By Michael Nsikak Umoh, CSN
20 salient points from the CBCN 2025 IKOT EKPENE communique:
1. Hope and Perseverance: The bishops call on Nigerians to persevere in Christian hope and work towards justice in the nation.
2. Family Values: The CBCN expresses concern over the erosion of family values and rising trend of poor parenting.
3. Prostitution: Related to the above point, the bishops condemn prostitution, which dehumanizes individuals and undermines families.
4. IVF and Moral Implications: The CBCN reaffirms the Church’s teaching that IVF is gravely immoral due to the separation of unitive and procreative aspects of marriage. It also leads to commodification of human embryos.
5. Idolatry and Occult Practices: The bishops express concern over the resurgence of idolatry and occult practices among young people.
6. Digital Age Challenges: The CBCN warns about the dangers of digital technology, including pornography, cybercrime, and addiction. They call for aggressive media literacy in the Church and schools; like Communications Week programme.
7. Liturgical Norms: The bishops express concern over deviations from established liturgical norms and traditions within the Church. Priests must be faithful.
8. Private Ministries: The CBCN warns about the exploitation of religion for material gain and the emergence of charlatans and prosperity gospel preachers. Unfortunately also found among some Catholic priests.
9. Catechesis: The bishops emphasize the importance of catechesis in fostering deep communion with Jesus Christ and forming lifelong faithful disciples.
10. State of the Nation: The CBCN acknowledges some positive changes in Nigeria but expresses concern over persistent challenges, including insecurity, poverty, and youth unemployment.
11. Corruption and Bad Governance: The bishops identify corruption and bad governance as the fundamental cause of Nigeria’s problems.
12. Electoral Reform: The CBCN calls for comprehensive electoral reform to ensure electronic transmission and collation of results and transparent appointment of INEC officials.
13. Political Education: The bishops request INEC and other agencies to engage in intensive political education to encourage citizen participation.
14. Role of Lay Faithful: The CBCN emphasises the role of lay faithful in transforming the temporal order with Christian principles.
15. Environmental Degradation: The bishops call on the government to take stringent measures to protect the environment, particularly in the Niger Delta region.
16. Support for Integral Education: The CBCN appreciates the new National Policy on Non-State Schools and encourages dioceses and religious congregations to benchmark their schools against national standards.
17. Agriculture: The bishops call on governments to create an enabling environment for farmers and pay attention to the implications of genetically modified organisms.
18. Passing of Pope Francis: The CBCN pays tribute to the late Pope Francis and congratulates Pope Leo XIV on his inauguration.
19. National Celebration of Jubilee Year of Hope: The bishops announce the national celebration of the Jubilee Year of Hope, which will feature pilgrimages to holy sites.
20. Call to Action: The CBCN calls on Nigerians to work towards authentic national transformation and entrusts the nation to the maternal intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
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