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Encounter Journal of African Life and Religion
Bede Ukwuije
Kingsley I . B . Nze
Richard E M M A N U E L GokumEmmanuel UnambaAugustine Ndubueze Echema
Pachomius Okogie2019, Adveniat Regnum Tuum: Challenges for the Church and the State in Rebuilding the Nation according to the Kingdom of God
This article highlights genuine patriotism as the guiding principle for good citizenship and effective leadership. In the Nigerian context, genuine patriotism would include upholding the rule of law, active participation in politics and other societal affairs, support for good leadership, and working for the common good. Since formation of society results from the social nature of man, the correct tendency should not be to hinder its progress by selfish means, or to condemn politics as dirty, but to improve them by working for the good of all, irrespective of religion or ethnicity. Genuine patriotism is opposed to unhealthy nationalism that leads to parochialism, exclusivism and tribalism. Hence, a new Nigeria is one in which citizens, respecting one another, exercise their rights properly and undertake their various responsibilities together with their elected leaders. Thus, they commit themselves to the welfare of the whole person, of all persons and of Nigeria as a whole.
Related papers
Summary Encounter Journal
Adveniat Regnum Tuum: Challenges for the Church and the State in Rebuilding the Nation according to the Kingdom of God, 2019
This article highlights genuine patriotism as the guiding principle for good citizenship and effective leadership. In the Nigerian context, genuine patriotism would include upholding the rule of law, active participation in politics and other societal affairs, support for good leadership, and working for the common good. Since formation of society results from the social nature of man, the correct tendency should not be to hinder its progress by selfish means, or to condemn politics as dirty, but to improve them by working for the good of all, irrespective of religion or ethnicity. Genuine patriotism is opposed to unhealthy nationalism that leads to parochialism, exclusivism and tribalism. Hence, a new Nigeria is one in which citizens, respecting one another, exercise their rights properly and undertake their various responsibilities together with their elected leaders. Thus, they commit themselves to the welfare of the whole person, of all persons and of Nigeria as a whole.
APT 8 in full.pdf
APT 8 is on the theme "MIGRATION, INTERNAL DISPLACEMENT, HUMAN DIGNITY & RIGHTS". Caught between brokenness and reconfiguration of their narratives, what might migrants and internally displaced persons hope for? Can they hope to be ‘neighbours’ or they have to endure being seen as ‘leeches’ and threats? Can they hope for justice and compassionate liberality? Or they are not entitled to the goods of the earth in their new space? Should they hope for philosophers and saints to welcome them unconditionally?; Or they can only battle with politicians and demagogues contesting against enlarged ‘open spaces’? APT 8 investigates conversations about migration, internal displacement vis-à-vis human dignity, civil rights, multiculturalism, and preferential treatment. How do these issues challenge and inspire both the ‘hosts’ and the ‘guests’?
JOURNAL OF INCULTURATION THEOLOGY, JUNE 2021, VOL. 18, NO.1
JIT JUNE 2021, VOL. 18, NO.1, 2021
EDITORIAL As Pope Francis announced a Year of St. Joseph to mark the 150th anniversary of the Saint’s proclamation as patron of the Universal Church, the year began on 8th December, 2020 and would conclude on 8th December, 2021. Given that St. Joseph, the husband of Blessed Virgin Mary and the foster father of Jesus Christ, is famous for being the Ideal Worker who ministered to the Holy Family, the missionary work of the Church must go on despite the COVID-19 pandemic saga. More than fifty years ago, Pope St. Paul VI was emphatic that by now, Africans should be missionaries to themselves. The Church of Christ should truly be pIanted in Africa and they have to make it African through honest and result-oriented dialogue with African cultures and values. Theology should attempt to aid Africans to be truly Christians and authentically Africans (Pope Paul VI, “Address to the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar, Kampala” 31 July, 1969). Similarly, Alyward Shorter notes that: “Africans have a legitimate desire to reformulate the truths of faith in accordance with their own cultural forms of expression. They need not and should not replicate the intellectual history of Europe in order to understand what the Gospel says about Jesus” (Alyward Shorter, Christianity and African Imagination, Nairobi: Paulines Publications Africa, 1996, 69). Accordingly, efforts have been expended on the reformation and restoration of Inculturation Theology. This edition of the Journal has been put together to help in the theological reforms mandated by the Second Vatican Council. Conscious of this development, the Editorial Board has carefully decided on the peer reviewed array of selected articles. In this issue of JIT, Benjamin Ogechi Agbara, in his article titled: Formation of a Believing Community as the Role of the First Sign: Insights from John 2:1-12, focuses on the Gospel according to John which was written to evoke faith in Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God (John 20:30-31). Agbara challenges the Church in Africa to live out the implication of the text and eschew anything that runs contrary to it. Another biblically oriented article, Rereading Leviticus 19:33-34 in the Context of the Current Global Migrant and Refugee Crisis, by Emmanuel O. Nwaoru, decries the plight of migrants and refugees. Nwaoru, therefore, recommends that the modern society should consider dispassionately the enduring and non-restrictive message and show concern for the wellbeing of every migrant (foreigner) on account of their vulnerability. The set of articles with sacred liturgical-bent kicks off with the paper by Emmanuel Chinedu Anagwo titled: Understanding the New Translation of the Roman Rite in Igbo Language. The article creates a path to understanding the new translation of the Roman Missal into vernacular. The currency of the paper by Anagwo lies in its wide explanation of some of these new changes which are richer in content in order to redirect towards heaven. Relatedly, Peter Danjuma Uchu, in his paper, The Importance and Development of the Prayer of Absolution in the African Context, sets out to discuss the spiritual cum liturgical benefits of the prayer of absolution. At the end, Uchu gives some commentaries on the prayer and stresses its importance to the Church in Africa. In his paper, Underscoring the Essence of Christian Funeral Rites within the Context of ‘Befitting Burial’ in Nigeria, Clement Temitope Ogunlusi laments the extent to which Christians today have deviated from the Biblical virtue of prudence but promote the culture of profligacy in burying the dead. Ogunlusi efficiently argues for Christian befitting burial of Christians to be encouraged in order to serve the spiritual purpose in which the souls of the dead are committed to God’s mercy and the living are consoled as well as the lessons of faith concerning death are learnt. Charles Boampong Sarfo, in his article, Preface of the Solemnity of Christ the Universal King as Catechesis for Repairing the Fractured African Continent, attempts to understand the expectation of Christians in sharing the truth of God both in practice and in word. Sarfo argued that the need to build a new continent free from corruption, moral lapses and chaos, is possible when Christians in Africa could serve as light and avoid compromising their religious obligations. The article titled: Dogmatic Theology and the Unity of Christian Doctrine, by Cosmas Okechukwu Ebebe, dares to swim the murky waters with a passion for the protection of the doctrine of the Catholic Church from abuse that comes from subjectivism, rubricism, clericalism, passiveness and conservatism. Ebebe did not shy away from his preference for “Dogmatic Theology” as a better term to be used. Dogmatic Controversy of the Biblical Passage on Ancestor Veneration in Ibibioland, by Anthony Okon Abel, asserts that ancestor veneration occurs in every culture, all over the world. Abel takes up the task on how to correct the wrong interpretation of some Biblical texts by Ibibio people, who after many years of Christianity still hold that there are some Biblical passages that support ancestral veneration. The last but not the least is an insightful article by Edward Osang Obi titled: Energy Ethics and the Impact of Climate Change in Sub-Saharan Africa. Anchored on the fact that there is a clear nexus between the onslaught of climate change and the human technological activities. Obi calls for a systematic balance between the natural human need for energy and the levels of environmental destruction permissible in achieving it. The ideas and experiences captured in this issue of JIT challenge theologians and scholars to be sensitive to the integration of Christian message and culture. The papers, as a whole, significantly contribute to the body of knowledge for Africans and others who need to know the relevance of the mission and vision of Inculturation Theology. It is, therefore, our singular pleasure to recommend this current edition of the Journal to all. You stand to be enriched by reading this issue of JIT as you would not regret doing so. Emmanuel Chinedu Anagwo Editor-in-Chief
JOURNAL OF INCULTURATION THEOLOGY, DECEMBER 2019, VOL.16, NO.2
Elizabeth Titilayo Aduloju, Ignatius Obinwa, Raymond O L U S E S A N Aina, Benjamin Bala, Cosmas Okechukwu Ebebe, EMMANUEL C H I N E D U ANAGWO, Wilfred Chidi Agubuchie
FACULTY OF THEOLOGY, CATHOLIC INSTITUTE OF WEST AFRICA, PORT HARCOURT, NIGERIA, 2019
EDITORIAL This issue of the Journal of Inculturation Theology (JIT) is another collection of scholarly articles from reputable academics across the West African sub-region and Europe. The papers were carefully selected and edited from recommendations of the blind peer review panel. The expectation is that theologians, philosophers, educationists, clergy, religious men and women as well as the lay faithful will have source materials for research and discussion on the all-important issue of the Inculturation Theology. This is especially germane in view of the reality and urgency of the theology in Nigeria and many African nations. The authors have elicited rich, responsive and converging reflections and approaches on how to continuously provide enlightened and incisive Practical Inculturation Theology. This will influence the local Church and the wider society, in order to cherish and pursue this trend of Inculturation Theology. The Journal will hopefully serve as a major effort and catalyst towards such enlightenment to pursue the course of Inculturation Theology. Assuredly, this is the thinking that runs across the articles published by JIT in this digital age. The Church, and indeed, the contemporary society are living through an epochal age. As digital residents, some today refused to migrate into the digital age; hence, they are the digital fugitives. Many of us make effort to explore the opportunities and threats; hence, they are the digital immigrants. While our young people born since 1980, who are versatile with modern technological toys and tools, are digital natives. We must collaborate and co-operate, in order to instruct and communicate the designs of God to His children in this New Era of Evangelization. Patrick Chukwudezie Chibuko, in his article Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the Liturgical life of Christians Today: An Anglophone West African Response opens “the academic excursus” by stating the functional relationship between the liturgy and the Information Communication Technology (ICT) on the human person and the larger society. As ICT is person oriented; in the liturgy, the Church celebrates a Personality, namely Christ, not as a theory, philosophy, ideology or figment of imagination. What liturgy recalls in celebration, ICT records and preserves for posterity in gadgets. In pursuance of this mission of the Church as a communicating community with ICT, Elizabeth Titilayo Aduloju, in her paper, Navigating the Present-Day Digital Media Proliferation: A Challenge for Pastoral Agents in Nigeria, underscores a fact that the new media technologies have revolutionised the entire globe, altering substantially, the way people work, live, learn and how they spend their leisure time. In Nigeria, young people, who are ‘native speakers’/’digital natives’ of the digital language of computers and video game, are already spending more time on new media such as mobile phones, social media and the internet. With the new development, today’s young people encounter a lot of challenges such as gratuitous sex and violence, cyberbullying, trivialisation of news and many others. The article, The Youth and Legacy of the SECAM Golden Jubilee (1969-2019), by Ferdinand Nwaigbo, calls attention to the problem of the contemporary youth which consists in living out the legacy of Christianity and in preserving their cultural identity and heritage. This is because Christianity is a religion with diversities of cultures, customs, traditions and legacies. The article elaborates the need to renew the commitment of the youth to bear witness to Jesus Christ, in a culture that is encapsulated in exploiting the youth, keeping them out of decision taking processes in a society marked with gender sensitivity and democratic revolutions. In her write-up, The Impact of Globalization on Youth Identity Formation in Nigeria: The Moral Perspective, Anthonia Bolanle Ojo notes that Globalisation is the force behind the changes across the globe. It provides a series of powerful processes that enable both opportunities and risks to thrive. The paper explores how the young people live and experience the world, becoming more open and accessible while living in their own world in Nigeria. Benjamin Yakubu Bala, in his article, Rising Spade of Suicide Among Young People in Nigeria: A Christian Moral Response, observes that the increasing spade of suicide among young people in the world and particularly in Nigeria is worrisome. The numbers are quite devastating and very scaring. Good Governance and Overcoming Insecurity in Nigeria: An agenda for Political Leaders and Agents, by Raymond Olusesan Aina, laments that despite being touted as the biggest economy in Africa, Nigeria remains one of the countries in Africa where multidimensional poverty, daunting and daily crisis abound. Many structures in Nigeria are dilapidated. Violence, insecurity and lawlessness are the order of the day. Relatedly, Ignatius M.C. Obinwa, in his article, Knowledge from Correct Education as Panacea for Conflicts and Lawlessness: Examining the Nigerian Context in the Light of Isaiah 11:1-9, discusses such manifestations of conflicts and lawlessness in Nigeria as corruption, bloody religious intolerance, nepotism and inter-tribal bloody combats in the light of Isaiah 11:1-9. Cosmas Okechukwu Ebebe, in his write-up, Ministerial Priesthood and its Ecclesial Setting within an African Context, unveils that priesthood in the Catholic Church is of primary importance. This is because of the centrality of the Sacraments in the life of the Church. Through her perennial teachings, the Catholic Church is called the Church of the Sacraments since Sacraments are indispensable in the life of the Church. In his contribution, Clergy-Laity Distinction: Testimonies of the New Testament, Wilfred Chidi Agubuchie studies the attestation of the New Testament (NT) to clergy-laity distinction in the Church. The paper argues that although the terms ‘clergy’ and ‘laity’ are not expressly employed in the NT to stratify the faithful, and notwithstanding that various offices were yet undeveloped, there are sufficient evidences showing that the primitive Church had distinction of offices and officers. In sum, the Journal has to be in the possession of anyone who wants to be better informed on trends and directions of Theological Inculturation. The authors have concurred unanimously and unequivocally that for the Church to be truly the Church of Jesus Christ, she must be both universal and particular. Emmanuel Chinedu Anagwo Editor-in-Chief
Priests and Religious as Fruits of the Family
The Catholic Voyage, 2016
Find my article on Priests and Religious as fruits of the family in the Journal series above
ABUJA JOURNAL OF PHILOSOPHY AND THEOLOGY.Vol 6
Volume 6 of APT dedicated to the reception of Laudato si' from the perspective of the global South, especially Sub-Saharan Africa.
