Vatican City, Sep 8, 2014 / 12:02 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama spoke out in the wake of more violent attacks in Nigeria, saying that although fears are high, rumors that the country is following a similar pattern as Iraq are exaggerated. “It is too alarmist to talk of a break up of Nigeria because of Boko Haram activities,” Archbishop Kaigama of Jos and spokesman for the Bishops Conference of Nigeria told CNA Sept. 5. He drew attention to how more than 490 delegates to Nigeria’s National Conference have been in meetings since March to discuss the Nigerian Project,  a government initiative encouraging citizens to actively participate in government affairs in order to increase transparency. Despite an “irrespective of political, ethnic differences and serious disagreements over some issues, the indivisibility of Nigeria was upheld,” the archbishop explained. “All we need is the equitable distribution of resources, more patriotic rather than narrow ethnic and religious sentiments. We need to tackle corruption with the same intensity as we attempt to tackle Boko Haram, because corruption unfortunately gives birth to other monsters of social evils.” In recent weeks the militant Islamist group Boko Haram has expanded its violent campaign, taking over two new cities in northern Nigeria. In late August, Boko Haram captured the town of Madagali in Nigeria's Adamawa state, where the local parish was looted, vandalized and then set on fire. Parishes throughout the diocese have been continually terrorized by Boko Haram, forcing Christians and priests to flee and churches to close, Vatican Radio reports. Only a few days prior to the capture of Madagali, the militant group captured the nearby town of Gwoza in the state of Borno and declared a caliphate, or an Islamic state, in the area. However, recent reports from the BBC and the Nigerian online news source the Daily Post indicate that Boko Haram has abandoned Gwoza in favor of Bama, a city with a population of around 270,000 and roughly 50 miles to the north. After intense battles with the Nigerian military, residents of Bama told the BBC that the town had been captured by the insurgents Sept. 1. In response to concerns that the pattern of violence in Nigeria is beginning to mirror that which has been unleashed by ISIS forces in Iraq, Archbishop Kaigama said that “Nigeria is a multicultural and multi-religious country and so cannot be compared with Iraq.” He pointed to how Nigeria is composed of 36 different states, noting that Boko Haram is currently only wreaking havoc in the section made up of the Borno and Yobe states, as well as some parts of Adamawa State, which is a very small part of the country. Although the prospect of becoming another Iraq is not likely, the archbishop cautioned that the activities of Boko Haram “defy logic and are insensitive to humanity.” They are, he observed, “serious enough to upset relationships, cause disaffection, generate serious anger and heighten anxiety in different parts of Nigeria.” Archbishop Kaigama drew attention to similarities between Boko Haram and other terrorist groups such as ISIS and Al-Qaeda, saying that what binds the groups “is violence dictated by religious intolerance.” “That they are determined to kill and destroy in the name of their ‘God’ contradicts the whole essence of religion,” he said. “Their strange religious ideology of non-respect for those who differ from them and don't worship God the same way they do is unfortunate.” Overcoming Boko Haram can only happen with greater military and political will, he noted, explaining that an all-out attack against the insurgents is at the moment difficult due to the fact that they use “as human shields” the nearly 300 girls kidnapped from Chibok in April. “It is important to note that the majority of Muslims and Christians are united in their desire to see the end of the Boko Haram menace,” he said, observing how many “serious-minded Muslims” have condemned their actions as non-Islamic. What the international community can do to further assist the situation is to track the roots of groups such as Boko Haram, ISIS and Al-Qaeda in order to “cripple their operations.” However, in order for this to happen “there must be a sincere willingness to collaborate to put an end to these anti-social groups which make life hellish for others.” “Serious political will is needed on the part of the international community; a selfless commitment that springs from the depths of the heart, beyond media headlines.” Boko Haram, which means “Western education is sinful,” began using military force in 2009 to impose sharia law on Nigeria. It has targeted security forces, politicians, Christian minorities, and moderate Muslims in Nigeria’s predominately Muslim north. The group has killed thousands since 2009, including at least 2,000 in 2014 alone. The U.N. estimates their attacks have led to more than 470,000 internally displaced persons, and some 57,000 refugees. Boko Haram gained international attention in April when it claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of the nearly 300 teenaged school girls from Chibok. Many countries including China, France, the U.K. and U.S. have sent military assistance to help find the girls, but the majority of them remain missing. Read more

