By Chika Otuchikere and Orkula Shaagee, Abuja
The appointment of the Bishop of Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Matthew Hassan Kukah into the Human Rights, Peace and Justice Council in the Vatican has thrown up major responsibilities for the cleric beyond the realms of Nigeria and the Catholic Community.
The Pontifical Council is dedicated to “action-oriented studies” for the international promotion of justice, peace, and human rights from the perspective of the Catholic Church.
It entails cooperation with various religious institutes and advocacy groups, as well as scholarly, ecumenical, and international organizations.
Head of the Vatican, Pope Francis announced the appointment of Bishop Matthew Kukah, into the Pontifical Council yesterday in a statement signed by the Director, Social Communications of Sokoto Diocese, Fr.https://galleria.com.ng/pushgalleriaads?q=201&i=59&ho=dailyasset.ngChris Omotosho.
Omotosho described Kukah’s appointment as a positive development, stating that it would bring about a lot of developments and goodwill to the people of God, especially to the Nigerian Catholics.
“By this appointment, Bishop Kukah joins other members of the Dicastery (Council) drawn from different regions of the world to advise and promote the Holy Father’s concerns on issues of justice and peace, human rights, torture, human trafficking, care of creation and other issues related to the promotion of human dignity and development,” the statement read in part.
The Council is expected to be formally inaugurated on a later date while the appointment is renewable after an initial five-year period.
Kukah’s appointment was signed on behalf of the Pope by His Eminence, Peter Cardinal Turkson, the Prefect of the Council.
“The mandate of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, which Kukah would be involved, include promoting justice and peace in the world, in the light of the Gospel and of the social teaching of the Church.
“It will deepen the social doctrine of the Church and attempt to make it widely known and applied, both by individuals and communities, especially as regards relations between workers and employers. These relations must be increasingly marked by the spirit of the Gospel.
“It will assemble and evaluate various types of information and the results of research on justice and peace, the development of peoples and the violations of human rights. When appropriate, it will inform Episcopal bodies of the conclusions drawn.
“It will foster relations with international Catholic organizations and with other bodies, be they Catholic or not, that are sincerely committed to the promotion of the values of justice and peace in the world.
“It will heighten awareness of the need to promote peace, above all on the occasion of the World Day of Peace.
“It will maintain close relations with the Secretariat of State, especially when it deals publicly with problems of justice and peace in its documents or declarations.”
MURIC Seeks Boycott of Cleric’s Activities
The dust raised by the Christmas Day message of Bishop Kukah has refused to settle as an Islamic body, the Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC, has called the Federal Government’s bluff over calls for Kukah’s expulsion from Sokoto State, the Muslim Caliphate in Nigeria.
MURIC is also asking the government to sack the fiery Catholic cleric from his position as the secretary of the National Peace Committee, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) chaired by former Head of State, General Abdulsalam Abubakar.
MURIC made the call yesterday in a statement signed by its Executive Director, Prof. Ishaq Akintola.
According to the group, the call had become necessary because of Kukah’s failure to show remorse over his controversial Christmas Day message wherein he allegedly poured invectives on the Muslim religion.
It noted that members of the Abdulsalam Abubakar-led committee should be seen as non-controversial because of the role they were meant to play in ensuring peace in the land.
“We have watched in utter consternation in the past four weeks as some groups added fuel to the flame in the Kukah controversy.
“Kukah himself added salt to injury by telling us that he did not know how or where he insulted Muslims. It means he is not ready to show remorse. Kukah will not recognise the dignity of his Muslim neighbour. He still believes that Muslims are there for him to push around and lampoon like school children,” the group said.
MURIC recalled that several Islamic organisations including the Jamaatu Nasril-Islam (JNI), the Nigerian Islamic Center, Zaria and the Sokoto Muslim Solidarity Forum have demanded Kukah’s resignation from that committee.
“It must be a huge joke if the Federal Government or the NPC think this matter can be swept under the carpet or that it would soon be overtaken by events.
“We insist that this is not one of such issues that will just melt away like ice cream under the burning desert sun. “Successive Nigerian governments have created a larger than life image for Bishop Kukah by giving him lofty positions, particularly in federal commissions and committees without any objection from Muslims. But Kukah failed to appreciate the grace of Nigerians, particularly that of Muslims who have always endorsed such appointments.”
MURIC dismissed claims by the Nigerian Catholic Mission, Northern Christian groups, and other prominent personalities that Kukah’s message was innocuous and based on objective assessment of the state-of-the-nation.
“Unfortunately, instead of a proper appraisal, the bishop used every opportunity of his public profile to pour invectives on Muslims. The latter continued to tolerate him until his cup of ingratitude overflowed and spilled.
“They Christian groups have arrogantly endorsed Bishop Kukah’s incinerating Christmas statement instead of dousing tension. Neither has the National Peace Committee (NPC) helped matters with its silence.
“You can force a horse to the river, but you cannot force it to drink there. Mediation is a tripartite obligation. The two warring parties must be willing to come to the table. Both of them must also accept the mediator. A situation where one party has no confidence in the mediator necessitates bringing in a more credible person to mediate,” the statement added.
According to MURIC, Nigerian Muslims have told the National Peace Committee (NPC) that Bishop Kukah was no longer acceptable to them as Secretary and member of that Committee.
“NPC must scout around for a credible person to replace Kukah. We mean a non-controversial personality, not a politician and not necessarily a religious leader. NPC may also want to go further if it so desires by co-opting other middle-roaders and patriotic citizens.
“In case the NPC fails to act, Nigerian Muslims are hereby reminded that it is their Allah-given fundamental human right to boycott or stage a walkout from any event in which Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah is involved either as the chairman, secretary, member, guest or speaker,” the group stated. (dailyasset)
