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(Part I) and (Part II)

MON., AUG. 30
A restful night's sleep at the Harmony Hotel in Addis Ababa was broken by the necessity of being at the airport for a 10 a.m. flight to Abuja in Nigeria.

Evidence of economic growth in Ethiopia was abundant in the construction of new buildings and hotels in the area where we stayed. Indeed, the airport itself was spacious, ascetically pleasing and staffed by courteous and professional personnel.

On the trip to the airport, however, we caught a quick glimpse of the other side of Ethiopia. Outside the majestic Ethiopian Orthodox Cathedral, there were rows of homeless men and women covered with plastic bags or cardboard boxes which constituted the sum of their possessions.

The flight from Ethiopia to Nigeria was four and a half hours long. I am still amazed by the size of the African continent, which is over two and a half times the land mass of the continental United States.

This part of the trip had a somewhat different focus than the past week in the Sudan. There, Steve Hilbert and I were representing the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on International Justice and Peace.

We sought to assess the critical situation in the Sudan firsthand by meeting with the leadership of the Sudan Catholic Conference, with U.S. government and international United Nations representatives and with Catholic organizations in the Sudan.

Our major purpose was to assure the Sudanese Catholic community of the support and solidarity our bishops' conference has with them in their hour of need.

In Nigeria, as an ex-officio member of the bishops' Sub-Committee on Africa, I met with:

• Bishop John Ricard of Pensacola-Tallahassee, Fla., the chair of the Sub-Committee;

• Bishop Martin Holley, an auxiliary bishop in Washington, DC, and chair of the bishops' Committee on African-Americans;

• Patrick Markey, the staff person for the National Committee on Collections and its Solidarity Fund for Africa;

• Kevin Applebee, the staff person for the bishops' Com-mittee on Migration and Refugees,

• Dorothy Madison Seck, the Catholic Relief Services regional director for Central Africa;

• Fritz Kugler, the staff person to the Subcommittee on Africa; and

• Nancy Wiechec, a photojournalist from Catholic News Service.

We were guests of the Nigerian Catholic Bishops' Conference. During our visit, we hoped to receive input from the bishops about their assessment of the situation in Nigeria both civilly and ecclesiastically; to get their ideas about the types of programs that would be beneficial to their people; and to evaluate the programs already sponsored by our Solidarity Fund.

History lesson
Contemporary Nigerian history came into being in 1885 when Britain laid claim to a sphere of influence in Nigeria. The following year, the Royal Niger Company was chartered.

In 1900, the company's territory came under the control of the British government, which moved to consolidate its hold over the area of what is modern Nigeria. In 1914, the area was formally united as the "Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria."

A series of constitutions after World War II granted Nigeria greater autonomy; independence came in 1960, under a constitution that provided for a parliamentary form of government with three regions (Northern, Western and Eastern).

In January 1966, a small group of officers, mostly Southeastern Igbos, overthrew the government and assassinated the federal prime minister and the premiers of the Northern and Western regions.

This coup led to the massacre of thousands of Igbos in the North and prompted hundreds of thousands of them to return to the Southeast, where an increasingly strong Igbo secessionist sentiment emerged.

In May 1967, the Igbo secessionist sentiment led to the declaration of a new nation known as the "Republic of Biafra." The ensuing civil war was bitter and bloody, ending in the defeat of Biafra in 1970.

Following many years of military rule, a new constitution was adopted in 1999 and a peaceful transition to a civilian government was completed.

Nigeria today
The government continues to face the daunting task of reforming a petroleum-based economy whose revenues have been squandered through corruption and mismanagement. Although both the 2003 and 2007 presidential elections were marred by significant irregularities and violence, Nigeria is currently experiencing its longest period of civilian rule since independence.

In addition, Nigeria continues to experience long-standing ethnic and religious tensions. There are more than 250 ethnic groups in the country; it is estimated that 50 percent of its citizens are Muslim, 40 percent are Christian and 10 percent adhere to indigenous beliefs.