THEORY AND PRAXIS OF SACRED LITURGY IN N I G E R I: A FESTSCHRIFT IN HONOUR OF MOST REV. PROF. AUGUSTINE NDUBUEZE ECHEMA
Alfred Okakpu, Nduka R. Uzor, Peter Onyekachi Ezekoka, Cajetan Okechukwu Ani, Cosmas U. Okafor, Callistus-Mary I. Ikhane, Jonas O. Okafor, Ernest C. Ndukwe, EMMANUEL C H I N E D U ANAGWO
2021
EDITORIAL PREFACE V arious human societies honour their heroes and heroines in different ways and styles. Such include gifts, money, degrees, awards, grants, scholarships, medals, positions, concerts, parties, souvenirs, symposia, colloquia and writings. Accordingly, this one-volume, twenty-chapter book titled Theory and Praxis of Sacred Liturgy in Nigeria, is a festschrift to mark the first episcopal anniversary of a distinguished prelate, a renowned scholar of international repute, academic mentor, an accomplished Master of Ceremonies (MC), an outstanding Professor of Sacred Liturgy, an author of repute, Most Rev. Prof. Augustine Ndubueze Echema, Catholic Bishop of Aba Diocese. The idea of writing a book to celebrate His Excellency was conceived by his former students, who have remained appreciative of his instrumentality in their successful achievements. Actually, the idea of the publication was related to him in passing, but after due consideration, it was permitted as long as it will help to immortalize the discipline he has dedicated most of his life in teaching, writing and researching. The response of the contributors to this project was very overwhelming for the Editors. What was meant to be just few papers for publication, turned out to be a huge harvest of insightful materials in the science of Sacred Liturgy. The goodwill of Bishop Echema attracted a lot of papers within Nigeria and beyond. For him, Sacred Liturgy is the “life-wire”, the Church’s “nerve-centre” and the “vaccine” to meet the multi-faceted challenges of the 21st century Nigerian Catholicism. The practical dimension of Sacred Liturgy is for the glorification of God and the equipping of Christians with the power to carry out the mission in the world. The two cannot be separated. The dichotomy between theory and practice has been a major problem facing the Church in Nigeria. The aim of the consideration of liturgical theory and practice is to shape the faithful in the spirit of the reformed liturgy of the Second Vatican Council (Sacrosanctum Concilium 14), through active, conscious, full and socio-communitarian participation. This book is divided into three parts to achieve this objective. The first part, on the subject matter of theory and praxis of sacred liturgy, delineates Bishop Echema as a liturgist and chief shepherd, and articulates the reflections on the seriousness of the sacred liturgy, its dynamic lex agendi, the spiritual value of active participation in Christian liturgical celebrations and the necessity of Christian formation. The second part explores sacraments and their liturgical perspectives. The third part examines the challenges and the future of the liturgical practices in Nigeria. The book would be a useful tool for scientific study of sacred liturgy. We hereby thank the authors for their thought-provoking contributions. All of them made sincere effort to simplify the liturgical language for an easier reading and understanding. They are fully responsible for the position maintained in their respective chapters. Rev. Fr. Prof. Patrick C. Chibuko deserves thanks for the wonderful and insightful foreword to this book. It is therefore our pleasure to recommend this book to all. You stand to be enriched by reading this book as we wish Bishop Echema, Ad multos gloriosque annos!. Editors: Emmanuel Chinedu Anagwo, PhD Kelechi Anyanwu, PhD 2nd February, 2020 The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord
CULT OF THE ANCESTORS AND SAINTS FROM THE IGBO (NIGERIAN) EXPERIENCE: A LITURGICAL EVALUATION
GRACE & TRUTH a journal of catholic reflection for southern africa African Christian Reflections on Culture and Dialogue Volume 35, No.2, October 2018, 2018
This article is premised on the fact that over the past 100 years, amidst the confusion and darkness surrounding the Church’s attempt to evangelize the African culture, a few ideologies have aided the Church. Some scholars like Sarpong and Obijiaku will subscribe to ancestral cult as one of them. The philosophy behind the Ancestral cult of the African (Igbo) experience is anchored on the basis that their ancestors are at the Headquarters in the spirit land. Mbiti rightly corroborated that Africans are “religious people” who hold firmly to the cult of their ancestors and to the worship of other major and minor divinities. While not condemning outright what sustained their fore-fathers/fore-mothers in faith, the Church can use the values of African spirituality in the life and liturgy of the Church in Africa. Areas where this inculturation and contextualization can be experimented include the liturgy of baptism, at the Christian prayer for the dead, and of course, in celebration of the feasts of All Saints and All Souls. In all, through critical liturgical catechesis therefore traditionalists could come to understand fully the place of the dead in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Encountering God in the Sacrament of Reconciliation A Liturgical Catechesis for the Young People
Thesis , 2009
The lifestyle today has changed and many young people are affected by it. The young people seem to be marked as alienated being in our Churches and many of them are living in a fragmented lifestyle caused by relativism, secularism and globalization and as a result the Sacrament of Reconciliation with God, with others, with self and with nature is also affected. The Sacrament of Reconciliation has suffered more than any other Sacrament in the Catholic Church because of many factors. And this is affirmed by Pope John Paul II noted in his Post-Synodal exhortation on Reconciliation and Penance when he said that, “the Sacrament of Reconciliation is in crisis.” The reasons of these crises as pointed above also include the way the Sacrament of Reconciliation was taught, celebrated, lived and understood as well as other challenging factors. History has shown us so much about the steps the Church has taken at different epochs regarding reconciliation. This Thesis is about “Encountering God in the Sacrament of Reconciliation: A Liturgical Catechesis for the Young People in Ikot Ekpene Diocese – Nigeria.” The rationale behind undertaking this study is the very fact that young people long to encounter and experience God yet they decline in the Sacrament of Confession which is a Sacrament of love. It is a pastoral care and response to the young people in our parishes to help them appreciate the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The Church through the proper celebration of the Penance can reach out to the young people yearning and longing to encounter and experience the compassionate and merciful God. Therefore, the Church (Ikot Ekpene Diocese) should open re-contextualization of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Looking at traditional understanding of reconciliation and its effects in Ikot Ekpene context and the history of the Sacrament of Reconciliation the Church should be able to contextualize the Sacrament of Reconciliation. There are many challenges and obstacles to the Sacrament of Reconciliation especially among the young people therefore, the aim of this thesis is an attempt at finding a way to make the Sacrament of Reconciliation better understood, more meaningful and relevant to young people in Ikot Ekpene Diocese as well as the whole Catholic world through a liturgical catechesis of the words used in celebrating the Sacrament, the role of the minister and the penitent, the Sacramental environment, signs and symbols and other elements relevant to the celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a Sacrament of conversion. Therefore adaptation and inculturation (re-contextualization) of the Sacrament of Reconciliation through liturgical catechesis should be able to bridge the lex credendi, the lex orandi, and lex vivendi. No re-contextualization (inculturation) is possible without an adequate understanding of what we celebrate. Therefore, today’s pressing need is a pastoral praxis that corresponds to the theology of the Sacrament – a rite that links lex credendi, lex orandi, and lex vivendi.
ENCOUNTER
JOURNAL OF AFRICAN LIFE AND RELIGION
Vol. 13
2019
Rome
SUMMARY
Editorial
Kingsley Ikechukwu Nze
The Reign of God and the Rule of Evil. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Page 11
Articles
Francis Cardinal AriNze
Genuine Patriotism and Good Leadership in Nigeria . . . . . . . . . . .
Page 15
This article highlights genuine patriotism as the guiding
principle for good citizenship and effective leadership. In
the Nigerian context, genuine patriotism would include
upholding the rule of law, active participation in politics
and other societal affairs, support for good leadership, and
working for the common good. Since formation of society
results from the social nature of man, the correct tendency
should not be to hinder its progress by selfish means, or to
condemn politics as dirty, but to improve them by working
for the good of all, irrespective of religion or ethnicity.
Genuine patriotism is opposed to unhealthy nationalism that
leads to parochialism, exclusivism and tribalism. Hence, a
new Nigeria is one in which citizens, respecting one another,
exercise their rights properly and undertake their various
responsibilities together with their elected leaders. Thus,
they commit themselves to the welfare of the whole person,
of all persons and of Nigeria as a whole.
1
eNcouNter JourNAl of AfricAN life ANd religioN
John egbulefu
The Kingdom of God: Its Origin and Structure, Its Relation with the
Salvation of Men, Its King and his Royal Acts, Powers and Handover.
A Systematic-Theological Reflection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 21
Departing from the undefinable concept of ‘Kingdom’ and of
‘God’ to a descriptive definition of the terminology ‘Kingdom
of God’, the article traces the origin of the reality Kingdom of
God, delineates the structure and enunciates the components
and contents of the divine Kingdom and its relations with the
salvation of men. Then it characterizes the God of the Kingdom
as the proper King of the divine Kingdom, underlines His royal
acts, the principal among which is His reigning as governing
by applying His sovereign powers to defend, protect and feed
His people and ministers, and to guide and direct their steps
on the way of truth and justice, peace and progress towards
the perfection of their wellbeing, the security of their lives and
property, and to develop the place in which He reigns. It then
ruminates over the divine handover of God’s Government
of the World to His incarnate Son Jesus Christ who, in turn,
after a three-dimensional pedagogy to His apostles on how
to govern the people of God as the people of the king of the
divine Kingdom, hands over the government of the royal
people to His Apostle Peter. It concludes with an exhortation
of the human Governors of their nations to learn from the
model of government bequeathed to humans by God the Lord
as Shepherd, by His Son Jesus Christ as the Good Shepherd
and by the Chief-Apostle of Christ, St. Peter, as the Shepherd
of the flock of Christ.
Stan Chu ilo
The Dialectics of the City of God and the Earthly City in Nigeria:
Towards a Critical and Constructive African Political Theology . . .
What emerges at the end of this analysis is the fruitfulness of
a critical and constructive African political theology. This way
of doing theology is capable of unmasking how unequal power
relations, bad state actors, religious leaders who compromise
the essence of the Gospel message in the sinful quest for power
and privilege can all conspire in undermining the common
good and the reign of God in particular history. The ultimate
goal of the essay is to make an appeal to theologians and
2
Page 49
Summary
African Christians on the urgency of the present moment in
African history when many people in our continent continue
to suffer and the poor remain hanging on the Cross of pain
and lacking human fulfilment. Thus, the paper proposes that
in the face of this heart-wrenching poverty in our continent in
the midst of the rich human and cultural resources of Africa,
creative theological reflections, advocacy and concrete steps
are required in Africa today to guide our faithful in developing
a social conscience and sound social ethics for a better society.
