Pope Francis has called on everyone, both believers and nonbelievers alike to make March 2nd 2022,—Ash Wednesday, a day of prayer and fasting for peace especially in Ukraine.
The Pope made the appeal for peace in Ukraine at his public audience in the Vatican as the situation continued to deteriorate between Russia and Ukraine.
Today we enter the time of #Lent. Our prayer and fasting will be a plea for #peace in #Ukraine, bearing in mind that peace in the world always begins with our personal conversion, following Christ.
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) March 2, 2022
2 March, Ash Wednesday, Day of prayer and fasting for peace in #Ukraine. #PrayTogether pic.twitter.com/LQJ3vaFvfp
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) March 2, 2022
His words “I appeal to the consciences of “those with political responsibility” and all the parties involved to refrain from any action that would cause even more suffering to the people, destabilizing coexistence between nations and bringing international law into disrepute.”
With his voice betraying his emotion in a depressed state, he addressed hundreds of pilgrims from around the world in the Vatican’s Paul VI Audience Hall, on the alarming crisis and the threat that Russia would invade Ukraine, a nation of 44 million people that gained its independence in 1991 following the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Here in Nigeria, Reverend Father Silvanus Ameh, from the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, the nation’s capital, noted that with the imposition of ashes on the faithful, they are reminded of the mortality of life, that they came from dust and unto dust they return as seen in the Book of Genesis Chapter three.
Father Ameh also noted that the Church emphasised on Prayers, Fasting and Almsgiving during this period and beyond saying that those tenets are prerequisite towards a nation building and a better world at large.
“We keep to the tenets of Lent ever in focus and that will help us to to work towards a better Nigeria and a better world.
Speaking on more lessons concerning the Ash Wednesday, Father Ameh says “It helps the faithful to keep in their consciousness the fact that one day, they will leave this life. Secondly, Ash Wednesday on which we impose ash on foreheads as Catholics according to Local Custom is also a call to repentance, to remind Christians on the need to turn away from evil ways and that now ushers in the season of Lent.
On what are the expectation of Nigeria this period, he stated that “it is expected not just for Catholics but all people to ensure that they maintain a good relationship with God at all time and shun crazy about things of life which is making our country to go sour through embezzlement of fund meant for the citizenry by some few individuals, what are they doing, they are trying to make life too comfortable for themselves here in this earth, things that will not follow them out of this world
Quoting the words from the book Job that “naked we came to this world, naked we shall leave, and if that be the case, why then the fight about certain things that will not follow us out of this life. We must do well therefore to ensure that as Christians and especially as Catholics; we keep the teachings of the tenets of Lent ever in focus towards a better Nigeria and world at large.
With the Observances of Lent, Christians are expected to embark on Forty days of Fasting and Prayer culminating in to Good Friday, the day for the commemoration of the suffering, crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ.
