2015-04-10 16:45:00

Monrovia’s Catholic Archbishop: Liberia should accommodate everyone


Monrovia’s Catholic Archbishop in Liberia, Lewis Zeigler has joined some Christian Church leaders and citizens who are opposed to attempts to turn Liberia into a Christian nation by way of a constitutional amendment.

Archbishop Zeigler said although he is a Christian, he does not support the notion of abandoning the idea of Liberia as a secular state.  According to the Archbishop, the proposition of Liberia as a Christian nation is “a recipe for confusion.”

The Archbishop says such a move would not be good for the country’s democratic process. In his view, Liberia should continue to accommodate everyone regardless of their religious affiliation.

According to a national census of 2008, 85.5% of Liberia's population practices Christianity while Muslims comprise 12.2%; the remaining 0.5% practices Traditional indigenous religions. 1.8% of the population subscribes to no religion at all.

Liberia was a Christian nation up until the constitution was revised in 1985 to make it a secular state.  At its birth and foundation, the declaration of independence in 1847 was signed mostly by the clergy. Monrovia, the capital city was then called Christopolis.

President of the Liberia’s Baptist Missionary and Educational Convention, Olu Menjay said that Liberian Baptists have "no room for sectarian arrogance within the country's diverse Christian persuasions and in a progressively more pluralistic world where Liberia is for all persons regardless of faith persuasion or affiliation," Menjay said.

(e-mail: engafrica@vatiradio.va)








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