The essay also challenges both the Church and political leaders
to elevate the morality and quality of their leadership in order
to bring about a new Africa, which mirrors the fruits of the
reign of God in history.
Francis Anekwe oborJi
Translations of “Our Lord’s Prayer” in African Languages:
Issues of Inculturation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Page 67
Recently, there was a heated discussion following the
retranslation in French language of the last phrase of
the Lord’s Prayer (Our Father) in Latin, ne nos inducas
in tentationem (“lead us not into temptation”). The new
French version of Our Father, now reads, ne nous laisse
pas succomber à la tentation (do no not let us succumb to
temptation). The French retranslation of the Lord’s Prayer
received the appraisal of Pope Francis who requested that
other language groups, especially of the Latin languages
follow the French example. Our present article examines
whether the same problem noted in Latin languages exist
also in our African local languages’ translations of the Lord’s
Prayer? The article discusses this question, along with similar
problems, our early missionaries and native pioneer African
theologians and scholars encountered while translating the
Lord’s Prayer’s phrase, Adveniat regnum tuum (Thy Kingdom
Come) into African languages. Finally, the article looks at
the problematic in the ongoing retranslations into various
African languages, of some phrases of the Latin Commons
of the Mass, namely, Et cum spiritu tuo. It concludes with a
brief appraisal of the relevance of promoting inculturation
in Africa today, through translations of the sacred texts into
African languages.
3
eNcouNter JourNAl of AfricAN life ANd religioN
Austin echemA
Abuses threatening True Christian Worship and the Celebration
of the Sacraments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Page 91
True Christian worship, otherwise known as sacred liturgy in
Roman Catholic circles lies at the very heart of the Church.
Liturgy is the work of Christ and his illustrious Spouse the
Church. It is the most sacred action of the Church, so that it
could be said that without the liturgy, there will be no Catholic
Church. Christ is present at every liturgical function. He is
equally present in the sacraments, infusing into them the
power which makes them ready instruments of sanctification.
It is this centrality of the role of Christ which makes the liturgy
sacred and places it beyond the creativity of humanity. For
this reason, “no other person whatsoever, not even a priest
may add, remove or change anything in the liturgy on their
own authority” (Sacrosanctum Concilium 22). But today both
the clergy and the lay faithful have attempted to tamper with
the liturgy of the Church. This article, therefore, aims at reexamining the true nature of the Church’s liturgy, identifying
the abuses that have crept into it and their causes particularly
in Africa in order to proffer solutions to stop them.
Bede ukwuiJe, CSSp
The Political Theology of Pope Francis and Its Significance for the
Church in Nigeria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
This article explores the significance of the Church-politics
relationship displayed in Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation,
Evangelii Gaudium for the Church in Nigeria. The context of
the reflection is the recurrent question of the raison d’être of
the intervention of Catholic Bishops, Priests and Consecrated
Persons in the debates on the political situation of the country.
The article demonstrates that Evangelii Gaudium prolongs
and refines Christian Political theology tradition which dates
back to the framework fixed by Saints Augustine of Hippo
and Thomas Aquinas. It goes further to argue that a healthy
Political theology in the light of Pope Francis will help the
Church in Nigeria to find a balance between the critique of
sociopolitical and economic institutions and the proposal of
ways to invent a true political society. The question then is
not whether or not the Church should intervene in the political
situation of Nigeria but how best she can assume the political
implication of the Christian faith in this context.
4
Page 107
Summary
Luke Emehiele iJezie
The Family and the Kingdom of God: Understanding the Dynamics
of Luke 14:25-33 for the Church in Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Page 123
This paper addresses the issue of the family and kingdom of
God as implicated in the text of Luke 14:25-33. In the text,
Jesus gives the basic conditions one has to fulfil to become his
disciple. These involve the hatred of one’s family, the hatred
of one’s life and the giving up of one’s possessions. Some of
these conditions run contrary to many conventional values,
especially in Africa where people lay much premium on family
structures. How can the African believer hate his or her own
family? Does this not explain why there is much duplicity in
many forms of the practice of the faith in the African context?
The paper examines the meaning and implications of the text
with a view to responding to these questions. The approach is
both analytical and descriptive.
Pachomius okogie, OSB
Jesus the Nazarene: The King of the Jews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Page 133
Jesus Christ was very different from others. Neither he, nor
the kingdom of God that he preached belonged to this world.
That fact was particularly evident in the symbols of his
“empty tomb” and “empty throne.” Nonetheless, he came into
this world, which the Father loved so much, not to condemn
and destroy it, but rather to save and redeem it, through
his sorrowful passion and death on the cross, and through
his glorious resurrection from the dead. His disciples have
been aware that they too do not belong to this world. Their
homeland is in heaven. Like their master, however, they too
do not treat this world with scorn, disrespect, and neglect.
They engage themselves tirelessly for the full realization and
flourishing of the kingdom of God that is in them, on the
one hand, while on the other they work assiduously for the
peaceful coexistence, common good, and happiness of all
men in this world, so that in all things God may be glorified.
The intent of this article is to discuss “adveniat regnum
tuum” in the context of the liturgical celebration of the feast
of Christ the King. Scripture, however, is in the back of
one’s mind, precisely because it is the primary source and
the backbone of liturgy.
5
eNcouNter JourNAl of AfricAN life ANd religioN
Bitrus Raphael medugu
The Kingship of Christ: Lessons for African Pastors
and Leaders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Page 143
Many socio-political and socio-cultural problems were
discussed by the fathers of the First Special Assembly for Africa
of the Synod of Bishops. These issues are still challenges facing
Africa twenty-five years later and in fact, getting worst by the
day. Thus, the thrust of this essay is to demonstrate that Christ’s
Kingship is the ideal key to unlock the mystery of bad leadership
in Africa. It lies primarily on the spiritual and political leaders
to jointly work together and bring about the solution in the light
of the Kingdom of God.
Paulinus Chukwudi Nweke
Religion and Development: The Case of the Catholic Church
in Nigeria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
This paper discusses the intersection between Religion and
Development. Drawing on the functional theory of religion, it
argues that religion can be a veritable partner in the planning and
implementation of development projects. While acknowledging
improvements witnessed in some aspects of the socio-economic
life of Nigerians, the paper notes that a lot more still needs to
be done for the country to realize its development potentials.
Although the paper does not discuss the causes of Nigeria’s
underdevelopment – as it is not its focus –, it makes a case for
a multi-level, multi-sectoral and multi-dimensional approach
to the planning and implementation of development projects in
Nigeria. Hence, it brings to the fore the contributions of religious
actors, particularly the Catholic Church in the socio-economic
development of the country. Despite the immense contributions
of the Catholic Church to Nigeria’s development, the paper
identifies some challenges to the effectiveness, efficiency, and
sustainability of Catholic-inspired development initiatives in the
country. The work is qualitative in nature and draws from both
primary and secondary data sources.
6
Page 155
Summary
Adolphus Ekedimma AmAefule, SDV
Julius Nyerere, the Church and Contemporary Catholic Politicians
in Nigeria: Towards Building the Kingdom of God . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Page 171
From the 1950s onwards, most of the countries south of the
Sahara, got their independence from their colonial masters.
After the initial euphoria, the art of governing started. More
than half a century later, the scorecard has not been wonderful.
Bad governance engineered by bad politicians has almost been
the order of the day. But from this same gloomy cloud of bad
governance in Africa, however, some rays of bright light have
often illumined the horizon. One of such rays of light is Julius
Nyerere, the former president of Tanzania. Beyond any attempt
at hagiography, the work will try to look briefly at his life, his
actions and inactions, and the lessons they hold for politicians in
Nigeria, today. And since the Church in Tanzania helped to make
Nyerere who and what he became and vice versa, the work also
looks at the challenges that reality would pose for the Church in
Nigeria in her relationship with her sons and daughters in public
service. It is hoped that this will be a valuable addition to current
efforts at articulating an African Catholic political theology.
Emmanuel uNAmbA
Does God’s Kingdom have space for Muslims? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Page 189
This work is a concise discourse on the necessity of Interreligious
Dialogue in our contemporary world of religious pluralism. It
pays particular attention to the dialogue between Christians and
Muslims as a veritable way of realizing the earthly dimension
of the kingdom of God. This should spur Christians to journey
together with the Muslims as pilgrims to the same destination:
the heavenly kingdom of God. They are not to be excluded from
it, since it is the prerogative of God, the owner of the kingdom,
to decide who is to be admitted into his kingdom. Muslims and
Christians should therefore work together for the establishment
of the kingdom of God in Nigeria.
7
eNcouNter JourNAl of AfricAN life ANd religioN
Celestine Arinze okAfor
Building the Kingdom of God through Catholic Education:
The Role of Catholic Schools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Page 201
This contribution examines the implication of the Kingdom of God
for Catholic schools in Nigeria, beginning from the theological
understanding of the term “Kingdom of God”. Sources for
understanding the Kingdom of God include the Hebrew scripture,
the life/ministry of Jesus, and contemporary theology. The
kingdom of God represents a time of deliverance through God’s
active reign in history. Jesus Christ preached and lived it and so
does the Church He instituted. Among the places or fronts of this
ministry is the Catholic school. The Catholic school participates in
the evangelizing mission of the Church as a true Ecclesial subject.
This means that it is a genuine instrument of the Church in building
the Kingdom of God on earth. This article traces the implication
of the term, Adveniat Regnum Tuum, for Catholic education
and schooling. It highlights the role of the Catholic school in the
Church’s mission of promoting the Kingdom of God.
Anne FAlolA, OLA
The Place of the Kingdom of God in the Dialogue between
Christians and Muslims in Africa Today . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
This article examines theological, ecclesiological, sociological and
practical issues in relation to Interreligious Dialogue in Nigeria
and Africa in general. Although there is a global urgency for
interreligious engagement due to the crucial role of interreligious
relations in global politics, this paper pays particular attention to
Interreligious Dialogue as a tool for evangelization and a means
of building the Kingdom of God here on earth. This impels us to
expand our understanding of the Kingdom of God and even our
understanding of the Church and her mission in the world. Our
capacity to recognize and work with others, especially Muslims
requires a spirituality which makes us authentically Christians and
evangelizers. The final part of the paper raises numerous sociocultural, political, economic and structural challenges which make
Interreligious Dialogue difficult and even sometimes impossible
in Africa and especially in Nigeria. Finally, the writer makes a
passionate appeal to all to build God’s Kingdom of justice, peace
and communion through interreligious collaboration.
8
Page 213
Summary
Joseph PillA
The New ‘Ratio Fundamentalis’ in the formation of Priests
and Religious in Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Page 223
The formation of priests and religious is of paramount importance
for the life of the Church. The present situation and the challenges
being faced by the Church demonstrate the need for the new Ratio
Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis (RFIS). This document
presents the guidelines for the formation of priests and religious
by reflecting the ecclesiastical and socio-cultural changes, and
by exploring the agents, stages and the various dimensions of
the formation. The major concern of this article therefore is to
examine the formation of priests and religious in Africa in the
light of the new RFIS, and expose its fundamental challenges as
it affects the Church in Africa. The study ends by making some
proposals for the future of the Church in Africa. In fact, what
the Church needs is not only an increase in priestly or religious
vocations but a harvest of responsible and committed priests and
religious through authentic formation.
Richard Emmanuel gokum
Politicization of Religion: A Reflection on Fulani Herdsmen Attack
in Nigeria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Page 231
This essay examines the religio-political implications of the
Fulani herdsmen attack in Nigeria. The suspicion has led into the
balkanization of Nigeria along religious lines and gross violation
of the fundamental rights of people. The task of this piece is to
demonstrate the effects of these attacks on the Church and the
consequences on the unity of Nigeria bearing in mind that politics
conscientiously practiced under the guidance of true religion
ought to be for the good of the human society and peaceful coexistence.
