Cardinal Dolan, Bishop Pates Express Sadness, Support To President Of Nigerian Bishops Over Cathedral Bombing
WASHINGTON—The U.S. bishops sendtheir “unconditional support to the Church in Nigeria” following the September23 bombing of St. John’s Cathedral in Bauchi, according to a letter fromCardinal Timothy Dolan of New York and Bishop Richard Pates of Des Moines, Iowato Archbishop Ignatius Ayau Kaigama of
WASHINGTON—The U.S. bishops sendtheir “unconditional support to the Church in Nigeria” following the September23 bombing of St. John’s Cathedral in Bauchi, according to a letter fromCardinal Timothy Dolan of New York and Bishop Richard Pates of Des Moines, Iowato Archbishop Ignatius Ayau Kaigama of Jos, president of the Catholic Bishops’Conference of Nigeria
“Our thoughts and prayers are withthose who have lost loved ones in this attack and with the scores of others whowere wounded,” Cardinal Dolan, president of the U.S. Conference of CatholicBishops (USCCB) and Bishop Pates, chairman of the USCCB Committee onInternational Justice and Peace, wrote in their September 25 letter. “We knowthat Christians and Muslims will strive to find the courage and the love tocontinue building right relationships that will promote peace. We hope that theperpetrators of violence and terror will be brought to justice.
They pledged the support of the U.S.bishops for the Church in Nigeria, citing the recent visit by Bishop Pates inhis capacity as International Justice and Peace chairman, and noted that thebishops are organizing assistance for programs in Jos. Cardinal Dolan andBishop Pates said they would also contact the U.S. State Department, urgingthem to intensify their support for efforts in Nigeria to “end these senselessattacks, to address the root causes of the violence, and to rebuild the socialfabric of the country.
In a September 26 response,Archbishop Kaigama thanked the bishops for their solidarity and wrote that theChurch in Nigeria is “consoled by your prayers and prompt expression offraternal good wishes.
The full text of the letter fromCardinal Dolan and Bishop Pates is available online: www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/religious-liberty/upload/dolan-pates-to-kaigama-nigeria-bombing-2012-09-25.pdf
Keywords: cathedral bombing, Nigeria, Cardinal TimothyDolan, Bishop Richard Pates, USCCB, U.S. bishops, U.S. Conference of CatholicBishops, International Justice and Peace, violence, Christians, Muslims, StateDepartmen
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