WCC NEWS: Nigerian archbishop encourages inter-religious solutions to violence

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World Council of Churches - News

NIGERIAN ARCHBISHOP ENCOURAGES INTER-RELIGIOUS SOLUTIONS TO VIOLENCE

For immediate release: 26 January 2012

Methodist Archbishop Michael Kehinde Stephen of Ibadan, Nigeria has
appealed to Christian and Muslim leaders worldwide to act together in the
face of extremist violence that threatens to divide Nigerians along
religious lines.

“In Nigeria, leaders of the Muslim and Christian communities have come
together to condemn violence,” the archbishop noted in an interview.
“Since 1999 the Nigerian Inter-religious Council (NIREC) has worked to
calm the passions arising from a series of attacks and retaliations
manifested in murders and the burning of churches and mosques.”

In recent weeks, Islamic leaders have joined Christians in condemning
renewed violence fomented by Boko Haram, a Nigerian group that demands the
imposition of Sharia law and the eradication of western influence in the
nation. The current wave of terror was started by church bombings at
Christmas.

Stephen asserted, “We want to see Nigeria remain as one, but today there
is apprehension and anxiety among people who fear that calls for
geographical division may intensify.” The north of Nigeria is populated
predominantly by followers of Islam, while southern Nigeria is largely
Christian.

“It is essential that people of faith work together to instil mutual
trust among our communities,” said Stephen, “yet our churches have not
developed a unified plan beyond dialogue. And it is an open question
whether the government can re-establish confidence and inspire national
unity. There is a sense that we are being caught up in the sort of
divisions that led to the tragedy of our civil war in the late 1960s.”

The archbishop serves as moderator of an international Christian panel that
is preparing a report on ecumenism in the 21st century to be presented at
the 10th Assembly of the World Council of Churches in 2013. He was
interviewed during a meeting of this broadly representative group, which
took place from 14-19 January in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Working together for peace

Archbishop Stephen expressed thanks for prayers and other expressions of
concern for Nigeria that he has received from the global community.

He continued, “What I would like to see now is the appointment of a
highly visible visitation panel made up of both Christians and Muslims of
international reputation. They would join in saying that what is happening
in Nigeria is wrong, and that we have come to Nigeria to stand in
solidarity with those who are striving for peace.”

Stephen also urged for a strong ecumenical support to the Christian
Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Christian Council of Nigeria (CCN) in
capacity building and empowering them to respond to the situation in
Nigeria.

He explained, “The government and the people need this sort of
demonstration that what is happening in Nigeria is no longer a local
problem. It is a cause of deep concern internationally, and the great
faith traditions can be part of the solution.”

Stephen suggested that in the longer term, international Christian bodies
might appoint an “ecumenical envoy” as was done in the build-up to
independence for South Sudan. Such an envoy would relate to churches
through such national inter-church organizations as the CAN and the CCN.

“Through an envoy or another means of regular contact,” he concluded,
“world religious bodies can assist NIREC, CAN and the CCN by sharing
resources, experiences from other places and best practices, in order to
equip and mobilize our communities for the sake of peace.”

Read also:

WCC accompanying churches in situations of conflict (Link:
http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=ae8e5441a392874d339e )

WCC programme on Inter-religious dialogue and cooperation
(Link:
http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=09c7abbc77b31e80e22e )

WCC member churches in Nigeria (Link:
http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=666239b00cbcc5e143c9 )


The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness 
and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of 
churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 349 Protestant, 
Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 560 million 
Christians in over 110 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman 
Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, 
from the [Lutheran] Church of Norway. Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.



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