Abstract of Doctoral Dissertation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Page 235
Notes on Contributors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Page 237
9
10
EJ 13 (2019) 11-13
EDITORIAL
The Reign of God and the Rule of Evil
Our journey to the Kingdom of God is a continuous battle against abstract and
impersonal evil, sensuous and unbridled passions, and above all, the evil one and its
agents. At every Eucharistic celebration, the Church prays for the coming of God’s
Kingdom - adveniat regnum tuum. In the Lord’s prayer, it signifies primarily the
final coming of the reign of God through Christ’s return.1 It is not without reason
that the prayer ends with ‘do not let us fall into temptation, but deliver us from
evil’ (cf. Mt. 6:13). In this special appeal, evil is seen not as an abstraction but as a
person, Satan, the angel who is opposed to God (cf. CCE 2851). The present version
of the Roman Ritual of Exorcism, De Exorcismis et Supplicationibus Quibusdam
(of Exorcisms and Certain Supplications) draws our attention to the acts and power
of Satan over persons or things.2 Satan can not only afflict persons, but also possess
objects and places, and even goes further to instigate various forms of antagonism
and persecution of the Church. The struggle against Satan liturgically speaking, is
well demonstrated in the exorcistic rites of the Church: the triple renunciation of
Satan (apotaxis), the imposition of the cross on the forehead (consignatio crucis or
sphragis), effeta (ephphetha), the blessing of the baptismal water, insufflation and
exsufflation. The rite can be either imprecatory (adjuring Satan over the demons to
leave the candidate or object) or deprecatory (imploring God to release the persons
or objects from demonic power), but are all performed in the name of Jesus Christ,
the first exorcist from whom is derived the power to defeat Satan. Jesus’ exorcisms
are very essential in understanding and proclaiming the kingdom of God (cf. Mt.
10:7-8,12:28; Mk.1:15,23-27,32-34,6:8; Lk. 8:26-39,11:20). The whole symbolism
is a sign of healing, liberation from Satan, and consecration to Christ.
The practice of exorcism is one of the foundations of African Traditional
Religious System because of its belief in the existence of the spirits, who use their
positive or negative mystical powers to bless or to curse humans. Consequently,
Africans felt obliged to resort to charms, symbolic totems, talisman and amulets for
protection from bad spirits through religious rites. Since the activities and strategies
of Satan are not given due attention in our catechism classes, the African has become
1
2
Cf. Catechismus Catholicae Ecclesiae (CCE), Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Città del Vaticano 1997,
2818.
Rituale Romanum ex decreto Sacrosancti Oecumenici Concilii Vaticani II instauratum auctoritate
Ioannis Pauli PP. II promulgatum, De Exorcismis et Supplicationibus Quibusdam, Editio Typica
Amendata, Typis Vaticanis, Città del Vaticano 2004, 1-38.
11
kiNgsley ikechukwu Nze
a victim of prophetic gimmicks to satisfy his traditional religious instinct. This can
account for the increase in the ongoing hypocritical manipulation of our distressed
Christians by the so-called charlatan pastors and founders of the healing ministries,
who have ended up propagating fear, anxiety and discord among families, friends
and well-wishers. The victims of these diabolical agents often times are nominal
Christians. Most of the incidents are as a result of the lust for power, ill-health, poverty
and other family problems. The problems are compounded by the foolish credulity
that sees diabolic interventions in every extraordinary event. Today, Pentecostalism
supplies people with an image of the Devil which can be used not only to demonize
traditional gods and spirits, but to diabolize sickness, poverty and failure. The
lukewarmness suffered by the present generation and the impulsive appetite for sin
are the repercussions of such spiritual corruption and morally despicable actions.
In the present-day Catholicism, there is a resurgence of attention in exorcism
and demonology due to secularism, tarot reading, atheism, astrology and internet
technology which promotes the widespread interest in paranormal phenomena. Warning
us against empiricism, Pope Francis explained the risks and the dangers implied in
considering the devil as «a myth, a representation, a symbol, a figure of speech or an
idea».3 The conceptualization of evil as mere illusions or false consciousness is quite
inadequate. Satan is real, present, active and everywhere with his devoted acolytes and
advocates. Satan is unrelenting in every attempt to deprive humanity from attaining
the Kingdom of God, but he cannot prevent the building up of God’s reign. Jesus was
confronted with temptation immediately after his baptism (cf. Lk. 4:1-13; Mt. 4:111; Mk. 1:12-13), but his victory over Satan was won through the Cross. The Cross
embodies the mystery of his redemptive triumph. It is not only a symbol of his passion
and death, but of his resurrection. His sacred transition from death to life on the night
between Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday, clearly articulated in the Praeconium
Paschale - Exsultet, was a major turning point in the whole history of salvation. The
entire proclamation shows that God can be glorified in what appears to be a defeat.
The spirit of this incomparable song of victory awakens us to divine gratitude for the
resurrection of Christ: a night that dispelled darkness, restored innocence to the fallen,
joy to the mourners, forgiveness to sinners, love to the hated, peace to the troubled,
and hope to the despair. He broke the prison-bars of death and rose victorious from the
underworld. Since, all the promises of God’s kingdom are fulfilled in Christ, the sole
light giver represented by the Paschal candle, it behooves the Church to instruct and
make her children realize that they are sons and daughters of the true light, even when
Satan disguises himself as an angel of light (cf. 2Cor. 11:14).
3
Cf. frANcis, Apostolic Exhortation Gaudate et Exsultate (19 March 2018) 161; cf. origeNe,
Commento al vangelo di Matteo/2 (Libri XIII-XV), ed. A. Quacquarelli (Collana di Testi Patristici
151), Città Nuova, Roma 1999, 131.
12
Editorial
Jesus is the kingdom of God in person (autobasilea)4. No one can attain
the kingdom of God without genuine life of faith and communion with Christ. He
urges us to great vigilance of heart and examination of conscience before we can
advance on the structures of evil in our society. No wonder, St. Paul absolutely
criticized those Christians who participated in the table of the Lord and afterwards
went forth to participate in the table of demons (1Cor. 10:20-21). The mission of
the Church is to announce the Kingdom of God, by condemning every obsessional
preoccupation with Satan, vampirism, witchcraft, sorcery, ritual magic, superstition,
esoteric occult practices, and our most deadly enemies (pride, avarice, envy, wrath,
lust, gluttony, and sloth or acedia).5 In fact, all human hubris and inflated arrogance
are totally subjugated before the royal power of God for he overrules all kingdoms.
It is in the light of the above considerations that the editorial board of the
Encounter Journal of African Life and Religion, in its 13th edition, has chosen to
focus on the theme: Adveniat Regnum Tuum: Challenges for the Church and the
State in Rebuilding the Nation according to the Kingdom of God, to mark the 50th
anniversary of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar
(SECAM) inaugurated by Pope Paul VI in Kampala Uganda, on July 31, 1969. The
First and Second Special Assemblies for Africa of the Synod of Bishops held April
10 - May 8, 1994 and October 4-25, 2009 respectively in Rome were the fruits
of SECAM. This year, equally, the Church in Africa celebrates the 25th and 10th
anniversaries of these two Special Assemblies for Africa that gave birth to two PostSynodal Apostolic exhortations, Ecclesia in Africa and Africae Munus. Hence, the
present journal seeks to make an exploration on Catholic faith, as well as the moral
and social questions concerning the proclamation of the Kingdom of God in Africa
such as political and economic instability, endemic poverty, distress, injustice,
exploitation of human and natural resources, persecutions, the issue of migration,
and terrorism. This publication is an invitation to incarnate and resonate Christ by
learning the wisdom of his total submission to the will of the Father in order to stand
against the onslaught of evil. The Holy Mass, Eucharistic adoration, meditation,
sacramental reconciliation, and all works of charity are great weapons to overcome
the wiles of Satan. Finally, our goal is to re-instill the consciousness of the Kingdom
of God by encouraging all Africans (men and women of good will) to build the reign
of God in our society, through our commitment to Christ’s commands (cf. Jn. 13:3435); witness of life (cf. Acts 1:8) and in keeping with the beatitudes (cf. Mt. 5:3-12).
Kingsley Ikechukwu Nze (Editor)
4
5
Cf. frANcis, Message for the 29th World Youth Day, 21 January 2014.
Cf. CCE 1866.
13
14
EJ 13 (2019) 15-19
GENUINE PATRIOTISM AND
GOOD LEADERSHIP IN NIGERIA
frANcis cArdiNAl AriNze
Introduction
A good citizen loves his or her country and wants to see good leaders who
will promote justice, peace, development and tranquility in the country. At this
stage of the history of Nigeria, it is good to reflect with readers of the Encounter
Journal on how this can be translated into reality. Thus, the following reflections
will begin with a consideration of the social nature of the human person. There
follows the importance of the political community with its relationship to the human
person. Patriotism naturally presents itself. The individual has therefore to engage in
political participation. This demands the action of good leadership if the best results
are to be achieved.
Man’s Social Nature
The human being is created with a social nature. The newborn child absolutely
needs other human beings in order to survive and to grow. The mother is the first
immediate person who helps the child to live, to breathe, eat and drink and eventually
to see, to talk, to walk and to begin to behave as a member of the family. The father,
the brothers and sisters if any, the relatives and other people come in as helpers on
the pilgrimage that is life on earth. This social nature is a quality inbuilt in human
nature by God the Creator. It is not something added on. Every human being needs
other human beings in order to grow, to develop one’s talents and potentialities,
to become all that the person can become, to reach the height of one’s potential. It
follows that society is natural to humans. Society begins in the family and spreads
to the kindred, the village, the city and eventually the political community that is the
state. There are also other societies which cater for other dimensions of life such as
religion, cultural interests, science and technology, the arts and professions, work
and leisure.
The Political Community and the Human Person
The existence of the political community and its proper functioning are
basic needs for proper human development. There are some fundamental services
which are expected from the political community or the state. Examples are water,
15
frANcis cArdiNAl AriNze
electricity supply, roads, schools, hospitals, communications facilities and especially
social security which enables citizens to live in peace and reasonable calm. The
individual will find it difficult to carry out professional engagements in agriculture,
medicine, law, trade, commerce and politics if these fundamental requirements are
not in place. The state is needed in order to guarantee their provision in a sufficient
and stable way. That is why the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church
says that “the political community, a reality inherent in mankind, exists to achieve
an end otherwise unobtainable: the full growth of each of its members, called to
cooperate steadfastly for the attainment of the common good, under the impulse of
their natural inclinations towards what is good and true” (384).
Patriotism
Here arises the importance of the virtue of patriotism. This is the love of one’s
own country and consequent readiness to contribute to its welfare. It is one’s country
that gives to that person birth, nurture, conditions and possibilities for growth,
education, association with other citizens and, even more basically, soil in which to
live and move about. The virtue of piety includes love of one’s own country.
In the Lord’s Prayer, the Our Father, Jesus teaches us to pray that God’s will
may be done on earth as it is in heaven (cf. Mt. 6:10). The psalmist prays: “Teach me
to do your will, for you are my God” (Ps. 143:10). The longest Psalm, 119 (118) is
punctuated in every verse with an expressed desire of the soul to do the will of God.
This love of the order established by God is vocalized in such concepts as God’s
law, ways, precepts, will, word, statutes, testimonies or commandments. “I delight
to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart”, prays the psalmist in Psalm
40:8. The point being made here is that the psalmist shows a readiness to do God’s
will. The citizen who wants to respect the order established by God in creating
humans with a social nature will not fail to love his or her country.
The virtue of patriotism, however, has limits. While one should love one’s
country, it should not be forgotten that other countries also exist. Nationalism is
often applied to that excessive love of one’s own country which does not leave the
necessary room for the rights of other countries. The Second Vatican Council, while
appreciating the importance of patriotism, advises against excesses of this attitude:
“Citizens should develop a generous and loyal devotion to their country, but without
any narrowing of mind. In other words, they must always look simultaneously to the
welfare of the whole human family, which is tied together by the manifold bonds
linking races, peoples, and nations” (Gaudium et Spes,75). “As good citizens, they
should practice true and effective patriotism. At the same time, let them altogether
avoid racial prejudice and bitter nationalism, fostering instead a universal love
16
Genuine Patriotism and Good Leadership in Nigeria
for man” (Ad Gentes, 15), so the Vatican Council Decree insists in its directive on
missionary activity.
