The Catholic Pontiff, Pope Francis, has shown concern over the violence and looting that have rocked Nigeria, just as he called for prayers for the country.
Hoodlums in different parts of Nigeria have been attacking and looting public and private properties as fallout of the #EndSARS protests.
“Let us pray to the Lord for Nigeria, so that every form of violence might always be avoided, in the constant search of social harmony through the promotion of justice and the common good,” the Pope tweeted on Sunday via his official Twitter handle @Pontifex.
Other global figures and organisations, including the International Criminal Court (ICC), have spoken about the violence, particularly the recent shooting at #EndSARS protesters at the Lekki toll gate, Lagos, by soldiers.
“My office has been closely following the events around the current protests in Nigeria and the reaction of Nigeria’s law enforcement and security agencies,” the ICC prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, said in a statement posted on Twitter on Thursday by the ICC (@IntlCrimCourt).
“Any loss of life or injury is concerning. We have received information alleging crimes and are keeping a close eye on developments, in case violence escalates and any indications arise on that Rome Statute crimes may have been committed,” she added, while calling for restraint.
Meanwhile, Pope Francis has announced the appointment of 13 new cardinals on Sunday, including archbishops from the U.S., Rwanda and the Philippines.
The appointments will be formalised in a consistory, a meeting of cardinals, on Nov. 28, the pontiff said during his Sunday Angelus message.
Nine of the appointees are under 80, and as long as they do not reach that age, they can take part in the next conclave, the council of cardinals that elects new popes.
The list includes Washington Archbishop Wilton Gregory, Kigali Archbishop Antoine Kambanda, representing one of the most Catholic countries in Africa, and Jose Fuerte Advincula, the Archbishop of Capiz in the Philippines, Asia’s most Catholic country.
The list also includes several Italians, including the head of the Vatican’s sainthood department, Marcello Semeraro, and the head of the Franciscan convent of Assisi, Fra Mauro Gambetti.
