Nigeria Catholic Bishops to host ECOWAS counterparts on hunger, insecurity

Worried about the growing rate of insecurity, hunger and other social vices affecting the West African Region, the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) is set to host the Regional Episcopal Conference of West Africa (RECOWA) which brings other Catholic Bishops in West Africa together to discuss on how to assist governments to fight the menace threatening the existence of the region.

Reverend Father Zacharia Samjumi, the Secretary-General of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN) disclosed this through a statement signed by the President of CBCN, Most Reverend Ignatius Kaigama which he read to the media in Abuja on Wednesday.

He said “the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) is set to host their counterparts in the entire West African region under the aegis of the Regional Episcopal Conference of West Africa (RECOWA), in Abuja from Monday, May 2, to Monday, May 9, 2022.

The theme of the Conference is “Fratelli Tutti: Path to building human fraternity and sustainable peace in West Africa.” Which is in line with Pope Francis’ Encyclical, Fratelli Tutti, released in 2020.

He said “importantly, the RECOWA General Assembly will pay attention to our common humanity – Fratelli Tutti. It is an effort to go beyond geographical and linguistic differences to appreciate those issues that speak to us more on the understanding that we all are brothers and sisters.

“It means that we are all connected as humans, not only in our aspirations to actualise our universal values, but also in our struggles, headaches and fears. The appeal to our common humanity is to come to terms with the reality that all human beings are in need of one another, to live fully human”.

The Clergy further said that driven by the awareness of common humanity, “RECOWA plenaries discuss peculiar issues that affect the lives of millions of people in West Africa and explore how best the Church can support governments toward improving the living conditions of the people. RECOWA has various organs that address the issues of interfaith dialogue, security, good governance, justice and peace”.

He said RECOWA was established with the primary aim of enhancing the Church’s mission in the region; maintaining and fostering relations among the constituent Episcopal Conferences.

“Moreover, as RECOWA, the Church has been able to raise concerns and work together on issues bordering on justice and peace. From Senegal to Nigeria, RECOWA has been a strong voice against land grabbing, child trafficking, illegal migration, terrorism, placing the issue of climate change on the concurrent list to curb desertification and many others. It is expected that these issues will still form part of the agenda at the 2022 plenary, which is expected to bring together over 150 Bishops.

“With this new arrangement which transcended the linguistic barriers imposed by English, French and Portuguese, the Catholic Church confirmed itself as an organ of integration for West Africa”, he added.