- Title: NIGERIA: Clergy say pope will be missed
- Date: 28th February 2013
- Summary: LAGOS, NIGERIA (FEBRUARY 28, 2013) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF THE CHURCH OF ASSUMPTION SIGN READING (English): "CHURCH OF THE ASSUMPTION" THE CROSS LAGOS, NIGERIA (FEBRUARY 26, 2013) (REUTERS) PARISH PRIEST GIVING OUT HOLY COMMUNION AT MASS LAGOS, NIGERIA (FEBRUARY 28, 2013) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PARISH PRIEST AT CHURCH OF THE ASSUMPTION IN LAGOS, FATHER PAUL K. IJASAN WORKING AT DESK PHOTOGRAPH OF POPE BENEDICT ON WALL (SOUNDBITE) (English) PARISH PRIEST AT CHURCH OF THE ASSUMPTION IN LAGOS, FATHER PAUL K. IJASAN, SAYING: "I believe that a lot of people must have been disappointed in the sense that we live in an era where we have not witnessed a pope resigning for a long time; the last one was about 600 years ago and it's happening in our own time. A lot of people must surely be disappointed because when you look at the life of John Paul II, even while he was so sick, you know he said he would not come down from the cross, that he would stick to that till the end." VARIOUS OF WOMAN PRAYING ABUJA, NIGERIA (FEBRUARY 28, 2013) (REUTERS) SIGN FOR THE CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESE OF ABUJA (SOUNDBITE) (English) DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATION, CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESE OF ABUJA, FATHER THOMAS ASEN, SAYING: "The Church is going to miss him because he has been a very great man, an advocate of peace. He tried to implement moral principles of the Church and the entire world so there is no one who won't miss him. We miss him because of his good policies. But our prayer is the same Jesus Christ who raised him for us will also raise a new pope who will still carry on with the good principles of Pope Benedict XVI who is retiring today." ABUJA, NIGERIA (FEBRUARY 26, 2013) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF CATHOLIC CONGREGATION PRAYING IN CHURCH ABUJA, NIGERIA (FEBRUARY 28, 2013) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) FATHER THOMAS ASEN, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS, CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESE OF ABUJA, SAYING: "This is what people are saying everywhere, they say it's time an African should be a pope. You see it is only God that can give us the right assessment, it is only God who can decide the time an African or a Nigerian can be a pope so that question can only be answered by God. When God feels it's appropriate, he will make an African a pope, he will make also a Nigerian a pope. As we are saying, the choice is entirely directed by the Holy Spirit, and the spirit of Christ, the spirit of God leads us to right inspirations and directions so the spirit will direct where a new pope will come from whether from Africa, Nigeria, Europe or any part of the world." ABUJA, NIGERIA (FEBRUARY 26, 2013) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF CONGREGATION PRAYING VARIOUS OF CONGREGATION LEAVING CHURCH
- Embargoed: 15th March 2013 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Nigeria
- Country: Nigeria
- Topics: Religion
- Reuters ID: LVAF54GRWSMRFX93CP44UH4ZWV81
- Story Text: With Pope Benedict addressing cardinals on his final day in office on Thursday (February 28), clergy in Nigeria say the pontiff will be missed by the African faithful.
Benedict's announcement earlier this month that he would step down left the Catholic world in shock and has made him the first pontiff since the Middle Ages to resign his office.
Father Paul Ijasan, a parish priest from Nigeria's commercial city of Lagos, said the pope's decision came as a surprise to many Catholics in his country.
"I believe that a lot of people must have been disappointed in the sense that we live in an era where we have not witnessed a pope resigning for a long time," he said.
"A lot of people must surely be disappointed because when you look at the life of John Paul II, even while he was so sick, you know he said he would not come down from the cross, that he would stick to that till the end," he added, referring to the previous pope who died in 2005.
Father Thomson Asen from the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja said Benedict would be missed by everyone.
"The Church is going to miss him because he has been a very great man, an advocate of peace. He tried to implement moral principles of the Church and the entire world so there is no one who won't miss him. We miss him because of his good policies. But our prayer is the same Jesus Christ who raised him for us will also raise a new pope who will still carry on with the good principles of Pope Benedict XVI who is retiring today," he said.
There has been much speculation in the Church on whether the man to succeed Benedict should be a non-European, which would be a first in more than a millennium.
While the Church in Europe is polarised and has dwindling congregations, the Church in Africa is growing and in Latin America it remains large and vibrant despite inroads by Protestant evangelical groups.
Peter Turkson from Ghana, head of the Vatican's justice and peace department, is often tipped as Africa's front runner.
But Father Thomson Asen said it was up to God to decide if and when there should be an African pontiff.
"This is what people are saying everywhere, they say it's time an African should be a pope. You see it is only God that can give us the right assessment, it is only God who can decide the time an African or a Nigerian can be a pope so that question can only be answered by God. When God feels it's appropriate, he will make an African a pope, he will make also a Nigerian a pope," he said.
Cardinals tipped as favourites by Vatican watchers include Turkson, Italy's Gianfranco Ravasi, Filipino Luis Antonio Tagle and Timothy Dolan of the United States. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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