Pax Christi International, the worldwide peace movement, conferred its 2012 Peace Award on John Onaiyekan, Archbishop of Abuja, Nigeria, for his efforts to promote understanding between people of different faiths in a country in which socio-political conflicts threaten to poison the traditional peaceful living together of Christians and Muslims.
In a world in which religions are in always closer contact with one another, Archbishop Onaiyekan underscored that Christians and Muslims have a shared responsibility to work for peace and harmony starting with their relations with one another.
The 78-year-old prelate, originally from Kabba, a small town in the heart of Nigeria, is Co-President of the African Council for Religious Leaders and is concluding a term as Co-Chair of the Nigeria Inter-religious Council. Archbishop Onaiyekan, who was created a Cardinal during the last Vatican Consistory in November, has always been an ardent promoter of interreligious dialogue.