Healthy patriotism also directs that no matter how convinced a citizen may be
about his or her views on what the state should do or not do, that citizen should not
deny other citizens the right to have their own opinions which could be different. It is
the mark of a good patriot to be flexible and to be ready to cooperate with people who
have other views. The Second Vatican Council stresses this point: “Christians should
recognize that various legitimate though conflicting views can be held concerning
the regulation of temporal affairs. They should respect their fellow citizens when
they promote such views honourably even by group action. Political parties should
foster whatever they judge necessary for the common good. But they should never
prefer their own advantage over this same common good” (Gaudium et Spes, 75).
Political Participation
From the preceding considerations, it follows that citizens have the duty and
the right to participate in the running of the earthly city. All should take due interest
in what has to do with the political community. Some people can write and make
useful presentations on community needs and aspirations. Others can help people
who have not done much schooling to appreciate the problems and challenges facing
a country, to realize that there are many component groups or ethnic realities in the
state, and to see the need of cooperation between the citizens. Parochialism and
tribalism are easy temptations which do much damage.
Each country decides on the type of government that suits it. The choice of
the people who are to be entrusted with political authority becomes very important.
Political elections, therefore, deserve great attention. Wisdom is needed to help
people to elect only the best of the honest and capable people available. If people
allow themselves to be influenced by bribes or other selfish considerations, so that
they elect unsuitable people, they should not be surprised later that the community
is saddled with a dishonest or inefficient government.
The functioning of political parties has been found of help in many democracies.
This is on condition that each party has a clearly thought-out policy and proposal
for the betterment of society. People should join a political party because of their
conviction that its manifesto is what attracts them. To adhere to a party because of
what one hopes to gain, or to change party in the hope of some immediate profit, is
to manifest a mean and selfish mentality. People should not vote such mercenaries
into power because no one can give what he does not have.
Able and efficient people should be willing to serve the political community
as elected officers. If good people do not stand election, the society should not
17
frANcis cArdiNAl AriNze
be surprised if its rulers are mediocres, or worse. Politics is not dirty, but some
politicians could be dirty. The solution is not to condemn politics but to practise it
with honour and efficiency.
The Second Vatican Council is very firm and clear in its encouragement of good
political engagement. “The Church regards as worthy of praise and consideration the
work of those who, as a service to others, dedicate themselves to the welfare of the
state and undertake the burdens of this task…Let those who are suited for it, or can
become so, prepare themselves for the difficult but most honourable art of politics.
Let them work to exercise this art without thought of personal convenience and
without benefit of bribery. Prudently and honourably let them fight against injustice
and oppression, the arbitrary rule of one man or one party, and lack of tolerance. Let
them devote themselves to the welfare of all sincerely and fairly, indeed with charity
and political courage” (Gaudium et Spes, 75). Would we not have a new Nigeria if
all politicians heeded this call?
While citizens have rights, such as the right to receive good and efficient
services, to have social security and to live in an atmosphere of peace and tranquility,
they also have responsibilities, such as to respect public authorities, to pay taxes and
to discharge other social duties. Saint Peter tells the early Christians: “Be subject for
the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme,
or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those
who do right” (1Pet. 2:13-14). Civil obedience is insisted on by the Letter to the
Hebrews: “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over
your souls as men who will have to give an account” (Heb. 13:17). Saint Paul in his
Letter to the Romans recognizes authority as coming from God and therefore shows
the duty of obedience: “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities.
For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted
by God. Therefore he who resists the authorities resists what God has appointed,
and those who resist will incur judgment” (Rm. 13:1-2). Saint Paul goes so far as
to include the duty to pay taxes: “Pay all of them their dues, taxes to whom taxes
are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to who respect is due, honour to
whom honour is due” (Rm. 13:7).
Good Leadership
If a society is to function well, good leadership is required, whether the society
be political, religious, cultural or otherwise. Some of the qualities required in a good
leader are the following:
– A good leader should have clear ideas on the needs of his or her society, together
with a good plan on objectives to be aimed at, and in what stages. Readiness to
18
Genuine Patriotism and Good Leadership in Nigeria
sacrifice time, treasure and talent in order to promote the aims of the society is
needed. So is the preparedness to serve rather than to be served, to be available
rather than to dominate, to listen to people who have contrary views rather than
to surround oneself with sycophants and praise singers.
– A good leader does not seek to be the only capable leader. He or she builds up
other leaders and possible successors and is happy when other people perform
well. Words of praise and appreciation are not drowned out by selfishness,
myopia, jealousy, envy, clannishness or tribalism.
– A good leader is honest and transparent in matters financial. He or she is aware
of Saint Paul’s warning to his disciple Timothy that “the love of money is the
root of all evils; it is through this craving that some have wandered away from
the faith and pierced their hearts with many pangs” (1Tm 6:10). Many societies
would function much better if all leaders and people in public office heeded this
warning.
– A good leader does not concentrate attention on self and does not want to become
an idol of the people. Rather he or she directs them to the aim of the society
and rejoices when the society is functioning well, with or without him or her.
Indeed one of the best proofs of a good leader is the proper functioning of the
community when that leader is no longer in office.
As Nigeria moves forward on her pilgrim way, our prayer is that God may bless
and continue to bless this country with genuine patriotism and dynamic leadership.
19
20
EJ 13 (2019) 21-48
THE KINGDOM OF GOD:
ITS ORIGIN AND STRUCTURE, ITS RELATION WITH THE
SALVATION OF MEN, ITS KING AND HIS ROYAL ACTS,
POWERS AND HANDOVER.
A SYSTEMATIC-THEOLOGICAL REFLECTION
JohN egbulefu
The Concept of ‘Kingdom’ and of ‘God’ at the base of the term
‘Kingdom of God’
The concept ‘Kingdom’ cannot be defined because it is an aggregate, and
aggregates are not definable, they cannot be defined but rather described. Being
an aggregate, a Kingdom can be described in two diverse modes: (i) through the
indication of its components or constitutive elements, namely the persons and the
things (acts, states and facts) that constitute it; or (ii) through the enunciation of a
characteristic property, i.e. enunciation of a law that establishes if a certain being
belongs or not to the Kingdom and, thus, defines the kingdom.
A most characteristic property – a law that establishes if a certain being belongs
or not to a kingdom – through the enunciation of which a kingdom can be described,
states that ‘Kingdom’ expresses the experience of the peak, the zenith, and of the
seven levels of the transcendental belonging of realities. For, every reality belongs
somewhere and there are seven transcendental groups to which a reality can belong,
and the highest of such groups is kingdom. For a reality can belong to a specie, or to
a genus, or to a family, or to an order, or to a class or to phylum or to a kingdom. For
instance, the human being as a reality, i.e. as existing being, is a genus (called genus
humanum) that has two species (called man and woman, or male human being and
female human being respectively, whereby the male is said to be of masculine gender,
while the female is of feminine gender), and the two species of the human being
as a genus can together generate a child or children, procreate a child or children
(whereby they as the father and the mother of the child or of the children are called
the parents of the child or of the children, and the child or each of the children can
be a male child like the father is male, or a female child like the mother is female)
and together with their male or female child or their male and female children the
parents of the child or of the children constitute a family (a human family or a family
of human persons) within which there is an order, whereby the members are ordered,
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(1) not only in the sense of being arranged into two types of classes, (1a) the first
class is that of ‘the parents and their children” (whereby the parents comprise the
father and the mother of the children, while the children comprise the male child or
male children called the sons of the parents of the family and the female child or
female children called the daughters of the parents of the family, whereas the sons
as the male children and daughters as the female children of their two parents, relate
to themselves as brothers and sisters of one another), (1b) the second class is that
of “the male members and the female members of the family” (whereby the male
members comprise the father of the child or of all the children of the family and the
male child or male children called the sons of the parents of the family, while the
female members comprise the mother of the child or of all the children of the family
and the female child or female children called the daughters of the parents of the
family, (2) but also in the sense of being commanded by law to do or not to do certain
things: (2a) the child is, or the children are, to be sub-ordinate to their parents, and
not vice versa, since the child is born or the children are born by the parents and not
vice versa, (2b) the male child is not, or the male children are not, to generate with
the mother of the family any child, (2c) the female child is not, or the female children
are not, to generate with the father of the family any child, (2d) the male child or
the male children and the female child or the female children of the family, as son
or sons and daughter or daughters of the parents and hence as brother and sister or
as brothers and sisters, are not to generate with one another any child. The families
together give rise to a clan, and the clans together give rise to a tribe (phylum), and
tribes as ethnic groups give rise to a people of one kingdom (regnum).
A kingdom can thus be described as that collectiveness of persons in a particular
space and time which is under a King as the person that is reigning over the rest of the
persons in that collectiveness. The reigning act of the King is called the royal act of
governing. The King as Governor is that Ruler who has a throne on which he is seated
and from where above He reigns. The King governs over His people with the help of
laws (leges) made as rules (regulae) to regulate the rights and duties (jura et onera)
of his royal subjects (comprising his people and his ministers) towards himself their
King, and towards their fellow royal subjects, and towards the royal objects (as the
place and time in which the King reigns) and as commands (imperatives in the form
of dos and don’ts) which contain the will of the law-making King (hence the first of
the three constitutive dimensions of Government is the Legislative), whereby these
royal commands are to be observed and obeyed, and the therein contained will of
the King is to be done, by both the people and the ministers of the King, whereas the
enforcement of the royal laws and seeing to the execution, or practice, or keeping of
the rules and regulations is to be carried out by the ministers (hence the second of the
three constitutive dimensions of Government is the Executive), while the rightness
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The Kingdom of God
and correctness, or not, of the practice of the rules and regulations by the subjects for
the maintenance of peace and order in the objects (territory and period) of the King
of the kingdom is to be judged, and rewarded, or penalized, respectively, by the King
as Judge through his ministers (hence the third of the three constitutive dimensions
of Government is the Judiciary). The royal throne is the high throne on which the
King as Ruler is seated and from the height of which He reigns.
The term ‘Kingdom of God’
The term ‘kingdom of God’ is not definable, not only because it is an aggregate
but also because God Himself who is inseparable from His Kingdom, is undefinable.
The concept of the Kingdom of God can only be described, and a working descriptive
definition of it can be concluded from two premises constituted by the descriptive
definition of the two terms ‘God’ and ‘Kingdom’ that constitute the term ‘Kingdom
of God’.
On the one hand, being an aggregate, the Kingdom of God can be described in
two diverse modes.
With regard to the description of the Kingdom of God through the indication
of its components or constitutive elements, namely the persons and the things (acts,
states and facts) that constitute it, Jesus described in parables how the Kingdom of
God is under five centres of gravity: (i) God’s inauguration of His kingdom as grace
(cf. Mt. 13:31-32: the mustard seed), the grace that is indispensably necessary for
the attainment of salvation, the salvation to be given to humans by God in its three
(material, moral and spiritual) forms and in three stages of history (namely before
death, after death but before the end of times, and at the end of times), and in its
three grades: from giving to man the grace of knowledge of God the Father and of
His Son Jesus Christ before man’s death, through giving of the grace of beatific
vision of God to man after man’s death but before the end of times, to giving to man
the grace of the eternal banquet as of man’s participation in the eternal life of God
as in the life of the eternal love of one another, eternal joy at one another, eternal
glorification of one another, eternal peace with one another, which is going on inside
God among the three persons in one God, called the Father, the Son and the Holy
Spirit, who have created man in the image and likeness of themselves (cf. Gen.
1:26), so that man might have something in common with them on which they would
build such human communion of life with them in their divine community of eternal
love, peace, joy and glory (cf. Mt. 13:33: the yeast); (ii) the four varied degrees of
the preparedness of humans to receive the preaching on the Kingdom of God (Mt.
