Christmas: Christians must not allow structural weaknesses become excuse for doing wrong- Bishop Kukah
The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah, has called on Christians not to allow structural weaknesses become excuse for doing wrong.
In his Christmas message on Wednesday, Bishop Kukah said that Christians cannot continue to blame the Constitution, the judiciary, the police, or other public servants for the corruption in the society.
The Bishop urged Christians in Nigeria not to forget that they are the light of the world.
“I appeal to Christians not to forget that we are the light of the world, the city on the hill that cannot be hidden. Christians must not allow the structural weaknesses, the foibles and failures of the Nigerian state, to become an excuse for doing wrong.
“We cannot continue to blame the Constitution, the Judiciary, the Police, or other public servants for the corruption in our society,” Bishop Kukah said.
He noted that corruption is another word for not keeping the words and promises made by Christians at baptism.
“We swore to be faithful to Christ at baptism before we encountered the Constitution. The Constitution is a human instrument with limitations and flaws. However, the Word of God is a divine command and inerrant. Good Christians have the laws of God written in their hearts (2 Cor. 3:3) They need no other law,” he added.
He noted that Christmas offers Christians a time for deep personal reflections on the values and virtues of the Christian witness.
While noting that some progress has been made in the area of security in Nigeria in his message, Bishop Kukah, however, noted that “we are not out of the woods yet.”
He said “A comprehensive work plan to secure our nation, with clear datelines, must be put in place. Insecurity is the first child of corruption. We cannot win the war against insecurity without addressing the issues of unemployment and violent religious extremism which create the conditions for violence.
“Religious extremism can only be resolved if the government employs the force of the law and prosecutes the perpetrators as criminals and murderers.”
The Bishop also reflected on the tragedies of stampede that happened in Oyo State, Anambra and Abuja recently, stating that the failures of government to respond concretely toward ending the horrible crisis of hunger and desperation has created the conditions for these avoidable tragedies.
