for their repose.

“We invite the universal Church and all Christians to join us in prayers for our dead brothers and sisters and for peace and security in Nigeria. We equally appeal to the international community to come to the aid of the Nigerian government in the fight against these daredevil terrorists, who want to destabilize our country. The consequences, should they succeed, will be grave not only for the West African sub-region but also for Africa as a whole.

“To all our faithful we make a passionate appeal: The present situation in Nigeria challenges all of us to a life of coherent witnessing to the Gospel. The impact of our Christian faith must be felt in public life. This is not a time for compromises for the sake of personal convenience, but rather for heroism in Christian virtues.”

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