Angelus: Pope Francis prays for peace and justice in Nigeria

Pope Francis appealed for an end to violence in Nigeria after reciting Angelus Sunday.

Speaking from a window overlooking St. Peter's Square on October 25, the Pope said he prayed that peace would be restored "through the promotion of justice and the common good".

He said: "I am following with particular concern the news coming from Nigeria about the recent violent clashes between the police and some young demonstrators".

"Let us pray to the Lord that all forms of violence will always be avoided, in the constant search for social harmony through the promotion of justice and the common good".

Protests against police brutality broke out in Africa's most populous country on 7 October. The protesters called for the abolition of a police unit known as the Special Robbery Squad (SARS).

The Nigerian police force said on 11 October it would dissolve SARS, but the demonstrations continued. According to Amnesty International, gunmen opened fire on protesters on October 20 in the capital, Lagos, killing at least 12 people. The Nigerian military has denied responsibility for the deaths.

Nigerian police said on Saturday they would "use all legitimate means to stop a further slide into lawlessness," amid looting and further violence in the streets.

About 20 million of Nigeria's 206 million inhabitants are Catholics.

In his reflection before the Angelus, the pope meditated on the reading of the Gospel of the day (Matthew 22: 34-40), in which a student of the law challenges Jesus to name the greatest commandment.

He noticed that Jesus responded by saying, "You will love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind" and "The second is similar: you will love your neighbor as yourself."

The pope suggested that the questioner wanted to involve Jesus in a dispute over the hierarchy of laws.

“But Jesus establishes two essential principles for believers of all times. The first is that moral and religious life cannot be reduced to anxious and forced obedience, ”he explained.

He continued: “The second cornerstone is that love must strive together and inseparably towards God and neighbor. This is one of the main innovations of Jesus and helps us to understand that what is not expressed in the love of neighbor is not the true love of God; and, in the same way, what is not drawn from one's relationship with God is not true love of neighbor “.

Pope Francis noted that Jesus concluded his response by saying: "All the law and the prophets depend on these two commandments".

"This means that all the precepts that the Lord has given to his people must be related to the love of God and neighbor," he said.

"Indeed, all the commandments serve to implement and express that double indivisible love".

The pope said that love for God is expressed above all in prayer, especially in adoration.

“We neglect the worship of God so much,” he lamented. “We do the prayer of thanks, the pleading for something ... but we neglect the adoration. Worshiping God is the fulcrum of prayer “.

The pope added that we also forget to act with charity towards others. We don't listen to others because we find them boring or because they take our time. "But we always find time to chat," he noted.

The pope said that in the Sunday Gospel Jesus directs his followers to the source of love.

“This source is God himself, to be loved completely in a communion that nothing and no one can break. A communion that is a gift to be invoked every day, but also a personal commitment not to let our lives become slaves to the idols of the world, ”he said.

“And the proof of our journey of conversion and holiness always consists in the love of neighbor… The proof that I love God is that I love my neighbor. As long as there is a brother or sister to whom we close our hearts, we will still be far from being disciples as Jesus asks us. But his divine mercy does not let us discourage, on the contrary he calls us to begin anew every day to live the Gospel consistently “.

After the Angelus, Pope Francis greeted the residents of Rome and pilgrims from all over the world who had gathered in the square below, spaced out to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. He identified a group called "Cell of Evangelization", annexed to the Church of San Michele Arcangelo in Rome.

He then announced the names of 13 new cardinals, who will receive the red hat in a consistory on November 28, the eve of the first Sunday of Advent.

The pope concluded his reflection on the Angelus by saying: "May the intercession of Mary Most Holy open our hearts to welcome the 'great commandment', the double commandment of love, which contains all the Law of God and on which the our salvation ".