13:4-9: the sower) and consequently the four unequal grades of the productivity
or success of humans in using the grace of God (cf. Mt. 13:18-23: the sower), as
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reflected by the four – resulting from the two pairs of – varied states of life in which
Christ’s faithful live: the pair of the states of life lived by the laity comprising the
consecrated lay called the religious and the non-consecrated lay faithful, and the pair
of the states of life lived by the clergy comprising the anointed clerics called priests
as presbyters and as bishops and the non-anointed clerics called deacons; (iii) Man’s
meeting or encounter with the Kingdom of God, be it surprisingly and fortunately
without having first to search for it (cf. Mt. 13:44: the hidden treasure), be it rather
after having begun to search for it (cf. Mt. 13:45-46: the pearl); (iv) the devil’s work
of confusion in the Kingdom of God and the wisdom of exercising patience till the
end before separating the devilishly introduced evil from the divinely implanted
good (cf. Mt. 33:24-30: the cockle); (v) the filtering of the Kingdom of God at
the end of time (cf. Mt. 13:47-50: the dragnet). From this teaching of Christ in
parables on how the Kingdom of God as of our heavenly Father, hence on how the
Kingdom of heaven is, results that the Kingdom of God concerns: 1) on the one
hand persons, beginning with: 1a) God Himself, the God of the Kingdom (cf. Mt.
13:47-48) as the Alpha and the Omega, embracing the three divine persons, namely
God the Father (cf. Mt. 13:4-9) and His only begotten Son (cf. Mt. 13:24-30) and
the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of the Father and of the Son together, the Spirit that
proceeds from them contemporaneously (cf. Mt. 13:31-32), and 1b) other persons
in the divine Kingdom namely the angels and the people of God as an aggregate of
human persons, beginning with Mary who is the darling Daughter of God the Father
and the Mother of the Son by the power of the Holy Spirit, and therefore heavenly
Princess and Queen of the world (cf. Mt. 13:44), and embracing the disciples as
imitators of Christ (cf. Mt. 13:45) as of that incarnate Son of the living God (cf.
Mt. 16:16) that is the image of the invisible God (cf. Col. 1:15), and 2) on the
other hand the transcendentals, namely unity as oneness, goodness, trueness and
truth and truthfulness, beauty and beautifulness: particularly the organic unity of the
deep relationships from which this Kingdom has not only its existence, subsistence,
persistence and insistence on the Holy Spirit, its resistance to the evil spirit, and its
assistance to the benign spirit, but also its consistency, as evidenced by the organic
unity of the above named five aspects of basic facts of the Kingdom of God (the
royal quintet) which Jesus has revealed through his parables on the kingdom of
heaven. From the teaching of Christ in parables on how the Kingdom of God is,
derives also the insight that to have a Kingdom the following components as persons
and things that constitute the kingdom are required: (1) the King himself who reigns;
(1a) his royalty which embraces the sovereign powers of the King, (1b) his supreme
authority and his most prestigious dignity based on his rights of primacy, precedence
and on his execution of his duties; 1c) his royal government, namely application of
his powers and of his authority not only to protect, defend and guard over the people
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The Kingdom of God
and place under his royalty and grant them security of life and of their property, but
also to lead, guide, direct the steps of his people on the way of truth, justice and
love to peace, welfare and happiness, as well as to feed very well his royal people
and beautify the place in which he reigns; (2) the people that the King is leading
and protecting, directing and defending; (3) the royal domain within which the King
is the unitriune Lord, the Dominus unitrinus, who, while never domineering over
people, rather ever dominates against evil things, subduing evil forces as adverse
powers through and with His own as sovereign spiritual power to the glory of His
indivisible, almighty and invincible divine Trinity; (4) the length of the period of the
Kings’ government and of his royalty; (5) the ministers – authoritative servants – of
the Kings, his servants vested with authority and power, with rights and privileges
with which to execute their responsibilities, duties and tasks.
With regard to the description of the Kingdom of God through the enunciation
of a characteristic property, i.e. enunciation of a law that establishes if a certain being
belongs or not to the divine Kingdom and, thus, defines the kingdom, the Kingdom
of God is described as being given when a divine law is known through which one
recognizes whether a being belongs or not to the divine Kingdom, and such law
in question is that of the commandment to do of the Will of God, for God reigns
only there where His will is being done. To make the divine law known is called
Revelation. The spatio-temporal propagation of the already revealed divine law is
called the proclamation of the salvific will of God or of the divine truth or of the
Good News (the Gospel, Evangelium) and is hence at the centre of that missionary
activity of the royal people of God in the world which is called Evangelization.
Evangelization is the act and action and activity of bringing God, His incarnate Son
and Word, Jesus Christ, and the Church of Christ as His people to men and bringing
Men into the Church, into Christ, and into God through the guide and in the light of
the Holy Spirit by the missionary people of the King of the Kingdom of God.
On the other hand, the God of the Kingdom is the unitriune God, the one and
triune God, the numerically one and structurally triune God who always exists as
a community of three distinct but inseparably united and mutually inherent eternal
persons, called the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, who are equal in might
and power and thus in majesty and honourability and are united by the one and
indivisible divine essence (consisting in God’s being the first and the last Being)
from which derives the one and indivisible divine nature (consisting in the eternally
indissoluble union of all the attributes of God that derive from the divine essence and
comprise the eternity, absoluteness, catholicity or all-embracing character, hence the
omnipresence, omniscience, omnipotence, the holiness, perfection, plenitudinal or
pleromatic character, etc, of God) from which in turn derives the one and indivisible
divine substance (consisting in that all-embracing power constituted by the unity
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JohN egbulefu
resulting from the divine nature – as from union of the divine attributes that derive
from the divine essence – which underlies and sustains the infallible efficacy of the
words and actions – and hence the infallible efficiency – of the three persons in the
numerically one God) with which each of the three persons is united to be a divine
person and hence truly God and with which the three persons together are united to
constitute only together with it the triune God and on account of the indivisibility of
which the three divine persons are not altogether three gods but rather only one and
indivisible God. The substance of God is that essential truth which underlies, lies
under, the surface of the divine reality and subsists solely in the three divine persons,
grounding and sustaining their unity, and this truth consists in the fact that the triune
God is capable of satisfying the need of every other reality, and that He is thus the
sole omnipotent reality and thus the only God that can save. Person is that spirit that
is so capable of judging and of speaking that it both can understand the judgment and
the word of its fellow spirits and can communicate itself by expressing its judgments
in words intelligible to its fellow spirits. The omnipotence as all-embracing power
that characterizes the divine substance distinguishes itself as the principle of the
infinite freedom of God.
Drawing conclusions from these distinctions made in the analysis of the
concepts that compose the term ‘Kingdom of God’, one can formulate in a synthetic
way a descriptive definition of the reality of the Kingdom of God as follows: the
Kingdom of God is that religious and dynamic reality that has the triune God as the
King and the Church instituted by the Christ and sustained by the Holy Spirit as the
royal people, such that on the one hand neither God nor his royalty, nor his royal
domain, nor the length of the period of his reign or government, nor the Church that
is His people, shall have an end, and on the other hand, being the Kingdom of the
triune God it is at the same time the Kingdom of eternal light, of eternal love, of
eternal Spirit, of infinite freedom, and of eternal justice, of eternal peace, of eternal
life, of eternal love, of eternal unity and truth, of eternal of eternal goodness and
love, of eternal grace and holiness and perfection, of eternal beatitude, happiness,
gladness, joy and jubilation.
The kingdom of God the Creator differs from the kingdom of creatures
basically because of the difference between the Creator and His creatures. God the
Creator as the proper King of the Kingdom of God, the God of the divine Kingdom,
is that First and Last Being that is numerically one God (“I am the first and the
last. Besides me there is no other God” Is. 44:6), but who is not one single person
(cf. “God said ‘Let us make man in our own image, in the likeness of ourselves”
Gen. 1:26) but rather in whom there are three persons, called the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Spirit (cf. Mt. 28:19). The Kingdom of God differs further from the
kingdom of creatures centrally because the Kingdom of God as of the eternally
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The Kingdom of God
reigning God has no end and boundaries, it transcends time and space, periods and
places. God’s reign inside and outside – around, above, and underneath - His entire
creation consists in His application of His sovereign powers to direct the course
of His creatures to their divinely defined (determined or destined) divergent and
diverse individual goals and their all-uniting common ends (goals) at which the
diverse individual goals converge.
The domain of the divine King is not solely in the external – be it in time,
namely in history, thus it is not solely in the past, in the present and in the future,
be it in space, namely in the universe, thus it is not solely above the earth, on earth
and underneath the earth, be it in the human collectiveness, thus it is not solely in
the human family, human community, human society, in the State and Nation, in
the Church – but also in the internal, namely in Man, and in the eternal, namely
in the Supernatural, thus it is also in heaven, in paradise. The Kingdom of God is
there where God reigns, and God reigns where He is glorified by His creatures – not
only by His material creatures (cf. ‘the heavens are telling the glory of God, the
firmaments display the wonders of His work’, ‘great and wonderful are you works,
O Lord God,’ ‘heaven and earth are full of your glory, hosanna in the highest’ ) but
also and more especially by His spiritual creatures, called the angels and humans,
particularly by the people of God. But God is glorified there where His will is being
done. Hence God reigns in particular there where His will is being done by His
spiritual creatures, by humans, by the people of God. And since it is only by doing
the will of God the Father that one becomes the brother or sister or mother of the
Son of God and hence one becomes a son or daughter or mystical bride respectively
of God the Father, and it is with God the Father and His Son and sons and daughters
and mystical bride that the family of God is constituted, it follows that the reign of
God begins particularly there where the family of God is. And since it is by doing
the Will of God that one becomes holy, it follows that God reigns particularly there
where holy people, the saints, are. Thus the Kingdom of God is there where certain
inseparably united realities are, the aggregate of which has a Trinitarian structure:
on other one hand in the world of material creatures and on the other hand in the
family of God charged with three inseparably united tasks: the glorification of God,
active obedience to the Will of God, and, through this obedience, the holiness of
him who obeys God. The Kingdom of God is celestial (Kingdom of heaven) but
becomes experienced already in this world, even though in an inchoative (incipient)
manner. The experience of its fullness is only in heaven at the end of man’s earthly
pilgrimage to heaven. At all times in man’s life on earth he experiences the kingdom
of God as a reality characterized by that dialectics of ‘being there already but not yet
in its full stature that will come at the end of times’ which is called the eschatological
reservation. The Kingdom of God is perceptible already in this world not only
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JohN egbulefu
there where man gives himself completely to God but also there where one gives
and receives gratuitously daily bread (the bread of life from heaven), forgiveness
of trespasses (the remission of sins), protection (the prevention from falling into
danger) and deliverance from evil (the liberation from the trap set and ditch dug by
the evil One into which one has already fallen) – cf. Mt. 6:9-13).
The Origin of the Kingdom of God
With regard to the origin of the endless Kingdom of the eternal King, the
Kingdom of God is the fruit of the inner-divine joint-love of the three persons in
one God (called the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit) for the third of the
three persons (namely for the Holy Spirit); hence the Kingdom of God which as a
reality that cannot be defined but rather can only be described, is in fact described
as the righteousness and peace and joy brought by the Holy Spirit (cf. Rom. 14:17).
God is the supreme being as the highest good in person1 in whom all things
good are present2; hence in him nothing good is lacking. God is ever active3, never
was his working interrupted (cf. Jn. 5:17) rather his act is ever continuous, he
operates incessantly, his act is always something good, and he never ceased to be
good and to do good (cf. Acts 10:38) and to do it well (cf. Mt. 7:37). God knows
all things, knows the past, the present, the future, he foresees all things, and makes
provision for all things in advance. He is not one that can be surprised by anything
or anybody, or at anything or anybody, because before anything or anybody comes
to be he had already foreseen it or him or her. Consequently, he is not one that has
got to make up for what he should have done earlier. In God there is no forgetfulness
and no oversight and hence no room for blame, no regret, no ‘Had I known’, no ‘I
should have done this or that, or done it so or so.’ God is almighty, all-powerful;
in him there is no failure, no working in vain, no fruitlessness (or sterility), no
mistake, but rather success, fecundity, and correctness. God is eternal, He has no
beginning and no end; in him there is no before, and no after, no succession, but
rather contemporaneity, simultaneity.
Since God has no beginning and no end, He has always been there, even before
his creating the world. And since He is always active, the question arises: what
was God then doing before he created the world? And since his action was never
interrupted, that thing which he was doing before creation he must be doing it also
during and after his creating the world.
1
2
3
AugustiNe, De moribus ecclesiae, cap. 14:24; idem, De Spiritu et littera, cap. 27:47.
ANselm of cANterbury, Monologion, cap. 2.
JohN PAul ii, Crossing the threshold of hope, 1994, “God never ceases to operate”.
