By Emmanuel Eko, CSN Media
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has renewed its call on the lay faithful to embrace their mission of driving social transformation in the country.
Archbishop Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, President of the CBCN, made this charge during an interactive session between the bishops and prominent Catholic laity of the Calabar Province. Addressing the gathering at the ongoing 2025 2nd CBCN Plenary, he emphasised that the Church’s mission goes beyond spiritual renewal to include the urgent need for authentic social transformation.
“The Church must be alive to the cries of the people,” Archbishop Ugorji noted. “It is not enough to seek personal or spiritual transformation; we must accompany our faith with action that uplifts society. How do we accomplish this task of social transformation?” he asked, urging the lay apostolate to rise to the challenge.
In reaction, the Provincial Laity President, Obong Kilian Thompson raised pressing concerns confronting the faithful and the wider society. He highlighted persistent liturgical abuses, widespread poverty, growing unemployment, youth underdevelopment, and the lack of coordinated social interventions as key areas demanding attention.
“These issues affect not only the Church but the entire fabric of our society,” he said. “If we must be agents of transformation, then we must begin by addressing these realities head-on, both the church laity, are saddled with the goal of promoting justice, integral development, and faith-driven social change,” He emphasised.
