c. 1998 Religion News Service
VATICAN CITY _ Pope John Paul II expressed hope Wednesday (March 25) that his recent trip to Nigeria would give a lift to human rights in the country riven by the harsh suppression of dissent and ruled by a general who shows no signs of easing his powerful grip.
Unlike the assurances the pope won from Fidel Castro in his trip to communist Cuba in January to consider clemency appeals for political prisoners, the pope walked away from the outcast African country Monday with no promises.
Military ruler Gen. Sani Abacha, who seized power in 1993 after losing an election, told the pope in a farewell address that”your prayers, blessing and words of advice will inspire us in the pursuit of genuine national reconciliation.” But Abacha did not respond directly to a Vatican request for the release of 60 political prisoners. The names have not been published, but Abacha’s vanquished rival who won the 1993 elections, Moshood Abiola, is believed to be among them.
In contrast, Castro had vowed to consider the request, and weeks later released 299 detainees.
At his weekly audience in Rome on Wednesday, the pope said he hoped his pilgrimage to Nigeria would”contribute to intensify the process toward reconciliation in justice and the total respect of human rights for all Nigerians.” The comments echoed similar appeals he made during his three-day trip last weekend to Africa’s most populous nation.”Respect for every human person, for his dignity and rights, must ever be the inspiration behind your efforts to increase democracy and strengthen the social fabric of your country,”the pope said Monday at the second of two open-air Masses.
He called on Nigerians to”play a part in the building of a new reality in this land.” But positive wholesale changes are far from certain, with elections scheduled in August that are stacked in favor of Abacha despite his protestations to the contrary.
Human rights groups say they fear the elections could prompt widescale violence not”reconciliation,”which the government claims will result from elections it has labeled democratic.
Many of Nigeria’s 112 million people are suffering from the twin impact of international sanctions imposed following the 1995 execution of activist writer Ken Saro-Wiwa, and the worsening economic situation due to the steep drop in oil prices, Nigeria’s lifeblood export product.
The pope’s trip to Nigeria and President Bill Clinton’s 12-day tour of Africa has brought a new and unaccustomed focus to Africa’s hopes and its problems.
Clinton spurned a visit to Nigeria, and ridiculed African countries that continue to be run by”military dictatorship.” In contrast, the pope laid off the incendiary rhetoric, putting the accent on hope and possibilities.
For the Roman Catholic Church, the stakes are high. Only 10 percent of Nigerians are Catholic. Half are Muslim and the balance are other Christians and followers of African animism. The church has long sought a peaceful understanding with the Islamic world in Africa and the Middle East but the relationship has often been marred by violence.
The pope met with Muslim leaders on Sunday, telling them that”whenever violence is done in the name of religion, we must make it clear to everyone that in such instances we are not dealing with true religion.” On Wednesday he said he had accented”the spiritual links which unite Christians and Muslims.”He said they should”collaborate for the protection of life and the promotion of effective recognition of the human rights of all.” But it is unclear whether the message is getting through. The sultan of Sokoto, Nigeria’s Muslim leader, praised the pope’s quest for tolerance but said pointedly that the country would not be dictated to.”Nigeria as a sovereign country has the right to chart her course as she considers fit,”the sultan, Alhaji Muhammadu Maccido, told the pope.
DEA END RNS
