ABUJA, APRIL 28, 2020 (CISA) – Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja has called for the assessment of the social effects of the lock down on citizens and effort to alleviate them by being compassionate, united and humane.
“We should all join hands to assess the social effects of the lockdown. There are many social consequences of this lockdown. There is boredom, there is hunger, psychological stress, domestic violence and even abuse. We call on individuals and groups to share even the little they have with the poor,” he said.
In his April 26 homily at Christ the King Catholic Parish Kubwa, Abuja the prelate emphasized that it is a good time to set aside rivalries of any kind among communities and promote peace and unity.
“We should not promote discord and division but we should promote unity with our brothers and sisters by overcoming ethnic rivalries and extending a helping hand to the sick, the aged, the disabled and the neglected who in a very special way represent Christ,” he urged.
He also called on law enforcement agents to handle citizens with dignity considering that they are struggling to make ends meet due the various directives imposed by government during the covid-19 pandemic.
“We beg the law enforcement agents to be humane, I say humane in dealing with fellow citizens who are forced by circumstances and are daily struggling to look for what to eat. Be humane to them. The law must be applied but with human dignity,” he said.
Warning traders against hiking prices of items, he noted that this is a critical time when everyone should practice acts of compassion instead of taking advantage of the pandemic to do unfair business that oppresses others and makes it difficult to afford necessities.
“No one should try hoarding of items this time. This is a critical time. No one should try hoarding. Whatever you have should actually be shared with others, and shared freely. Remember if you hoard, God is watching…we must learn to do things in the interest of the common good by putting our neighbors first, not the usual way of self-centered interest,” he noted.
