Weighing in following a moment of horrific mindlessness is often disheartening and against one’s wishes and desire. It must have been so with the Holy Father. Pope Leo XIV did weigh in following the horrific incident at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Bishop of Rome condemned the logic of weapons. He also called for an end to the pandemic of arms, large and small.

What really happened? Young boys and girls, pupils of Annunciation Catholic School gathered inside Church of Annunciation for Mass. While Mass was going on, a young man versed in the Liturgy of Hate showed up, not for Mass, but for an assault on children being fed with the words eternal of Christ Jesus. He arrived with an instrument of hate, a firearm – a rifle.

With heart full of hate, he fired into the Church. One hundred and sixteen rounds in all, aimed at the young, innocent children of God whose only sin was obeying a call to worship. Things happened, difficult to imagine until they happen. The shooter aimed his weapon at children inside the Church. Two children aged eight and ten years were killed in the orgy of violence. Twenty others were injured. Then, the shooter took his own life.

He had desecrated a place of worship. He turned a place of hope into a venue where hopes come to die. He attacked pupils, making places for learning dangerous, unsafe for the young pupils, for their parents, for the congregants who see the Church as a place of refuge from the pressure of daily living.

Did hope really die? 

No.  Trust in Christ, the immutability of Hope, the permanence of His mercy. All lead to a life that is scratched but not wounded.

The Church, the Catholic Church, has endured so much persecution- glaring, unpretentious, and unredressed. The law, governments, have failed in their duties to protect the Church.

On Pentecost Sunday, 5 June 2022, worshippers gathered inside St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State of Nigeria for a Church service, the celebration of the Body and Blood of Christ, according to the dictate of the Prince of Prince who said, “Do this in memory of me.” Gunmen who were Islamic terrorists arrived, killing about 50 worshipers while more than 100 suffered injuries. It was to be a signal for many of such attacks primed to take place all over the region.

Two months after, authorities announced the arrest of five suspects linked to the attack. The arrests took place more than three years ago. The suspects were finally arraigned in court last month. Justice delayed, according to a popular dictum, is justice denied. Clips of interviews with the lawyer to the accused showed unhidden confidence bothering on arrogance, indicating a lack of regret in a matter involving so many lives. The wheel of justice continues to turn so slowly. All we can do is wait. But there is hope in the ultimate victory of good over evil.

Something to Ponder

There can be no greater bastardizing of culture than when highly regarded cultural icons engage in verbal altercation befitting the lowest of their subjects.  There exists, a mirage of issues begging for the attention of their Royal Majesties. The road from the regional capital to the stool of each of their Majesties remain in scandalous disrepair. Why engage in meaningless altercation over a matter that adds no value to the people they rule or the stool they occupy?

We continue to wait, hoping that the leaders of the people will stop prioritizing their own egos over the welfare of their people.

Be patient is the prayer of leaders. ‘He go better’ is that of the led.

 

Ayo Fasoro

Non Sum Dignus