Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja
The Metropolitan Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Ignatius Kaigama, has frowned at arguments against the re-opening of worship centres in the country.
Kaigama also said the  view  that  religion  was  a  non-essential  service  ignored  the  fact  that a  highly  religious  nation  such  as  Nigeria  relied on  religious  peace  and  harmony  for  its social  integration,  economic  and  political  progress.
The immediate past President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) also picked holes in the murder of George Floyd, an African-American in Minnesota, Minneapolis, United States, saying that the killing was inhumane.
Delivering the homily to mark the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity at the Holy Cross Catholic Church, Gwarimpa, Abuja, Kaigama said: “For some months now, we  have  not  been  able  to  gather  in  this  sort  of  liturgical assembly  to  praise,  glorify  and  worship  God.  This  has  been on  account  of  the  deadly coronavirus. The  threat  of  the  virus  has  not  gone,  but  we  are  determined  to  learn  to live  with  it  by going  on  with  our  daily  routines.  We  must  however  observe  those  strict measures  that  will  protect  us  from  infection.
“Our  civil  authorities  realize  that  in  addition to  the  medical  and  social  distancing  precautions,  the  spiritual  response  to  this  disease is a  very  powerful part  of  the  strategies  to  defeat  it. Arguments  by  some  officials  that worship places are the breathing  grounds  for  the  virus  downplay the animated  effort  by  the COVID-19 Presidential  Task  Force  (PTF)  and Nigeria Centre for Disease Control  (NCDC)  in  promoting social  distancing  and  good  personal hygiene which are  the  ways  to  keep  us  safe  from  the  virus,” Kaigama said.
Kaigama further said the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja’s guidelines and protocols for the resumption of public liturgical celebrations showed  how  seriously  the  matter  of providing  safe,  healthy  and  conducive  atmosphere  for  worship  had  been  taken.
“I believe  that  many  of  the  public  places  like  markets  and  shops where  people  are allowed to frequent  do  not  provide  the  disciplined  control  and  the  same  healthy environment  that  our  worship  centres  offer.  The health of worshippers is very  important  to  us.  The  view  that  religion  is  a  non-essential  service  ignores  the  fact  that a  highly  religious  nation  such as  Nigeria  relies on  religious  peace  and  harmony  for  its social  integration,  economic  and  political  progress.  To  argue  that  prayers  can  be  said at  home  and  not  necessarily  in  worship  places  is  to  betray  ignorance  of  the  potency and  efficacy  of  communal  prayers.
“I  commend  the FCT  Minister  who  in  dialogue  with  the  Christian,  Muslim  and  Traditional leaders,  following  the  guidelines  supplied  by  the  Federal  Government,  worked  out  the modality  for  the  reopening  of  Churches  and  Mosques  in  the  FCT,” Kaigama  also said.
On the murder of Floyd, Kaigama noted that every human being in his uniqueness, is the image and likeness of God.
Kaigama added that no human life should be considered more precious or less precious than the other, while also frowning at the cases of domestic, ethnic and religious violence in the country.
“The brutal murder of George Floyd in the United States by a police officer is very  inhumane  to  say  the  least,  just  as  the  cases  in  our  country  of  domestic,  ethnic and  religious  violence  and  violence  perpetrated  by  unknown  gunmen,  kidnappers, armed  robbers  and  rapists,” Kaigama also said.
Kaigama however said as  the  Trinity  is  a  community of persons, “we  as  humans  need  to  be  mutually interdependent  and  concerned  for  one  another.”