Bishop Kukah calls for prayers of atonement, reparation in Sokoto

Matthew Kukah, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, has called for prayers of atonement and reparation over what he described as a sacrilegious act at St. Kevin’s Catholic Church, Gidan Dare of Sokoto State.

The Bishop in a statement titled, “A call for prayers of atonement and reparation”, recalled the events that happened in Sokoto town, following the killing of Deborah Yakubu over alleged blasphemy, in which Muslim protesters entered the premises of the church and desecrated the Sacred Species in the Chapel of Perpetual Adoration, the altar and the main church and destroyed other valuables.

The statement said the prayer of reparation would begin Monday, 18th July and end on Sunday, 24th July 2022 and called on faithful to join.

The spiritual exercise, according to him, was imperative in seeking God’s mercy on parishioners and the entire diocese in the state for forgiveness and purification.

The statement explained, “In response to this sacrilegious act carried out at St. Kevin’s Church, it has become imperative for us in the diocese to perform an act of reparation seeking for God’s mercy on the faithful of the parish and those of the entire diocese and forgiveness of the perpetrators of the heinous act.”

He encouraged members of the Diocese to fast as they pray, and urged everyone to remain calm, expressing optimism that the church would “overcome this challenging moment.”