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Seeing that, before creation, nothing else existed except that which God is,
namely love (for ‘God is love’, 1Jn. 4:8,16), then what he was doing before he
created the world was nothing else than loving. Who then was he loving?
Seeing that before creation, no one else existed except God, then God was
loving himself. In what way? And why?
Seeing that in God nothing good is lacking, God’s way of loving Himself was
then not by giving to Himself anything that He might be lacking. In God there is no
privation of anything good, no lacuna, no lack of anything good or true or beautiful,
rather he himself is goodness (beauty, truth) in person, and as such the origin and
source (the homeland, the point of departure) and the goal (point of arrival and
convergence) of all things good. Consequently, God’s proper way of loving Himself
is that of self-admiration and self-affirmation and of being ‘proud’ of Himself as the
only One more than whom or equal to whom there can be none and less than whom
all others will ever remain. The merit on the basis of which God loves himself is
that which no other reality has, namely his holiness by nature, not by grace (cf.
Rev. 4:8; 6:10). The only one who by himself is good is God (cf. Mk. 10:18) and
He alone is eternally perfect in His being (cf. Mt. 5:48) and in His doing (cf. Dt.
32:4). Alone by virtue of this habitual and actual eternal perfection God is the most
loveable of all beings. God loves Himself not as if he is, in need of love but rather
because He as Love is, by nature, loving and therefore most loveable, most worthy
of being loved. God is ‘worthy of being loved’ means ‘worthy of being glorified,
honoured and exalted’ (cf. Rev. 4:11), admired and adored (cf. Mt. 2:1-12; Lk. 2:820;25-52). Hence God loves himself by giving himself glory, honour and power/
exaltation. He loves himself by admiring Himself for the wonder that He is. He
admires Himself by glorifying and exalting Himself. Therefore, God loves Himself
not in order to be able to live but rather in order to be just towards Himself. For
every loveable reality merits (immediately) attention, (proximately) admiration
and (remotely) imitation or reproduction. God is supremely loveable and merits all
these three. And if he should not give to Himself that which He merits, He would
be unjust towards Himself. But an unjust God would be an imperfect God. God in
His justice loves Himself admiring Himself through a self-esteem that expresses
itself in God’s self-testimony about who He is and about what He does as the only
God and Lord (cf. Is. 44:6-8; 45:5-6,17,22; 46:9) and as the only Saviour (cf. Dt.
32:39; Is. 43:10-11; 45:21) and most reliable unchangeable One (cf. Exod. 3:14; Is
43:12). God’s love (admiration) of Himself is an act, a continuous act, that requires
energy. Which?
Seeing that before creation no other energy existed except that which God is,
namely light (for ‘God is light’ 1Jn. 1:5), the energy with which God was loving
Himself before He created the world is light. With which consequences?
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The consequence of God’s love of Himself by admiring Himself or the
consequence of God’s admiration of Himself, is God’s imitation of Himself, and
the result of God’s imitation of Himself is God’s reproduction of Himself, and the
fruit of God’s self-reproduction is that image of God (cf. 1 Cor. 11:7; Col 1:15)
who is not only similar to God and born from the one and indivisible essence,
substance, nature of God – and is called the Son of God (cf. Jn. 3:lb-17; 5:25; Mt.
3:17) and because of whom God is called Father even before creation – but also
is coessential, consubstantial, co-natural (hence co-omnipotent and co-eternal)
with God the Father and as such is God. The Son of God is immediately the fruit
of the self-reproduction of God, by proximately the fruit of God’s self-imitation,
and remotely the fruit of God’s self-admiration (as God’s modus amandi seipsius).
The fruit of God’s self-reproduction is to God as an offspring is to its origin.
Such fruit (the Son of God) is thus not identical with God his origin and is not
to be confused with his origin, thus it is related and similar to his origin and is
inseparable from the origin and is one with the origin in the will, and equal to
the origin in power (omnipotence) and majesty (eternity and supreme goodness).
The Son of God is he who, i) from point of view of God’s self-reproduction, is
the substantial image of God, and ii) from point of view of the nature of God as
eternal person, eternal spirit capable of speaking, of producing words intelligible
to his fellow spirits, is the Word (Logos) of God, and iii) from point of view of
the substance of God as All-powerful (almighty) All-knower (omniscient), is the
Wisdom of God. In God the Father is the divine Word (cf. Jn. 1:1) and in the
divine Word is the divine Wisdom, and in the divine Wisdom is the Spirit of God
(cf. Wis. 7:22-23).
The fruit of God’s love for himself, namely the Son of God, by deriving from
the self-loving God (cf. ‘God from God’), derives also from the energy with which
God loves himself, hence from eternal light (cf. ‘Light from Light’), and from the act
itself of God’s self-love, hence from God’s act of admiring, honouring and glorifying
(imitating, reproducing) himself (cf. ‘true God from true God’). The Wisdom of God
by deriving from that eternal light (which is the energy with which God loves himself
eternally) is eternal “irradiation of the eternal life, most clear mirror of the activity
of God and image of God’s goodness” (Wis. 7:28); She is “more beautiful than the
sun and beats every constellation (of stars); even compared to light, she emerges “as
more beautiful” (Wis. 7:29); she is “splendid and incorruptible” (Wis. 6:12a); “there
is nothing impure in her” (Wis. 7:25b) and “through this her purity she pervades
and penetrates into everything” (Wis. 7:30b). The Wisdom of God by deriving from
God’s very act of self- love, namely from God’s admiration, honouring, glorification
(imitation and reproduction) of himself, is “the release of the power of God and the
pure outflow of the glory of the Almighty (Wis. 7:25a). And because the Spirit of
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God in the wisdom of God is dynamic, the Wisdom of God is “more mobile than
any movement” (Wis. 7:24a).
In short, since there is no time in which God was not loving himself or will not
be loving himself, and since there is never sterility nor failure in him but rather ever
fecundity, ever success, and never any lateness but rather punctuality, never any
interruption, nor any ‘before and after,’ never succession, but rather ever instantaneity
(immediacy) between the act and its effect, ever simultaneity (concomitance)
between the action and the fruit of the action of the Agent, ever contemporaneity
between the Origin and the Offspring, then there is no time in which God was or
shall be without His image/His Son/His Word/His Wisdom, or in which the latter
was not existing or will not exist, hence no time in which God was not called or will
not be called Father. The Son/Word/Wisdom of God was in God from eternity; God
let him/it/her come out of his very womb (essence or substance and nature) already
before his creation of the world (cf. Prov. 8:22-26). And this existence of the Son/the
Word/the Wisdom of God even before all ages makes God be called eternal Father/
eternal Speaker (cf. Deus loquens in aeternum). God has always been and shall ever
be Father and the speaking God, the only eternal Father of all and the only eternal
Speaker to all and the Interlocutor of all that exist.
The Son and the Father from whom he originates are too different persons. On
the one hand, that which distinguishes the person of the Father from that of every
other person (created or non-created) is that although all persons have it in common
to be a spirit (intelligent living reality) who is capable of understanding that which
he (as living reality) perceives and of producing and communicating words that are
intelligible to one’s fellow spirits and of dialoguing with them, yet only the person of
the Father is that Spirit which not only is capable of understanding what it perceives,
of producing and of communicating intelligible words and of dialoguing with his
fellow spirits but is all the more the origin and source itself of such capacity, since he
is the origin and source of all goodness, of all life, and of all holiness. Consequently, to
the concept of such a person belongs that he can never be united to matter (nunquam
est in materia), hence that he cannot suffer (cannot have passion) but can have and
show compassion (can be compassionate). On the other hand, that which distinguishes
the Son from every other person is that only the person of the Son is that spirit which
is not only capable of understanding the reality it has perceived, of producing and
communicating intelligible words and of dialoguing with his fellow spirits but is all
the more ‘Word in person’. To the concept of such a person belongs that he can at
times be united to matter (quandoque est in materia), at times separated from matter
(quandoque non est in materia). For the spoken word travels from the speaker to
the addressee (thereby uniting itself to matter) and returns from the addressee to the
speaker (thereby separating itself from matter) after accomplishing what God the
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speaker has intended with his speaking (cf. Is. 55:10-11). The second divine person as
‘the Word in person’ that contains the irreprehensible Will of the speaking God (the
Father) is not only wise but Wisdom itself.
God the Father loves his Son who, being his perfect image, is worthy of being
loved and capable of loving. The Father loves his Son in the same way as He (the
Father) loves Himself, namely by admiring him, esteeming him highly (“This is
my Son, the Beloved, in whom I am well pleased” Mt. 3:17; Mt. 17:5). But this
love of the Father for his Son does not interrupt the Father’s love for Himself; for
in God there is no interruption. The effect of the Father’s love for His Son is his
full authorization and glorification of the Son. In other words, the consequence
of the Father’s admiration of his Son is not his imitation of the Son – given the
irreversibility of the order of the inner – divine originations (generations) according
to which (even in the natural order between parents and their children) it is only the
parents that generate the children, not vice versa). The consequence of the Father’s
loving admiration of his Son is that the Father gives glory, honour and power to the
Son. “Father... that they may contemplate my glory, the one which you have given
to me, because you have been loving me even before the creation of the world” (Jn.
17:24). “Every authority (i.e. honour and power) in heaven and on earth has been
given to me” (Mt. 28:18). And seeing that there has never been any time in which
the Father did not love His Son, no time therefore in which the Father does not give
every authority, honour, power and glory to the Son, the Son is always having all
powers, and he thus, by virtue of this his omnipotence, is God. Similarly, given the
fact that there was no time in which God did not love himself and in which God’s
self-love was without effect and that there will never be such a time, and that the
effect of God’s love for himself is concomitant, simultaneous, contemporaneous
with the very act of God’s self-love, it follows that God’s self-reproduction as effect
of his self-love is eternal and that the perfect image of God (the Son, Word, Wisdom
of God) as the fruit of his self-reproduction, is coeternal with God (cf. DH 75) and,
by virtue of this eternity, is God.
The Son being perfect image of God the Father, inseparable though distinct
from the Father, and existing immediately as fruit of the self-reproduction of God,
and deriving proximately from the self-imitation of God, does not do and cannot do
any other thing except what he sees the Father is doing (cf. Jn. 5:19). In the same
vein, in natural phenomena the shadow of a reality is inseparably united with the
reality itself and follows it whenever it goes and does only what the reality does.
Thereupon, that which the Son/Word of God says, he says it only as the Father
has told it him (cf. Jn. 13:50). Consequently, in words or in action the Son who
originates from the Father takes his orientation from the Father and their will is one.
For this, the Father loves the Son more and more forever. The Father loves the Son
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so much that he shows the Son all that himself (the Father) does (cf. Jn. 5:20). And
the Father has put everything into the hands of the Son (cf. Jn. 3:35), in such a way
that all that belong to the Son belong to the Father, and vice versa (cf. Jn. 17:10),
and the Father is always together with the Son (cf. Jn. 16:32), and the two operate
contemporaneously (cf. Jn. 5:17) and always together with one another (cf. Jn. 8:2829), seeing that they are in one another (cf. Jn. 10:38; 14:10-17; 17:21) and are one
in the will (cf. Jn. 10:30;17:11-12). Seeing that what the Father as God is doing
is self-love, self-admiration, high self-esteem, self-imitation, self-reproduction,
and that what God as Father is doing is to love both Himself and His Son (cf. Jn.
10:17;15:9;17:24,26), the Son of God consequently not only loves Himself (since
God as Father loves the Son) but also loves the Father (since the Father as God loves
Himself) cf. Jn. 14:31. The Son loves himself in the same way that the Father as
God loves himself, namely admiring himself, and he admires himself by esteeming
himself highly: “I am the first and the last, the Living One…; in my hands are the
keys of death and of hades” (Rev. 1:17-18); “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the
Beginning and the End” (Rev. 21:6); “I am the Son of God” (Jn. 10:36); “Everything
has been entrusted to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father,
just as no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses
to reveal him” (Mt. 11:27); “The Father knows me and I know the Father” (Jn.
