Kidnapped Sisters in Nigeria released: message from the UISG President

The President of UISG, Sr. Nadia Coppa, ASC, on the occasion of the release of religious women in Nigeria.

"Dearest Sisters,
It is with deep joy that we thank the Lord for the news - received a few hours ago - of the release of the four religious sisters of the Congregation of the Sisters of Jesus the Saviour who had been kidnapped last Sunday in Nigeria by a group of armed men while they were on their way to celebrate the Eucharist.

The news, received through the media, deeply shocked us: we experienced hours of anguish for the four sisters and of sincere solidarity with the community. 
With hearts full of joy, we are united with Sr Zita Ihedoro, Superior General, and her sisters for the gift of their liberation which gives us new strength but also encourages us to commit ourselves to advocate for peace.  We express solidarity and closeness to the Church present in Nigeria and to the religious communities living in this land threatened - especially in recent weeks - by multiple episodes of violence.

Peace is a gift to be invoked, to be received from above, but it is also a commitment to be taken, the fruit of a shared compromise. In the Encyclical Fratelli Tutti, Pope Francis reminds us that we are called to be "artisans of peace" and that "the culture of care is the path to lasting peace".

We believe that 'authentic peace can only be achieved when we strive for justice through dialogue, pursuing reconciliation and mutual development' (FT229). 

United, with prayerful hearts and hard-working charity, let us intercede so that the Holy Spirit may give us the strength for a concrete and effective daily commitment, to foster the promotion of life, the culture of encounter, which invites us to place the human person at the center of all social, political and economic action.

Shaloom"