By: Fr. Augustine Adetola

The Catholic Bishop of Ijebu-Ode Diocese, Most Rev. Francis Obafemi Adesina has admonished both Christians and Muslims alike to be witnesses of Love and Peace. He made this remark in his Eid-El-Kabir message released by his Secretary on July 20, 2021 titled: “called to be witnesses of love and peace.”

The Catholic Bishop enjoined that Christians and Muslims alike must be committed to promoting love and peace in the society. He said that “as adherents of both religions, we are called to be witnesses of love and peace. To truly live out this mandate in our world today, we must be obedient to the Almighty, because it is only through our obedience to God’s Word that we can truly be witnesses of love and peace.” He pointed out that our duty as Muslims and Christians is to promote values of peace and solidarity in our country Nigeria and not promote things that threaten to divide us.

Furthermore, he said that the celebration of the Eid-El-Kabir is a reminder of the obedience of Abraham to God, who was willing to offer his child, Isaac, as a sacrifice to God. Abraham’s obedience made him righteous in God’s presence. Thus, the Bishop said that, it is through our common adherence in obedience to God’s laws like Abraham that we can be assured of unhindered love, peace and justice in our country. He therefore, charged that Muslims and people of Goodwill should not allow this festival pass by without giving a thought to our common humanity.

The Bishop represented by the Episcopal Vicar for Pastoral Affairs, Very Rev. Fr. Patrick Balogun; the Director of Ecumenism, Rev. Fr. Martin Ajayi and some members of the Diocesan commission on Inter-Religious Dialogue paid a courtesy visit to the Chief Imam of Ijebu-Ode, Alhaji Gbadegesin Ayanbadejo to deliver the Goodwill message of the Bishop and present a gift of a Ram to the Muslim community as they celebrate Eid-El-Kabir.

We pray for a more robust and healthy relationships among practitioners of both faith in our State and in our country at large. Eid Mubarak!