Minister Stropnický met Nigeria’s Cardinal Onaiyekan, Archbishop of Abuja
02.03.2018 / 13:36 | Aktualizováno: 27.01.2020 / 12:10
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Martin Stropnický met with John Olorunfemi Cardinal Onaiyekan, the Archbishop of Abuja, on March 2, 2018. Cardinal Onaiyekan was invited to the Czech Republic by Czech Cardinal Dominik Duka. The talks focused mainly on the topic of religious cohabitation in Nigeria, the position of the Catholic Church there, and the interreligious dialogue. Furthermore, the causes of radicalisation and the fight against Boko Haram were discussed.
On Sunday, March 4, Cardinal Onaiyekan will celebrate the Holy Mass in the St. Vitus Cathedral and at 2 pm he will deliver a keynote speech during the closing ceremony of the Mene Tekel Festival for the executed, tortured and deceased political prisoners. His speech will be broadcast by the Czech Television.
Nigeria is the most populous African country, with half of its inhabitants being Christians and half Muslims. Cardinal Onaiyekan has lifelong experience from the religiously mixed area of Central Nigeria, where the Christian and Muslim communities overlap. He is well-known for his fight for peace in Nigeria. Together with the Sultan of Sokoto, the spiritual leader of Nigerian Muslims, he was nominated for the Noble Peace Prize in 2012 in recognition for a series of initiatives against the rise of fundamentalism.
Minister Stropnický Met with Nigeria’s Cardinal Onaiyekan, Archbishop of Abuja