Fr. Sylvester, he went on to say, “had so many dreams, plans and goals like any one of us to accomplish in the future. All these came to an abrupt end with his cruel death. However, the consolation here is that we will never measure the worth of our lives by the length of days we spend here on earth.”
“We find ourselves wrestling with the brutality of his death. A barbaric act that we have described as a cruel assault to our faith, our humanity and the peace of our state,” he said.
He related the violence to the Lenten message, reminding the people of God that “while they had embraced Christ and experienced transformation, the struggle against darkness and evil continues.”
“This shows that the struggle for self-renewal, the call to repentance must continue among us with urgency because the devil continues to lurk in our dark places,” Bishop Yakubu said.
Fr. Sylvester’s death, Bishop Kundi stated, “is a haunting reminder of the struggles we face against evil and injustice in our daily lives. A struggle in this part of the world that has stretched for so many decades with no signs of victory; a struggle that has forced us to redefine our relationships not only with other religions and tribes but with family members, spouses, siblings, children, and neighbours.”
Despite these temptations and threats to humanity, the Local Ordinary of Kafanchan Diocese since his Episcopal Consecration in February 2020 said, “We must remain relentless in our commitment to be a family of God. The Christian call to love is categorical and has no boundaries. Love is at the heart of our faith and only the principles of Christ and not the morality of others should be our guide.”
“Although the death of Fr. Sylvester has stirred a heavy storm of despondency on us all, let us never be cowed into losing the faith nor proclaiming Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to gentles,” Bishop Yakubu said.
He continued, “In the face of such tragedy, we are called to respond not with despair but with the hope that our faith provides. Don't forget, St. Paul re-echoes this by assuring us that faith does not disappoint.”
“We have only one response to the murderers among us, to those who worship darkness and evil, to those who are under the grip of sinful flesh: We stand under the banner of Christ and death has no victory over us. We will not retreat, we will continue with the light of Christ until the work of Satan comes under the light of Christ,” the Nigerian Catholic Bishop said.
He noted that the Church must continue her mission, even in the face of violence and adversity.
