Sheikh Rashid Omar, left, and Cardinal John Onaiyekan at the religious leaders’ peace and security conference in Nairobi, Kenya, on May 23, 2018. (RNS photo by Fredrick Nzwili)
NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) – As violence-torn Africa grows weary of solutions that haven’t worked, Nigerian Cardinal John Onaiyekan is proposing a controversial alternative: Negotiate with terrorists.
Onaiyekan, the archbishop of Abuja, has been backing talks with Boko Haram, the violent Islamist militant group operating in the northern parts of the country. Negotiating with terrorists is vehemently opposed by governments in Africa and around the world due to concerns that concessions could inspire more attacks.
Speaking at a recent Nairobi conference of religious leaders from Africa, Europe and Asia, Onaiyekan insisted interfaith dialogue is key to ending the deadly conflicts — even if it means sitting down with ruthless killers.
“My position is no matter how extremist a person is, there must be somebody who can talk to them and others,” Onaiyekan said. “Then eventually talking will start taking place. That will be an easier way of handling grievances than guns.”
Governments in the region have responded militarily to terror threats, but Onaiyekan said it’s time for a new approach.
“Let us admit that nobody does anything for nothing,” he said, “and there ought to be a forum where people can … explain why.”
Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández declared that the Vatican will only validate reports of Marian apparitions in “exceptional” cases that incur the special interest of the pope.
The 58-year-old Portuguese Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça is widely recognized not only as a poet but also as one of the leading intellectuals of the Roman Curia.
At one time, the presence of Catholics on both major-party tickets would have been cause for celebration. But now Mr. Vance and Mr. Biden reflect the political divisions among U.S. Catholics.