Vatican City, Sep 8, 2014 / 09:17 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Meditating on the feast of Mary's Nativity during his morning Mass, Pope Francis said that God is a creator who has endowed men and women with a free will and has accompanied us throughout history. The Pope told the congregation Sept. 8 that God “is the God of time, the God of history. He is the God who walks with his children,” until the “fullness of time” when his Son is made Man. The Lord accompanies everyone, the Pope continued during his homily at the Santa Marta residence, “the righteous and the sinners in the journey towards this “definitive encounter” between man and God. Turning to the book of Genesis, the Pope noted the danger of thinking “that God was a magician” who created things “with a magic wand.” This is not the case, the Pope warned. God created things, allowing them “to go forward with internal, interior laws which he gave to everything, in order that they may develop,” and “reach their fullness.” The Lord the gives within the universe “autonomy, but not independence.”   This is because “God is not a magician; he is creator!” The Pope went on to say that when God created man on the sixth day, he created him with a somewhat different autonomy, but not with independence: “an autonomy which is freedom.” God then told man to “go forward in history,” to be responsible for and rule over creation, in order that it might arrive at the "fullness of time." “And what was the fullness of time? That which he had in his heart: the arrival of his Son.” As Saint Paul said, this was because God “had predestined everyone to be conformed to the image of the Son.” This is the “journey of humanity, the journey of man,” he said. “God wanted us to be like his Son, and for his Son to be like us.” Referring to the Gospel reading for the feast day which lists the genealogy of Jesus, Pope Francis noted how the list contains saints as well as sinners, “yet history moves forward because God wanted men to be free.” Although man used his freedom for evil, leading to his expulsion from Paradise, God “made a promise, and man left Paradise with hope. A sinner, but with hope!” Their journey, Pope Francis said, “is not made alone: God walks with them.” The Holy Father noted how the Gospel reading concludes in a “tiny thing, a small town,” with Joseph and Mary. “The God of the great story,” he said, “is also in the small story, there, because he desires to walk with everyone. Citing Saint Thomas, he added: “Do not fear the big things, but also have regard for the little, this is Divine.” God is in the “big things,” but also in that which is little. Speaking on God's patience throughout every generation, Pope Francis said that “God is patient” with all those who have “lived their story of grace and sin.” “He walks with us, because he wants all of us” to be “conformed to the image of his Son.” From the moment he gave us freedom at the time of our creation until today, he “continues to walk” with us. And so, the Pope continued, “we arrive at Mary.” Today, “we are in the antechamber of this story: the birth of the Madonna.” He prayed that the Lord may grant us “unity to walk together, and peace in our heart.” “Today, we can look to the Madonna, small, holy, without sin, pure, predestined to become the Mother of God.” We can also look to the history over the past centuries, the Pope continued, asking ourselves: “How do I walk in my story? Do I allow God to walk with me or do I want to walk on my own? Do I let him caress me, help me, forgive me, carry me forward” toward an “encounter with Jesus Christ?” This encounter with the Lord, he said, is the destination of our journey. “We would do well today to ask ourselves this question: 'Do I allow God to have patience with me?'” Pope Francis concluded his reflection, saying that, as we consider this great history, as well as this small town, “we can praise the Lord, and humbly ask him to grant us peace, that peace of the heart that only he can give, which he only gives us when we allow him to walk with us.” Read more

Vatican City, Sep 8, 2014 / 05:30 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In a message to inter-religious faith leaders attending a conference on peace, Pope Francis said there are always alternatives to war and urged participants to seek avenues of dialogue. “War is never a necessity, nor is it inevitable. Another way can always be found: the way of dialogue, encounter and the sincere search for truth,” Pope Francis said in his Sept. 7 message to conference attendees. Organized by the Italian Sant'Egidio community, the Sept. 7-9 International Peace Meeting is being held in Antwerp, Belgium in commemoration of the centenary of the start of the First World War.  Antwerp the capital of the Antwerp province of Belgium. With a population of 510,610, it is the second largest city in Belgium, after the capital Brussels. Leaders and representatives from various Christian churches and interfaith communities have assembled for the meeting, which is reflecting on the theme “Peace is the Future.” In his letter, Pope Francis said the many current conflicts surrounding the anniversary of the First World War can teach us that “war is never a satisfactory means of redressing injustice and achieving balanced solutions to political and social discord.” “All war is ultimately, as Pope Benedict XV stated in 1917, a 'senseless slaughter,'” the Pope said. “War drags peoples into a spiral of violence which then proves difficult to control; it tears down what generations have labored to build up and it sets the scene for even greater injustices and conflicts.” The pontiff observed how both declared and undeclared wars can destroy the future of the youth and the elderly, poison longstanding relationships of coexistence between differing religious and ethnic groups and lead to a diaspora of families and entire communities. In the face of these consequences, many of which are happening today, the Pope explained “together with men and women of good will everywhere, we cannot remain