Our delegation met in the late afternoon with the Archbishop of Abuja, John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan. He has exercised this responsibility since 1992.

The archbishop has a warm, gracious, jovial and outgoing demeanor. He made us feel very welcome and took a great interest in the responsibilities each of us exercise in the United States.

The archbishop then offered his assessments about the challenges facing Nigerian society. The major concerns he expressed were about life, property and food security. The government simply is not fulfilling these fundamental responsibilities, which must exist within a society.

Political issues
Once Nigeria returned to civilian rule in 1999, elections have been conducted - but have been seriously flawed. There has been blatant disregard for the normal rules of a plebiscite. People cast their votes, but they are not counted.

Rather, the results of the balloting are assigned by the government. The people of Nigeria have become disillusioned with politics and many are tempted to give up altogether.

The archbishop stated that this political situation is most unfortunate because Nigeria has great natural resources and hard-working people, but no voice. After the elections are conducted, all who participate feel cheated.

In speaking about the role of the Catholic Church, Archbishop John lamented that he and the other Church leaders in Nigeria have not been all that successful in getting the laity to be involved politically.

He noted that, while the Church has done a fine job in primary and secondary education, the leaders' efforts at higher education have been inadequate. Thus, he indicated that he would be looking to our bishops' conference for assistance to help with establishing a national Catholic university.

The archbishop has served for the past few years as president of the Ministerial Association of Nigeria. He feels that ecumenical relationships are positive. Even interactions between Christians and Muslims have been favorable, with little hostility between these traditional adversaries.

U.S. controversy
In this regard, the archbishop was aware of the controversy over the establishment of the mosque and community center in lower Manhattan near Ground Zero. We tried to offer him some perspective on what underlies this controversy.

Certainly, in our pluralistic society Muslims have a constitutional right to erect a mosque. The dispute is over its location. Hopefully, more dialogue will lead to a mutually acceptable resolution to this situation.

TUES., AUG. 31
We began today by meeting with the staff of Catholic Relief Services (CRS) in Abuja. After being expelled from Nigeria in 1970 during the Biafran war, CRS began serving Nigeria again in 1999 and has 75 national staff and eight international staff, headed by Don Rogers.

CRS partners with the Catholic Church and other community-based organizations on peace-building, emergency aid, good governance and assistance for persons with HIV/AIDS.

Given Nigeria's many communal and religious crises during in the last three decades, the issue of peace-building has become imperative. CRS has been working with the Church in Nigeria on peace-building initiatives that emphasize dialogue between opposing groups at the community level.

Peace-building is also integrated into the emergency preparedness program to help prevent the escalation of local conflicts. In order to build the capacity for ensuring peace, CRS has begun to train Church personnel through seminars and workshops.

Already, in two volatile areas - the Niger Delta and the Namu Plateau - 130 peace agents have been trained, mostly in conflict resolution.

Since 2000, hundreds of thousands of Nigerians have been displaced due to the destruction of homes, communal conflicts or natural disasters. CRS has been working with national and diocesan teams to increase their ability to respond to the needs of internally displaced persons.

Accountability
Since most of Nigeria's revenue comes from extractive industries, CRS has sponsored a Good Governance program, which supports the Catholic Church in Nigeria and other partners in their efforts to petition oil companies and the government for increased transparency and corporate responsibility.

The Good Governance program also supports activities that increase the accountability of petrol dollars in Nigeria. Greater transparency and accountability for the wealth generated from extractives is a key step in good governance.

CRS also works with its partners to establish healthy relationships in the oil and gas industry, promoting social responsibility on the part of multi-national corporations.

Since 70 percent of Nigerians are engaged in agriculture, CRS had been involved in the projects supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to boost rice production. Eighty percent of the population consumes rice. Indeed, due to scarcity, there have been rice riots in certain parts of the country.

The USAID projects work with farmers to increase their access to improved rice varieties, mineral fertilizers and best practices on integrated rice management. Presently, CRS is working with 10,000 farmers in Nigeria to enhance their capacity and increase outputs in rice production.

