Vatican, 22 June, 2021 / 7:10 pm (ACI Africa).
At the Eucharistic celebration organized at the Vatican to pray for peace in Burkina Faso, Francis Cardinal Arinze reflected on terrorism in Africa, delinking the menace from religion.
In his homily during the June 19 event that took place at the altar of the Chair of St. Peter in Rome, Cardinal Arinze said, “Execrable terrorism that threatens the security of people, in the East as well as in the West, in the North as well as in the South, sowing panic, terror and pessimism, is not due to religion even if the terrorists use it as an instrument.”
“It is due to the accumulated misinterpretations of religious texts to policies that promote hunger, poverty, injustice, oppression and arrogance,” the Nigerian Cardinal said.
Making reference to Pope Francis' Encyclical Letter, Fratelli Tutti, Cardinal Arinze further said, “It is necessary to stop supporting terrorist movements by providing money, weapons, plans and justification and even media coverage and to consider all these as international crimes that threaten security and world peace.”
“In this context of jihadist insurgencies in sub-Saharan Africa, repeated attacks that sow violence and death, fear and anguish, the Holy Father's call in the encyclical Fratelli Tutti resounds with force,” the Prefect emeritus of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments said.
