Letter to the High Commissioner of Nigeria in Canada from Bishop François Lapierre, P.M.É., Chairman of the CCCB Human Rights Committee, regarding the recent violent attacks by the Boko Haram sect in Nigeria
Tuesday, November 15 2011November 14, 2011
His Excellency The High Commissioner of
High Commission of
Your Excellency:
We would like to share with you our deep concern about the recent violent attacks by the Boko Haram sect in the States of Yobe and Borno. Some of these attacks, directed against churches as well as mosques, claimed many victims.
In response, Pope Benedict XVI has launched an appeal “to end all violence, which does not resolve problems but accentuates them by sowing hatred and discord, also among believers” (Message following the Angelus, 6 November 2011). As well, The Most Reverend Ignatius Ayau Kaigama, the Catholic Archbishop of Jos, Nigeria, has declared that the best solutions are to “find ways to live together in peace and go to the root of problems: economic, social and youth unemployment, which is forcing many young into the arms of fanatic political leaders. If we can solve these problems, we could live in harmony alongside each other.”
Following these statements of Benedict XVI and Archbishop Kaigama, we urge your government to take the necessary measures that will ensure the rights not only of the residents of the villages recently affected by this violence but all Nigerians, so they can live in peace and security.
Thank you for the attention that you will be giving to our request.
Sincerely,
The Most Reverend François Lapierre, P.M.É.
Bishop of Saint-Hyacinthe
Chairman of the Human Rights Committee
Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops
c.c.: The Honourable John Baird,
Minister of Foreign Affairs