passive in the face of so much suffering, so many ‘senseless slaughters.’” “Here our various religious traditions can, in ‘the spirit of Assisi,’ make a specific contribution to peace,” he said. “We can do this through the power of prayer.” “It is my hope that these days of prayer and dialogue will serve as a powerful reminder that the pursuit of peace and understanding through prayer can forge lasting bonds of unity and prevail over the passions of war.” The Bishop of Rome said the time has arrived for “religious leaders to cooperate more effectively in the work of healing wounds, resolving conflicts and pursuing peace.” Peace is a sign of one’s commitment to God, he said, noting that every religious leader has a call to be a man or woman of peace because of their ability to foster encounter when other options fail. “We must be peacemakers, and our communities must be schools of respect and dialogue with those of other ethnic or religious groups, places where we learn to overcome tensions, foster just and peaceful relations between peoples and social groups, and build a better future for coming generations.” Sant’Egidio, the organization in charge of arranging the event, is an ecclesial movement based in Italy. Focusing their apostolate on outcast groups, the community gives particular attention to the poor, the youth and the elderly, the homeless, prisoners, the disabled and impoverished countries. Read more

Vatican City, Sep 7, 2014 / 08:23 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Addressing thousands of pilgrims in Saint Peter's Square during his weekly Sunday Angelus address, Pope Francis called for peace in Ukraine and Lesotho. After the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father expressed his hope that, despite recent acts of violence in the region, the people of Ukraine might find relief amid the ongoing conflict. He prayed for the continuation of dialogue as efforts are made to bring about lasting peace. At least 2,600 have been killed in Ukraine since fighting began in April between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists. Most recently, one woman was killed in shelling in Mariupol on Saturday, while Donetsk airport was attacked on Sunday morning, raising fears that a ceasefire, which began on Friday, may be breaking down. The Pope also responded to the appeal for peace made by the bishops of the African country of Lesotho. Unrest began in the small Southern African country at the end of August when the  military ceased control of the country's police in what has been described as a coup. “I condemn every act of violence,” he said, “and pray to Our Lord that peace, rooted in justice and brotherhood, can be restored in the Kingdom of Lesotho.” The Holy Father also made mention of a mission to Iraqi Kurdistan by a Italian Red Cross volunteers, who will travel to the region to offer help and support to the thousands of people displaced by Islamic militants' take-over of the country. The Pope praised the work of the volunteers who are bringing aid to “our persecuted and oppressed brothers and sisters” in Iraq. Addressing the crowds before the recitation of the Angelus, Pope Francis reflected on the Gospel reading from the day, focusing on the theme of fraternal correction within Christian communities, and the need for reproach that is, above all, rooted in charity. “The Lord asks the community to accompany those who make mistakes, in order that they are not lost,” the Pope said. Any wrongdoing should be confronted with gentleness, prudence, and humility, he said, adding that words that can “injure or kill” the offender ought to be avoided. “Even words kill!” he said. “When I speak ill [of someone], when I make an unjust criticism... this is killing the reputation of another!” In the Gospel, Jesus teaches that one must first go to the offending person alone, then with two or three persons, only bringing involving the community in the dispute as a last resort. The aim of this approach, the Pope said, is to help make the person aware of his wrongdoing,  and that his sin “has offended not only one, but many.” However, he added that this approach is also meant “to help us free ourselves from anger or resentment, which only cause evil: that bitterness of the heart that carries anger and resentment,” which in turn causes us to “insult and aggravate.” He said it is a “very ugly” thing to witness “an insult or attack” from the mouth of a Christian. “It is ugly! Do you understand? Never insult! To insult is not Christian! Do you understand? To insult is not Christian!” Recalling how Jesus commanded us not to judge, the Pope said that “before God, we are all sinners, and we need forgiveness. Everyone!” “Brotherly correction is an characteristic of love and communion which must reign in the Christian community,” the Holy Father said. However, such correction is only possible, and efficacious, so long as “everyone recalls that we are sinners and that we need the Lord's forgiveness.” This same awareness which “makes me to recognize the sins in others,” he continued, is the same which “reminds me that I have sinned, and sinned many times.” The Pope continued, saying this is why we ask the Lord for mercy at the beginning of every Mass. “Have mercy on me, Lord. I am a sinner! I confess, Almighty God, my sins.” He added that before entering Mass, there are two things we must always remember: that we are sinners, and that God always grants us mercy. Concluding his address before beginning the Angelus prayer, Pope Francis invoked the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, recalling that the feast of her nativity will be celebrated Monday, September 8. Read more