Perhaps most significantly, CRS has been involved with the U.S. President's Emergency Program For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), a program that brings together leaders to support the delivery of anti-retroviral therapy for patients suffering with HIV/AIDS.

At least 2.6 million people have HIV/AIDS in Nigeria, the second largest HIV incidence in sub-Saharan Africa - yet only 12 percent of those eligible for anti-retroviral therapy have access to treatment.

Through 2009, AIDS Relief Nigeria treated a total of 35,000 people with anti-retroviral therapy. An additional 70,000 people have received treatment associated with HIV care.

More specifically, CRS has been working with seven dioceses in Nigeria to provide community-based care and support, including HIV/AIDS prevention through Absence and Be Faithful campaigns; voluntary counseling and testing; home and community-based care; and health-based prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

I was deeply impressed by the dedication and commitment of CRS staff and their multi-faceted approaches to addressing some of the core problems facing the Nigerian people.

Following our meeting with CRS in Abuja, we journeyed across town to meet with the leaders of the Nigerian Bishops' Conference.

Mutual concerns
We had discussions on nine areas of mutual interest to the Nigerian bishops and our own Catholic Conference:

• Nigerian clergy and religious serving the US;

• pastoral care of Nigerian migrants;

• paternal solidarity;

• priestly formation;

• collaborative efforts on Catholic education;

• ongoing formation of clergy, religious and laity; and

• interreligious dialogue.

Our goal was to discuss these concerns together, with the hope that we will deepen our collaboration over time.

The Nigerian bishops were very interested in developing a protocol for the sending and receiving of priests, religious and lay missionaries to and from the United States.

In 2003, our bishops' conference developed "Guidelines for Receiving Pastoral Ministers in the United States," which is a helpful document and one relevant for our discussion. However, it is also a limited document, because it was prepared before we U.S. bishops issued our "Charter for the Protection of Young People, a Promise to Protect and a Pledge to Heal."

We shared with the Nigerian bishops the review process we are presently undertaking and assured them that we will keep open communication so that they can have some input in formulating our revised document.

The Nigerian bishops also expressed concern about the pastoral and spiritual care of the many Nigerian immigrants to the United States. It was suggested, for example, that we might create personal parishes, such as the Italian, French, German, Polish, Lithuanian and French-Canadian parishes which were established to handle the migrants coming from Europe in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

In light of our experience with the "Called to be Church" pastoral planning process in our Diocese, I suggested that while we in the U.S. certainly have a responsibility to address the pastoral and spiritual needs of new immigrants coming from Africa, perhaps the route of personal parishes may not be the appropriate way to go.

Rather, I suggested that apostolates or vicarates for these new immigrant groups might be a better way to serve the newly-arrived and to integrate them more quickly into the ecclesial and social life of the United States.

Catholic school
Another major concern of the Nigerian Bishops' Conference is the establishment of a new Catholic university in Abuja. Originally, they intended to name it the "Catholic University of Nigeria," but the government refused to authorize an institution of higher learning under a religious title.

After much debate between the Church and the government, a mutually agreed upon name for the university was decided: "Veritas." The bishops stated that such an institution of higher learning under Church auspices is vitally necessary in order to help prepare Catholics to take their rightful place in civil society.

We also discussed mutually beneficial ways we could work together in providing models for formation of clergy, religious and laity.

Following our meeting, we had a concelebrated liturgy with the bishops and the staff of the secretariat and then dined together.

Over lunch, Archbishop Matthew Man-Oso Ndagoso mentioned that he had been in the Albany Diocese last month. He was participating in the Missionary Cooperation Plan and had preached at St. John the Baptist parish in Newport and St. Joseph's in Dolgeville during July.

He spoke about the warm welcome he received from Rev. William Gorman and the people of these two Herkimer County communities. Again, it's a small world!

