Sultan meets Pope’s envoy, deliberates on Muslim/Christian leaders’ collaboration

The Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, met on Monday with the Secretary for Relations with States and International Organisation of the Holy See, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, at the National Mosque in Abuja.

The meeting between the Sultan and the Pope’s envoy with his entourage, including leaders of the Catholic community in Nigeria, was aimed at promoting mutual understanding and emphasising the need for cooperation across religious and faith communities in promoting peace and peaceful coexistence.

Speaking with journalists after the closed-door meeting, the NSCIA Deputy Secretary-General, Professor Salisu Shehu, who spoke on behalf of the Sultan, said Archbishop Gallagher was an important and key personality from the Vatican who heads the office that coordinates diplomatic relationships and international linkages at the Vatican.

According to him, the meeting was an avenue for religious leaders to work towards maintaining and improving the security situation, not just in Nigeria but also across the world.

Shehu informed that the Sultan warmly welcomed the visitor and praised the Catholic community, especially in Nigeria, for being very cooperative and highly committed to peaceful coexistence in the country.

He added that the spiritual leader of the Nigerian Muslim Ummah also acknowledged the Nigerian Catholic community’s willingness to work together with him (Sultan) through various interfaith organisations and activities to ensure that peace and security are promoted in Nigeria.

“One of the major issues discussed was the need to fight hate speech because, to a large extent, hate speech has been most injurious to peaceful coexistence in the country.

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“It has created what may be described as perceptual and relational crises among faith communities in Nigeria.

“Therefore, there was a strong call for all religious and faith communities to work together to combat hate speech, especially the growing and unfortunate phenomenon whereby some individuals openly insult religious leaders who are highly respected within their various faith communities.

“There was also a call to tame such behaviour and ensure that people refrain from insulting not only important religious figures but even ordinary individuals, who equally deserve respect,” Prof. Shehu said.

He further disclosed that the meeting discussed the need to fight fake news, asserting that, “Fake news is another evil being used to precipitate a lot of trouble in the country, and therefore, it is something that we must collectively confront.

“There was also a discussion on the need to address the overall moral perversion that is holding sway in the world today.

“We are witnessing a great deal of moral degeneration and moral perversion globally, and it is the duty of religious leaders and faith workers to ensure that these challenges are confronted.

“Finally, there was a discussion on the need to fight atheism—the growing rejection of God among young people, both within the Muslim and Christian communities,” he said.

On his part, Archbishop Gallagher described his entourage’s visit to meet the leadership of the Muslim community in Nigeria as being very, very good, adding that he was delighted to be invited by the Sultan.

“We had a very frank and illuminating conversation—”illuminating” is the word he used—and it was good to hear that many of our positions regarding the role of religious leaders, both on the Catholic side and the Muslim side, coincide.

“For me, this is a reason for optimism regarding the religious cohesion of the country and our shared commitment to working for the good of all Nigerians.

“The observation is that there is a common view and a common conviction that Christians and Muslims, particularly their leaders, must work together for the common good of all Nigerians,” the visiting Archbishop Gallagher said.