Pope Francis Reacts To #EndSARS Crisis, Prays Peace, Justice Reign In Nigeria

Pope Francis has offered prayers to God for Nigeria that peace would be restored “through the promotion of justice and the common good”, appealing for an end to violence in the face of the nationwide #EndSARS crisis.

The Pope offered the prayers from a window overlooking St. Peter’s Square after reciting the Angelus.

He said: “I follow with particular concern the news coming from Nigeria about the recent violent clashes between law enforcement agencies and some young protesters.” We pray to the Lord that all forms of violence will always be avoided, in the constant search for social harmony through the promotion of justice and the common good.”

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Around 20 million of Nigeria’s 206 million population are Catholics. Protests against police brutality erupted in Africa’s most populous country October 7. Demonstrators called for the abolition of a police Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).

The Nigerian Police Force had said October 11 that it would disband SARS, but demonstrations continued. Armed men opened fire on protesters October 20 in the commercial city of Lagos, killing at least 12 people, according to Amnesty International. Nigeria’s army denied responsibility for the deaths.

The  police said at the weekend that they would “use all legitimate means to halt a further slide into lawlessness,” amid looting and further street violence.

In his reflection before the Angelus, the Pope meditated on the day’s Gospel reading (Matthew 22:34-40), in which a scholar of the law challenges Jesus to name the greatest commandment.

He noted that Jesus replied by saying “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” and “The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

The Pope suggested that the questioner wanted to draw Jesus into a dispute about the hierarchy of laws. “But Jesus establishes two essential principles for believers of all times. The first is that moral and religious life cannot be reduced to an anxious and forced obedience,” he explained.

He continued: “The second cornerstone is that love must tend together and inseparably toward God and toward neighbor. This is one of Jesus’ primary innovations and it helps us understand that what is not expressed in love of neighbor is not true love of God; and, likewise, what is not drawn from one’s relationship with God is not true love of neighbor.”