Leaving the bishops' secretariat, we went to a meeting with the Apostolic Nuncio to Nigeria, Archbishop Augustine Kasujja.

Bishop Kasujja, who is originally from Uganda, had only recently arrived from his previous posting in Madagascar. He noted that the further you go in Africa, the greater the needs are.

Nigerian needs
The nuncio articulated three immediate priorities for the Church in Nigeria:

• greater lay catechist training, especially in the area of evangelization;

• ongoing formation and support of the clergy (many priests feel themselves abandoned because of a lack of resources to support their ministry, or even a regular salary); and

• the importance for the schools under Catholic auspices to impart practical skills like carpentry, masonry and computer technology.

The archbishop pointed out that all the dioceses in Nigeria need to develop their technological capacity, as well as administrative and management skills.

Even with this capacity, communication can be frustrating: for example, because of systems breakdowns within the country, the nunciature itself can often be without telephone, fax and email service for days at a time.

While emphasizing the importance of working closely with the Nigerian Catholic Bishops' Conference in making grants from the U.S. African Solidarity Fund, the nuncio urged both the Nigerian Conference and ourselves to be vigilant in prioritizing needs.

He lamented that, often, the most needy dioceses are unaware of what grants are available or do not have the capacity to develop applications for grant proposals. Hence, these dioceses are frequently bypassed.

This is a message I believe our U.S. delegation needed to hear and bear in mind as we strive to make the best use of our Solidarity Fund.

WED., SEPT. 1
I was awakened at 7 a.m. by the switchboard operator with the greeting, "My Lord, I hope you have had a pleasant night's sleep." That's the most reverential wakeup call I have ever received.

We traveled to the city of Jos, a five-hour car trip from Abuja. As we exited the city, there was a five-mile backup of rush-hour traffic. Thank God we were moving in the opposite direction.

Our driver indicated that for many who work in the city of Abuja, with a population of 1.6 million, a two-hour commute each way is not uncommon. I guess our metropolitan areas in the United States don't have a monopoly on traffic problems.

The further we drove past the city limits, the more evident the poverty of the country became. We passed little villages with merchants peddling their wares from tiny, shed-like edifices. In the fields, men, women and children could be observed harvesting their crops.

Donkeys, goats, cows and even oxen are commonplace along the roadside, as are women and children selling their produce of sweet potatoes, tomatoes, corn, bananas, pea-nuts, live chickens and honey.

A number of women and children could be seen laying out corn along the shoulder of the road to be dried out both by the heat of the sun and by the macadam surface.

Signs of trouble
As we began the steep climb from the valley to the mountain area where Jos is located, there were grave warnings like "slow down; many have died on these bends." Even more ominous were the nine or 10 roadblocks we encountered, manned by armed government troops - a stark reminder that, as recently as this last spring, this area had been plagued by outbreaks of violence, where hundreds were killed and homes, mosques and churches destroyed.

Interestingly, the barrels and sandbags that marked off the checkpoint areas contained messages like "embrace peace" or "put an end to violence."

The beautiful city of Jos is located in what is known as the Plateau State. It was founded as a tin mining town: thus, the presence of elephants in the area, which were brought from the jungle areas to haul the tin.

Jos has grown to become a thriving community of a half-million people - a beehive of activity, abuzz with building construction, industry and commerce.

We proceeded directly to the pastoral headquarters of Archbishop Ignatius Ayau Kaigama, who has served as the Archbishop of Jos for the past decade.

Archbishop Ignatius is an energetic, charismatic figure who received us graciously and expressed his profound gratitude for the presence of our delegation. He stated that he hoped that we would become ambassadors for Nigeria when we returned to the U.S.

The Archbishop also lauded the tremendous work being done by CRS in Nigeria and the growing partnership between the Nigerian Catholic Bishops' Conference and CRS.

Since 2001, there have been repeated outbreaks of violence in Jos and its surrounding regions. The unrest is frequently portrayed by the media as a Muslim/Christian conflict, but the archbishop insists its roots are not primarily religious, but ethnic, social and economic problems which are often manipulated and exacerbated by politicians and religious fundamentalists.

