Nostra Aetate@60: Nigeria’s Religious Leaders Reflect on Building “bridges among people of different faiths”

“Dialogue is not just for Bishops, Cardinals, or Sultans. It must happen among ordinary people – those who share the same markets, face similar challenges like insecurity, lack of healthcare, and unemployment. That’s where the real impact lies,” the Nigerian Catholic Priest said.

To foster this approach, which Fr. Emehel described as “dialogue of life,” he said that CSN has been in partnership with the Ufuk Dialogue Foundation and the Nigerian Interreligious Council (NIREC).

According to Fr. Emehel, these groupings bring Christians, Muslims, and increasingly, practitioners of African Traditional Religion (ATR) into collaborative efforts that aim to address communal issues.

“There is no religion that poverty or sickness respects. What matters is how we come together to solve problems affecting everyone, regardless of their faith,” the CSN official said.

He acknowledged the growing interest in ATR, especially among Nigerian youths, and noted the need for the Church to reevaluate her pastoral strategies.

“We must be honest with ourselves. Young people are going back to shrines because they are searching for identity and power in a society where success often depends on influence. This is a wake-up call for us. We must ask: Where have we failed, and how can we do better?” he said.

The Nigerian Catholic Priest noted that while ATR communities lack the organizational structure that often facilitates formal dialogue, there are still opportunities for engagement.

“Not everyone who follows ATR is involved in ritual practices or criminality. Some are people of deep values, and we must find ways to include them in our conversations about nation-building,” he said.

The CSN’s department of mission and dialogue has initiated programs aimed at women and youth from different religious backgrounds.

One such effort involves collaborations between the Catholic Women Organization (CWO) and the Federation of Muslim Women’s Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN), as well as youth forums where Christian and Muslim participants jointly study “A Common Word,” a document authored by Muslim scholars promoting mutual understanding between Christians and Muslims.

Despite the slow pace of transformation, Fr. Emehel acknowledged, he insisted that dialogue is non-negotiable.

“Even after war, you return to the table to talk. So why not talk now and prevent the war in the first place? Dialogue is not a magic wand, but it helps us manage tensions and move towards peaceful coexistence,” he said.

In another interview with ACI Africa during the June 5 event, the Director of Research and Training at the Da’wah Institute of Nigeria, Sheikh Nurudeen Lemu, lauded Nostra Aetate for the declaration’s respectful portrayal of Islam.

“It is one of the few documents from a major religious body that Muslims read and say, ‘We agree with this. The Catholic Church took a bold step in recognizing that God acknowledges good people even outside the Church. That was a breath of fresh air,” Sheikh Lemu said.

The Assistant General Secretary of Islamic Education Trust pointed out that all religious traditions have individuals who adopt exclusivist positions.

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“Some people believe that God is theirs alone, that paradise is reserved for them, and others are doomed. But that is a limited view of an infinite God. We often bring God down to our own biases, forgetting that God’s mercy goes far beyond our comprehension,” he said.

Sheikh Lemu called for a Nigerian version of Nostra Aetate, a public declaration of shared values among religious groups in the West African nation that is Africa’s most populous nation.

“Nigeria is the most religiously diverse nation in Africa. We need a document that affirms our shared humanity and rejects the narrative that only one group holds the truth,” he said.

Reflecting on “irrational fear” that often characterizes interfaith relations in Nigeria, Sheikh Lemu cautioned against misdiagnosing social problems as religious conflicts.

“We have Islamophobia and Christianophobia. Many conflicts are not about religion at all, but by labelling them as such, we apply the wrong solutions. The result is continued suffering,” he said.

On his part, the Executive Secretary of NIREC, Fr. Cornelius Afebu Omonokhua, acknowledged the cooperation between Christians and Muslims in dialogue efforts but warned that political actors often undermine these gains.

“Our leaders have weaponized religion and ethnicity. This has fuelled insecurity. Unfortunately, those who should be the solution—the security agencies—are sometimes part of the problem,” Fr. Omonokhua told ACI Africa on the sidelines of the June 5 event.

He described how criminal elements have infiltrated the armed forces, making it difficult for genuine dialogue to reach the roots of violence.

“How can you engage bandits in dialogue when the people supposed to combat them are working with them? The recruitment of so-called repentant insurgents into the military has only deepened the sabotage,” he said.

He commended NIREC’s work since its establishment in 1999, saying, “We have resolved many issues through dialogue. But we cannot go into the forest to fight Boko Haram.”

“What we can do is promote intra-religious and interreligious dialogue. Let every faith community take responsibility to correct those who misuse religion,” Fr. Omonokhua said.

He added, “Peace is possible, but it requires both political will and religious commitment.”