Catholic Bishops under the umbrella of Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) have arrived Abuja for their first plenary of the year, expected to last for one week.
Archbishop of Abuja Catholic Archdiocese, Most Rev Ignatius Kaigama, in his homily at the opening mass of the CBCN conference held at Saint Gabriel’s chaplaincy, Durumi, Abuja, welcomed the Bishops ahead of the one week of extensive meeting where spiritual, economic, political and other national issues would be discussed.
He said: “Abuja Archdiocese warmly welcomes the Catholic Bishops of Nigeria and other invited guests. Despite the petrol scarcity, the insecurity and the seeming difficulty associated with travelling at this time, you made it to Abuja. Bravo!
“The COVID-19 pandemic did not only disrupt economies, interpersonal relationships, distanced many from the warmth of fraternal encounters, but also threatened to cripple cherished ecclesiastical programmes and traditions.
“People were at times left exhausted, impatient, stunned and confused. Parishioners experienced a frustrating time, being unable to participate at Holy Masses, with some confined to watching Masses on television.
“Also, no thanks to the same pandemic, we had to skip our CBCN meetings. The fact however is that the COVID-19 pandemic, and not even terrorists’ attacks, kidnappers’ menace, biting hunger in the face of spiraling prices of commodities, dehumanizing corruption, etc, could cripple our faith and commitment to serve our country as ministers of the Catholic Church. If anything, all these bad news have sharpened our faith and fast-forwarded our resolve to do all that is possible for the love of God and neighbors.
“We thank God that our nation was spared from the grim predictions of a colossal health disaster. Today, the opportunity to return the first plenary meeting of the Bishops’ Conference to its traditional home is a big sign of hope; hope that things are beginning to get better even if we are still far away from the light at the end of the tunnel. God knows how to bring good out of evil. God is good!”
Credit: Daily Sun