By Martin Paul, Abuja

The three tiers of government and the Law Enforcement Agencies in the country  have been urged to work together to resolve the current security challenges, which have ravaged the North -East.

In a pastoral message, after its maiden general assembly, the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja said yesterday that the nation was going through “critical national problems such as high rate of insecurity and crime, hunger and starvation, and collapse in public education and health sectors amongst others.

“We call on government at all levels and the Law Enforcement Agencies to work together to resolve our current security challenges.

Jointly signed by the Archbishop, Most Rev. Ignatius Kaigama and Chancellor, Very Rev. Father Sebastian Musa, the assembly of the Catholic Archdiocese said they would “continue to pray for our President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration for God’s grace and wisdom upon him and other stakeholders to adequately tackle the numerous challenges confronting our nation as we give our unalloyed support to deliver the dividends of democracy to our people”.

The assembly said they were all witnesses of the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic with devastating social and economic consequences, adding that they were also mourning the loss of some of loved ones in the Archdiocese and many others around the world.

“Even though the coast is still not clear, we remain resolute in our determination to pray, do penance, and seek the face of God for mercy on the world. As people of faith, we must remain unwavering in our hope that the God of Mercy and Compassion will listen to our prayer and heal our world of this pandemic.

“We urge everyone to heed the prescribed pastoral guidelines and regulations for liturgical worship and to adhere strictly to the sanitary and hygienic practices such as social distancing, proper use of face masks, frequent hand washing and use of sanitizers to prevent and control the spread of the virus.

“We call on the elderly and children at home who are unable to join their parish communities for religious activities to take advantage of the live transmission of the Holy Mass and other spiritual activities by our Catholic Television (CTV), or other Catholic channels and social media platforms.

“Those who participate physically at Mass and receive Holy Communion on the palm of the hand should do so with appropriate decorum and spiritual disposition”, the Assembly stated.

It also recommended that all Catholics should intensify prayers for the growth of  Archdiocese and for a more prosperous nation, especially the prayer for Nigeria in Distress, Prayer against Bribery and Corruption and the forty days prayer after angelus to end the incessant killings in the country as directed by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria.

“We appeal for more collaboration and transparency at all levels of administration (chancery, parishes, institutions, sodalities etc) in the Archdiocese as we work in harmony according to the heart and mind of Christ.

 “The ravaging COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the deplorable state of our nation’s education and healthcare sectors. We call on Government to partner with religious institutions and faith-based institutions which have shown great commitment in providing quality education and affordable healthcare to a vast majority of citizens.

“We ask every Parish, Pastoral Area and Chaplaincy to step down the proceedings of the General Assembly at a suitable time of the year. CONCLUSION As we pray and work together for greater progress in our Archdiocese nearly forty years after its humble beginnings, let us recall what Colossians 3:23-24 urges, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord, and not for men. You well know that the Lord will reward you; you will receive what he has kept for his people. For Christ is the real Master you serve.

“We commend our Archdiocese and our work of evangelization to the maternal care and intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen and Patroness of Nigeria and Star of Evangelization.

Conscious of her role in the redemptive mission of her Son Jesus, we fly to her patronage and ask her to support us in our efforts to build up the kingdom of her Son in our Archdiocese and in our nation Nigeria” the Communique read.