Catholic faithful and Christians in the country have been called upon to profess their faith with actions and words and protect the fundamental rights of their fellow Christians, the underprivileged majority in all parts of the country.
The call was made by the Catholic Bishop of Umuahia, Most Rev. Lucius Ugorji in homily at the opening Mass for the second Plenary Meeting of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), held at the Mater Dei Cathedral, Umuahia, Abia State, Friday, September 8 to Thursday, September 14, 2012. Premising his homily on the readings of the day, the local ordinary of Umuahia Diocese noted that `Faith has both interior and exterior dimensions and as Christians, we are not only to believe, we are also to profess our faith, celebrate it, live it and pray it.` He continued: `This is why we must speak out loud and clear against some States in the Northern part of our country, where the fundamental human rights of Christians to freedom of religion and worship are abbreviated, where Christians are not permitted to proclaim their faith publicly; where they are not allowed to acquire lands for the building of Churches, schools and hospitals. Pointing out that the word of God abhors discrimination and professes equity of humanity; Bishop Ugorji called on the government to protect the fundamental rights of all Christians in places where they are being persecuted.
Bishop Ugorji while lamenting the situation of the country, called on the people not to despair but have courage and open their anguished hearts to God. He declared: `In a world rocked by economic turmoil, insecurity and uncertainty; in a country traumatized by religious fundamentalists, suicide bombers and the shedding of innocent blood; in a nation where millions of unemployed people are crushed by poverty and untold hardship, we are often paralyzed by our own fears.`
While repeating the words of God to Prophet Isaiah on the need for courage and hope in the Lord, the bishop continued: `Let us open wide the doors of our anguished hearts to him. To His saving power let us open the frontiers of our nation with its economic, political and religious challenges as well as the vast fields of ethnicity, security and development. We should not be afraid. Christ knows our plight and can change it.`
Bishop Ugorji also used the occasion to plead the cause of the disabled and the less privileged and the needy to uphold the rights of children to adequate religious education in schools and their rights to free, qualitative education in both public and mission schools. He urged that the concern for the disabled and underprivileged should not be limited to their material well being but include their moral, religious and spiritual health.