Ethnic vs. new
The main issue, Archbishop Ignatius noted, stems from who owns the land and the resources. The ethnic groups say, "We are indigenous to the region and so should have a greater share of the resources." The more recently arrived counter, "We are citizens, too, and are being shortchanged."

In addition, there is a longstanding tension between farmers and herders. Farmers complain that cows eat their crops; herders complain the farmers kill their cows. The vicious cycle feeds upon itself.

Archbishop Ignatius is convinced that the path to peace is the way of dialogue and has committed himself to be proactive in pursuing this goal.

As a concrete manifestation of this priority, the archbishop invited us to meet with a group of young adults, both Muslim and Christian, who were meeting in the nearby archdiocesan conference and retreat center.

The young people were participating in a program called the "Damietta Peace Initiative." This initiative draws its name from an Egyptian city, Damietta, to which St. Francis of Assisi journeyed in 1219, during the Fifth Crusade, to urge the leaders of the Crusade to end the siege of the City.

Recalling Francis
When St. Francis arrived, 67,000 Muslim inhabitants had already died. St. Francis entered the city and befriended the Sultan al Malik Al-kaminl. Before departing, the sultan gave St. Francis a personal peace gift of a horn and the assurance that "the Poverello" would be able to pass safely through any Muslim land.

As we know, the dream of St. Francis for peace between Christians and Muslims has remained unrealized. So St. Francis' initiative at Damietta is being taken up anew in Africa by these young adults.

The initiative is based on the vision that local conflicts are best addressed by trained leaders within the communities that are immediately affected. The goal is to build multi-ethnic, multi-faith and multi-gender community groups trained in the practice and strategy of non-violence, reconciliation and peace.

It was truly inspiring to hear from these Christian and Muslim youth - many of whom had family members killed and homes destroyed - share how, despite these bitter experiences, they have committed themselves to be peace enablers who seek to extend hands and build bridges.

They have already have been involved in rebuilding homes destroyed in the most recent conflicts, launching neighborhood watches and forming sports teams where Muslim and Christian youth participate together, striving for a common goal.

In response to the groups presentation, our delegation leader, Bishop John Ricard, commended them for their courage and leadership and reminded them that real dialogue is based not just on tolerance, but on respect for the other person and for the inherent dignity that belongs to each person as a son or daughter of our heavenly Father.

Archbishop Ignatius expressed how proud he was of his youth group and saluted them for lighting candles that can dispel the darkness of hatred, ignorance and fear.

Questions for us
The youth were given the opportunity to ask questions of our delegation. It was fascinating to hear the questions the youth directed to us: "How is President Obama doing?" "How have we in the U.S. found a way to live together in a society that is as religiously and ethnically diverse as the United States?" "What is at the root of the contemporary controversy over building a mosque near Ground Zero in New York City?"

Since I serve as the chair of the International Peace and Justice Committee, I fielded the last question. I tried to point out that the proposed Islamic Community Center, which would include a mosque, has put multiple values into conflict: tolerance, sensitivity, pluralism and patriotism.

I suggested that the answer to their question depends much upon how the issue is framed. If - as some assert - the Islamic Center is seen as a tribute to terrorists, then this will evoke one response. If the center is presented as a tangible assertion of the very values the terrorists loathe, it evokes another.

If the center is perceived as a First Amendment right to freedom of religion, then, as New York City Michael Bloomberg has stated, "We would betray our values if we treat Muslims differently than anyone else."

If it is projected to be a fight over whether the 9/11 victims' memory should be honored, then, most probably, it would elicit another response.

I indicated that the Muslim community has a right to erect an Islamic Center, but whether it is wise remains a matter of prudential judgment. I noted that Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York has offered to help mediate a solution if this was found to be helpful.

This lively exchange underscored for me how carefully Muslims throughout the globe analyze the actions of the U.S. government and its citizens, and how often our political decisions can have unintentional consequences, unless they are explained properly. Even then, political and religious demagogues can always spin matters for their own narrow, partisan interests.

