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Migration Not A Threat To Christianity – Pope Francis

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Pope Francis, a strong advocate of the rights of refugees, said in a new book published Monday that migration does not pose a threat to Christianity.

“To reject a struggling migrant, whatever his or her religious belief, out of fear of diluting a ‘Christian’ culture is grotesquely to mispresent both Christianity and culture,” he said.

“Migration is not a threat to Christianity except in the minds of those who benefit from claiming it is.

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“To promote the Gospel and not welcome the strangers in need, nor affirm their humanity as children of God, is to seek to encourage a culture that is Christian in name only, emptied of all that makes it distinctive.”

READ ALSO: Group Calls For Peaceful Coexistence Between Christians, Muslims

The pontiff made the comments in “Let Us Dream”, a new book written in conversation with British biographer Austen Ivereigh.

The pope, the grandson of Italian emigrants who settled in Argentina, regularly expresses solidarity with migrants who cross the Mediterranean, mourning those who lose their lives and denouncing rich countries that fail to welcome them.

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“The dignity of our peoples demands safe corridors for migrants and refugees so they can move without fear from deadly areas to safer ones,” he said in the book.

READ ALSO: Give Peace A Chance, PFN Nat’l President Appeals To Nigerian Youths

“It is unacceptable to deter immigration by letting hundreds of migrants die in perilous sea crossings or desert treks. The Lord will ask us to account for each one of those deaths.”

He condemned leaders who “channel their resentments and hatreds against imagined enemies to distract from the real problems”, the 83-year-old pontiff wrote.

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“A fantasy of national-populism in countries with Christian majorities is its defence of ‘Christian civilisation’ from perceived enemies, whether Islam, Jews, the European Union or the United Nations,” he said.

“The defence appeals to those who are often no longer religious but who regard their nation’s inheritance as a kind of identity.

READ ALSO: CAN Explains Why Churches Should Remain Closed

“Their fears and loss of identity have increased at the same time as attendance at churches has declined,” Francis said.

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(AFP/Channels TV)

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Abuja School Closed For One Week Over Death Of Four-year-old

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The Brickhall School, Abuja on Wednesday announced that it has decided to mourn the memory of its late four-year-old pupil, Miguel Ovoke by closing down the school for one week.

The PUNCH reported how Ovoke was declared dead by Excel Specialist Hospital, Abuja.

The medical report, signed by Dr. Akinwande Ajayi, on behalf of the medical director, indicated that he was brought in, “on account of aspiration on meat while feeding at school.”

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The hospital said upon examination, the medical team found that the boy’s pupils were fixed and dilated, with a nonreactive response to light.

READ ALSO: Man Dies On Top Of Married Woman In Akure

His peripheral pulses were said to be “impalpable, blood pressure was unrecordable, and there was no cardiopulmonary activity or respiratory excursions.”

The report indicated that all efforts of the medical team to resuscitate him failed.

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The report concluded that he was “Brought in Dead.”

Meanwhile, the school, in a statement released on Wednesday and signed by its management, said it was greatly saddened that the life of the pupil could not be saved despite the timely response of its trained nurse and the eventual decision to rush him to a hospital.

READ ALSO: Kidnappers Sleep Off After Abducting Pastor’s Wife, Others In Ondo

While noting the decision to mourn the late pupil by closing the school for one week, the school respectfully urged everyone connected to the tragedy to respect Miguel’s memory with dignity and peace while allowing medical professionals and law enforcement agencies to conclude with the autopsy.

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The school said, “It is with profound sorrow and deepest sympathy that we at Brickhall School, Management, and the Parents Teacher’s Forum express our heartfelt condolences to the family of our dearly beloved pupil, Miguel Ovoke.

“We are devastated to report that Miguel tragically passed away on April 24, 2024, following a sad incident where he choked on a piece of meat offal from his meal brought from home, despite the immediate and expert care provided by our dedicated staff and certified school nurse.

“In response to this heart-wrenching event, we convened an urgent meeting with our school community on the day of the incident.

“Out of respect for Miguel’s memory and to honour his bright spirit, we suspended classes for over a week, allowing our community time to mourn and reflect on this profound loss.”

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Generator Fumes Kill Mother, Son In Delta, Daughter Hospitalised

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The Delta State Police command has warned the public about the dangers of generator fumes and urged them to be careful.

This warning comes after an incident in which a mother and son lost their lives while using generator inside their house during rainfall.

According to a statement signed by the state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, on X.com on Wednesday, the mother and son died two days ago in Asaba, the state capital while the daughter is currently receiving treatment at a nearby hospital.

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The statement read, “Generator fumes is dangerous. It kills!!!

“A mother and son died in Asaba two days ago while her daughter is currently receiving treatment at the hospital.

“What happened? While the generator was working, it started raining, so they moved the generator somewhere inside the house and continued using it.

“Unfortunately, they slept off, and that was how they died of suspected generator emissions(carbon monoxide), and her daughter was rushed to the hospital.

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“This is not the first time we have recorded this incident in Delta. it’s important we know, learn, and educate others”

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Air Peace, Seven Countries To Revive Bankrupt Caribbean Airline

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Air Peace, a private Nigerian airline, and the governments of Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, and St Vincent and the Grenadines have concluded plans to revive a longtime regional carrier, Leeward Islands Air Transportation Limited, which is currently in comatose.

Last December, the airline’s administrator, Cleveland Seaforth, announced that the final flight of the airline would be in late January and by February 4, employees of the air transport company would be laid off.

According to an AOI report on Wednesday, Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browned announced a newly revamped LIAT 2020 in the wake of LIAT bankruptcy.

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Browned added that the airline is expected to start flying soon, with the company’s jets currently undergoing testing.

The inter-Caribbean Airline was founded in 1956. The airline was burdened with debt for almost its entire existence.

Although based in Antigua, at one point, 11 Caribbean islands were shareholders in the company, making for an almost impossible management structure.

This led to a controlled bankruptcy of the airline in 2020 after many years of financial challenges, said to have been occasioned by mismanagement.

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Air peace

Air Peace, a fast-rising Nigeria airline with its recent commencement of direct flight operations to London.

The commencement of the service came a month after it announced plans to begin direct flight operations to London on March 30 during a prelaunch forum organised by the airline in February.

In November, Air Peace’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Allen Onyema, announced that the airline had successfully obtained the Foreign Carrier Operator Permit and Third Country Operator Permit.

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With this development, Air Peace became the first Nigerian airline to operate direct flights to Europe and the United Kingdom.

Contacted, the Chief Operating Officer of the Airline, Oluwatoyin Olajide, confirmed the development but couldn’t give details as she said she was onboard en route to the United States.

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