Catholic Bishops Lament Economic Hardship, Violence, Insecurity in Nigeria

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

Catholic bishops under the auspices of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) have expressed concern over what they described as state of lawlessness in the country.

They said that many families have been torn apart, livelihoods disrupted, and lives lost due to lawlessness and criminality.

In a Christmas message signed by CBCN President and the Archbishop of Owerri Archdiocese, Most Rev. Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, the bishops said notwithstanding the bad situation in the country, Nigerians should have hope for a better tomorrow.

“Nigeria today carries heavy wounds. Economic hardship, insecurity, displacement, and persistent violence have left many of our people fearful, weary, and uncertain. Families have been torn apart, livelihoods disrupted, and lives lost to lawlessness.

“We recall with deep pain the abduction of students and staff from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State, and the anguish of families whose loved ones remain in captivity, alongside countless others across the country living under similar threats.

“They are human lives of immeasurable worth, each bearing the image of God. Yet Christmas proclaims a deeper truth: suffering does not mean abandonment. Because God has entered history, history is never closed. Christian hope does not deny evil, but it refuses to concede that evil is final.”

The bishops however said that Christmas opens the path toward hope and renewal, adding that there is an assurance that peace can be built and unity restored in the country.

The bishops further said that, “even when answers are delayed and outcomes remain uncertain, hope assures us that no life is forgotten and that every effort to protect life and restore dignity participates in God’s saving work.

“Because the birth of Christ assures us that evil does not have the final word, Christmas opens before us the path toward hope and renewal. Peace can be built, unity restored, and justice takes root when truth and human dignity are respected. Our nation longs for a future where integrity overcomes corruption and violence gives way to security.

“While injustice has wounded our common life, Christmas assures us that these patterns are not irreversible.

“What has been fractured can be rebuilt, and what has been wounded can be healed, if we accept the shared responsibility this hope demands.

“Even amid these trials, signs of hope continue to emerge in our land. Across our communities, many Nigerians quietly choose courage over fear, honesty over corruption, and service over self-interest. These daily acts of faithfulness remind us that the moral heart of our nation is still alive and that renewal can grow even in a difficult soil.

“To celebrate Christmas is therefore to see Nigeria not only as she is, but as she is called to be. Emmanuel, God with us, assures us that our story is not finished, that grace is still at work in our land, and that hope remains stronger than fear.