Stop derailed
The delegation was scheduled to visit Dogo Na Hauwa, a village 12 miles from Jos, but heavy rains had flooded much of the roads and made our passage impossible.

Dogo Na Hauwa has a population of approximately 2,000 and is composed mainly of farmers. In 2008, there was violent conflict in the village, resulting in the relocation of the Muslim population, leaving only Christians in the community.

On March 7, between 2 and 6 a.m., a well-planned attack was executed by more than 200 Fulani (Muslim) men, armed with guns, knives and other weapons, who unleashed terror and mayhem on the innocent people of the village.

More than 200 people - mostly women and children - were killed, and there was tremendous destruction of property. We were to have met with the survivors, but the forces of nature intervened.

It was sobering upon our return to the hotel to view the 6 p.m. news, which featured the resumption of the Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations being orchestrated by President Obama. If this seemingly never-ending conflict could be resolved, it would probably do more than anything else to calm the anti-American and anti-Western feelings which are so prevalent in the Arab and Islamic world.

The second news item was the report of the suicide bombings in the Pakistani city of Lahore, which killed 19 and injured 180 others during a Shite procession in a largely Sunni nation. Oh, how the spirit of the Damietta Peace Initiative is so needed in every part of our troubled world!

Evening entertainment
Our day in Jos concluded with a delightful dinner with a group of about 50 priests, religious and laity, hosted by Archbishop Ignatius at the archdiocesan pastoral center.

Two dance groups performed. The Jarawa Dancers, young people committed to keeping alive the rich musical and cultural heritage of Nigeria, were decked out in tribal garb and conch shell headgear. They were accompanied by African drums and flutes. The dancers performed gracefully, but at a furious pace.

I was shocked when one of the dancers handed me a furry wand - which I later learned served originally as a mosquito swatter - and invited me to join the dance.

As I was doing my best to keep pace with the dance team, but feeling totally out of place, what ran through my mind was the title of a popular book published about 20 years ago: "Why White Men Can't Clap."

When I sat down, I asked Steve Hilbert to mark the time. "Why?" he asked. "Because," I responded, "the coroner may want to know."

I'm not sure if this performance was intended to be a rain dance, but it unleashed the most torrential downpour we have experienced to date.

The second group, the "BBcLabevorak," was composed of adult instrumentalists and young people in more contemporary dress. They persuaded Bishop Holley, Steve Hilbert and the staff from CRS to take the dance floor.

I must say, these members of our delegation redeemed my stilted performance.

The buffet meal evidenced the influence of the missionaries, as Nigerian dishes of spicy chicken and beef were interspersed with boiled potatoes and spaghetti.

As the meal was drawing to a close, I learned that a nun with connections to Albany was with the group and would like to speak with me.

Meeting sister
I immediately went to greet her and she introduced herself as Sister Nora, a member of Franciscan Missionary Sisters of the Divine Motherhood, who founded the parish school at Holy Spirit in East Greenbush.

Sister Nora served on the faculty from 1966 to 1980. She recalled the date of my episcopal ordination and my age at the time of consecration (how time flies!).

Sister Nora noted that, during her years in the Albany Diocese, she was known by her religious name, Sister Conleth, but now has reclaimed her baptismal name, Nora.

Sister Nora has been serving near Jos for the past two years, working with juveniles incarcerated in a facility operated by the government. She noted that the adolescent residents to whom she ministers are a mixture of Christian and Muslim youth, but there is absolutely no evidence of religious tension among them.

The highlight of the evening was the concluding ceremony, when each member of our delegation was vested in native Nigerian garb: a shirt, pants and hat, each having a different color and pattern. I can't wait to see the face of Rev. Kofi Amissah, director of our Diocese's Black Apostolate and a native of Ghana, when he sees me festooned in my Nigerian outfit.

(10/21/10) [[In-content Ad]]

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