Nigerian Anglican Primate Says Christians are facing genocide in slow motion
from Virtueonline:
Thousands of people have been killed by well-organized, well-equipped, and well-funded extremist groups. Over 150 villages have been sacked. Over 2 million internally displaced people, and thousands more have been kidnapped for sex and ransom.
THE FOLLOWING ADDRESS WAS DELIVERED BY THE MOST REV’D DR. HENRY C. NDUKUBA AT THE G20 RELIGION FORUM (R20) INTERNATIONAL SUMMIT OF RELIGIOUS LEADERS GRAND HYATT, NUSA DUA BALI, 2-3 NOVEMBER 2022
May the Grace and Peace of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ be upon us and our World. I am delighted to address this very important gathering on the occasion of the G20 Religion Forum (R20) International Summit of Religious Leaders. It is such a great privilege this morning, in the company of other World Religious leaders, to consider the place of the religious community in the future growth and welfare of the people. I speak for the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), the largest Anglican Church in the world, with 25 million regular worshippers. I also speak from the Global South, the present Centre of Gravity of Global Christianity, that is, the Global South is where Christianity is experiencing rapid growth, people are becoming Christians daily and finding in Jesus Christ hope for living and eternity. They have found the Word of God and the Holy Spirit their source of strength and hope in the face of great challenges. There are now over 52 million Anglicans in the Global South out of 85 million worldwide.
Africans are reported to be spiritually oriented and religious and we are. Across the religions in our continent we share a deep awareness that we live our lives in a world we did not create and with spiritual realities, we must take account of. So it is most encouraging to us that Indonesia has taken the lead for those of us from the Global South to bring religion to this global platform of discussion and seeking solutions to the challenges that face our nations. It is my hope that the leaders of nations that have, for the moment, the privilege of political and economic power will be humble enough to learn that from our religious traditions we have great riches, values, and resources to bring to international deliberations and decision-making.
Jesus Christ said that He “came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”1 As the Archbishop of Canterbury said at the funeral of the late Queen Elizabeth, “People of loving service are rare in any walk of life. Leaders of loving service are still rarer. But in all cases, those who serve will be loved and remembered when those who cling to power and privileges are long forgotten.” And loving and selfless service is at the core of who we are as Christians which is also common ground in our religious traditions. The constraints of the love of God in service have not only sustained us in the face of much hardship, persecution, marginalization, and suffering but motivates us to extend love even to our oppressors and enemies.
You are not unaware of the challenges all of us face in our communities from religious extremism, both now, and as a result of such extremism in the past. We will be hearing at this conference about those faced by our Christian community in Nigeria from religious extremism and terrorism. These attacks in Northern and Central and other parts of Nigeria are a clear attempt to terrorize and displace local populations of Christians so that they flee and leave their land and property.
Christians in Nigeria, since the formation of the nation, persistently faced persecution, especially in northern Nigeria, and have learned to live with it.
What has been of great concern, in the last decade or more, is the increasing totalized violence against Christians and their communities since 2000 by Boko Haram radical Islamic sects and Al-Qaida and ISIL affiliates since 2009 and subsequently Fulani Herdsmen militias.
Related Posts
Tags
Share This