10:15); “If you had known me, you would know the Father” (Jn. 14:17a); “Whoever
has seen me, has seen the Father” (Jn. 14:9). “I am in the Father and the Father is
in me” (Jn. 14:11). “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one can come to
me if the Father who has sent me does not draw him” (Jn. 6:44); “Everything the
Father has is mine” (Jn. 16:15) and vice versa (“Father... all I have is yours and all
you have is mine, and in them I am glorified” Jn. 17:10). “The Father and I are one”
(Jn. 10:30). Thus, while the Father as God says that there is no other God and no
other Saviour than Himself, the Son of God says that He is the First and the Last,
the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. While the fruit of the love of
the Father as God for himself is the Son, the fruit of the love of the Son for himself
is called grace; besides, the Son is the truth (cf. Jn. 14:6) from point of view of his
being image of the Father, because the truth is the correspondence of the offspring
with its Origin (cf. “I and the Father are one”). For this, it is said that through the
Son made man as the Word made flesh, “grace and truth have become reality” (Jn.
1:17b), i.e. through Jesus Christ the fruit of the love of the Son for himself and the
correspondence of the Son with the Father have been concretely revealed. The precreational existence of grace is the reason for the superiority (or primacy) of divine
grace to the life of the creatures. “Because your grace worths more than life, my
lips shall proclaim your praises. Thus, I will bless you all my life, upon your name I
shall expand my palms” (Ps. 63:4-5). The Son loves the Father in the same way that
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JohN egbulefu
the Father loves himself, which is the best way of loving the Father. And seeing that
the Father as God loves himself by high self-esteem, the Son loves the Father by
esteeming him highly, admiring him, magnifying his name, honouring him, blessing
(i.e. speaking well of) him: “I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth” (Mt.
11:25). The result of such admiring love of the Father by the Son is that the loving
Son glorifies the Father not only with words but also by deeds (cf. Jn. 14:13; 15:13).
In effect there is a mutual everlasting glorification between the Father and the Son,
and such mutual glorification exists permanently, both before and after their creation
of the world. “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son that he may glorify you”
(Jn 17:1). “I have glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work which you
have given me to do. Now glorify me, Father, in front of you, with the glory which
I had while with you before the world came to be” (Jn. 17:4-5).
Seeing that each of the two, namely the Father and the Son, is in the other (cf.
perichoresis), each, in loving himself, loves (glorifies) at the same time the other
in himself and, in loving the other, loves at the same time himself in the other (cf.
Jn. 13:31-32;14:13). The fruit of such reciprocal love between the Father and the
Son is the Holy Spirit. In other words: Since the Father loves himself and loves
the Son, and the Son loves Himself and loves the Father, then the two jointly love
themselves together. And the fruit of this joint love of the Father and of the Son
for the Father and for the Son together is called the Holy Spirit. For this, it is said
that the Holy Spirit proceeds jointly from the Father and from the Son (cf. Patre et
Filioque procedit).
The Holy Spirit is distinct from the Father and from the Son.
(a) The Holy Spirit is the synthesis of ‘the fruit of the joint love of the Father
and the Son for the Father’ and ‘the fruit of the joint love of the Father and the Son
for the Son’. For this, though each of the two - the Father and the Son - is holy and
a spirit, hence a Holy Spirit, none of the two, but rather the synthesis of the fruits of
their joint love to each of themselves, is the Holy Spirit.
(b) The divine person of the Holy Spirit differs from the divine person of the
Father and of the Son4. What distinguishes the person of the Holy Spirit from that
of any of the rest two divine persons is that only his person is that Spirit which is
4
It is true, like them, he is a person, a spirit capable of speaking and of communicating words
intelligible to other intelligent living realities. The Holy Spirit speaks. That is revealed first by the
Son: “When the Spirit of truth comes, he shall lead you to the complete truth. He shall not speak
from himself but shall announce to you the future things” (Jn. 16:13-15). The same fact is confessed
by the believers in Christ: “I believe... in the Holy Spirit... who has spoken through the prophets”
(DH 150). And the praying faithful experience him as he who in them cries “Abba, Father” (Gal 4:6)
and without whom they themselves cannot cry ‘Abba, Father’ (Rom. 8:15), nor can anyone proclaim
that “Jesus Christ is the Lord if not in the power of the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. 12:3).
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The Kingdom of God
not only capable of grasping, understanding, what it has perceived, of producing,
of communicating intelligible words and of dialoguing with his fellow spirits but is
all the more ‘mutual communication in person’, ‘mutual comprehension in person’,
‘reciprocity in person’. To the concept of such person belongs not only that it cannot
be united to sensorily perceptible matter (‘materia communis’, ‘materia non signata’,
which is not capable of communicating nor of understanding anything) but also that
it functions as the bond (vinculum) of communion between other (especially) divine
persons (the Father and the Son) and as the artifex of the union between a noncreated and particular created realities, i.e. between a divine reality and such matter
which, by its nature, is capable of signalling, hence of communicating (‘materia
particularis, materia signata ‘), e.g. between the divine Logos and the human flesh
of the Virgin, or between divine grace and human nature.
(c) Seeing that there is no time in which the Holy Spirit as fruit did not result
from the eternal joint-love of the Father and of the Son for themselves together, the
Holy Spirit is coeternal with the Father and with the Son and is thus truly God. The
divinity of the person of the Holy Spirit is furthermore rooted in his co-substantiality
with the Father and the Son, namely in the fact that he is omniscient and omnipotent
(cf. Wis. 7:22-23) – he possesses every knowledge and every power.
The Father and the Son love the Holy Spirit as the fruit of their eternal mutual
love. The Holy Spirit being of the same substance and nature as the Father and the
Son, from both of whom together he proceeds (cf. DH 853), does not speak from
himself but rather says only that which he hears from the Father and the Son together
(cf. Jn. 16:13-16). Hence, he does only what he sees the Father and the Son are
doing together, just like the Son does not do anything except what he sees the Father,
from whom alone he originates, is doing. The Holy Spirit, seeing that the Father and
the Son love not only themselves jointly but also love him, loves the Father and the
Son together and loves himself, he loves them especially by glorifying them (cf. Jn.
16:14-15). Consequently, there is the love of the three divine persons, the Father,
the Son and the Holy Spirit, (i) jointly for the Father and for the Son together and
(ii) jointly for the Holy Spirit. The love of the three jointly for the Father and for the
Son together comprises both (a) the joint-love of the Father and Son for themselves
together and (b) the love of the Holy Spirit for them together. The love of the three
jointly for the Holy Spirit comprises both (1) the joint love of the Father and Son for
the Holy Spirit and (2) the love of the Holy Spirit for himself. None of these series of
love has another divine person as its fruit, because there cannot be more than three
persons in God as long as God is structurally triune.
God is structurally triune and cannot be otherwise as long as He is Spirit (cf.
Jn. 4:24), supernatural Spirit, and as long as He is Light (cf. 1Jn. 1:5), supernatural
Light, and as long as He is Love (cf. 1Jn. 4:8,16), supernatural Love.
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JohN egbulefu
(a) The Supernatural realities are superior to, and decisive for, the (success
of the) existence of the created beings and, thus, the human being must maintain
contact with them and can communicate with them and about them in symbols,
since words are not enough for created beings to express the eternal, supernatural
non-created, realities, hence the divine realities, since God is ever greater than Man
(Deus semper major quam homo) and, thus, than the human capacity to understand
God adequately, hence the practice of thinking in symbols, in literary symbols and
in mathematical symbols, especially in geometrical symbols.
(b) God is structurally triune means that He has a trinitarian structure.
A trinitarian structure consists in that indivisible unity which results from the
indissoluble union of three realities of the same nature with and or by another
reality of a contrary – opposite but not opposed – nature (e.g. the unity resulting
from the union of three male children by and with one female parent, or of three
female children with and by one male parent in the human family – and such is the
human trinity as the positive but imperfect trinity, imperfect because, though ‘one
as singular’ and ‘three as plural’ number, as well as ‘the male’ and ‘the female’
creatures, are pairs of contraries, yet there is missing the contrariety of ‘person and
thing’, for, both male and female are ‘persons’, and there is no ‘thing’, furthermore
there is missing the contrariety of ‘created being’ and ‘non-created being’, for what
is at hand is only created being, there is no non-created being), or the unity resulting
from the union of three created things (the human body and soul and spirit) with,
not by one non-created thing, the divine life, in the incarnate Word - and such is the
theandric, i.e. divine-human, trinity as the comparative trinity as trinity that is neither
imperfect nor perfect), or the unity resulting from the union of three created things
with, not by, one non-created person (e.g. the unity resulting from the union of the
one divine, eternal, non-created Logos with the three connected created components
of the human being, namely with the human body, the human soul and the human
spirit contained in the body and containing the soul and thus uniting the soul and the
body – and such is the theandric, i.e. divine-human, trinity as a relatively superlative
trinity), or the unity existing out of the three persons in one God united by and with
the one and indivisible divine essence, nature and substance as thing that the three
own together – and such is the divine Trinity as the Most Holy Trinity, the absolutely
superlative Trinity).
(c) God is triune and cannot be otherwise as long as He is Love, eternal
Love (supernatural Love, non-created Love), that is Love in so far as Love means
Goodness itself in person that, as Goodness, has a trinitarian structure. For, since,
i)Trinity is the unity resulting from the union of three realities with and by another
reality of a nature contrary to the common nature of those other three realities, but,
ii) Goodness is interchangeable with the unity (cf. unum et bonum convertuntur)
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The Kingdom of God
resulting from the union of, on the one hand, the threefold status or quality of the
Good as of that being (cf. ens et bonum convertuntur) which is suitable (or befitting)
to the nature (or to the substance) of a person (or thing) and which, on account of
this suitability, is useful and, on account of this usefulness or utility and suitability,
is desirable object of the natural or supernatural tendencies or needs of a created
being, with, on the other hand, the one essential act of goodness, namely the act of
self-diffusion (cf. bonum sui ipsius diffusivum) ad extra as gift (donum) to another
being that is in need, desirous, of it and tends towards it, longing and searching for
it, iii) it follows that Goodness has the structure of the Trinity, hence a trinitarian
structure.
(d) God is triune and cannot be otherwise as long as He is Spirit, eternal Spirit
(supernatural Spirit, non-created Spirit), that is Spirit in so far as Spirit means
intelligent living being that, as living being, is, on the one hand (in correspondence
to the one divine essence and nature), irritable, i.e. capable of perceiving other
realities and of reacting to what He has perceived, and on the other hand (in
correspondence to the three persons in one God), i) capable of making a movement
of himself (in correspondence to the Father), ii) capable of reproducing Himself
by multiplying Himself by Himself, and not by another being than Himself, and
capable of multiplying Himself by Himself by casting His very rays ad intra on
his very innermost, on his gene, on His substance, and generating thereby a certain
substantial image of Himself that can be numerically only one, since it is the product
of God’s multiplication of Himself by Himself, but Himself is numerically one,
but the product of one multiplied by one is one, wherefore the fruit of God’s selfreproduction through His self-multiplication by Himself, can be numerically only
one (in correspondence to the Son of the Father), and iii) capable of respiring –
breathing in from, and breathing out to, another than Himself a certain eternal and
most pure Air in person that indispensably sustains the movement of life going on
inside the ones breathing it in from, and out to, one another (in correspondence to
the Holy Spirit that proceeds from the Father and the Son).
(e) God is triune and cannot be otherwise as long as He is Light, eternal Light,
supernatural Light, non-created Light, that is Light in so far as it shines (cf. the
divine essence), and that shines by emitting rays, rays with which to illumine the
world outside the Light (cf. the divine nature) and to strike objects outside the
light (cf. the divine substance) strokes with which to generate in the struck objects
warmth (calore) with which to make them glad or to gladden them (cf, the Father),
heat (caldo) with which to make them rejoice or to give them joy and enjoyment (cf.
the Son ) and fire (fuoco) with which to make them jubilate or set them jubilating,
bouncing and exulting (cf. the Holy Spirit). The structure of the supernatural Light
is that which is reflected by the structure of the Sun as of that natural light created
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JohN egbulefu
by God which is most high above all other created lights and which from on high,
from up there in the heavens, shines upon all beings down here on earth. And since
the structure of the Sun is Trinitarian, or since the Sun has a Trinitarian structure,
the structure of the supernatural Light that is reflected by the structure of the natural
light called the Sun must therefore be Trinitarian. The proper structure of God is
Trinitarian. For as long as God is eternal, non-created, hence supernatural Light in
person, His structure must be reflected by the structure of the Sun. The Trinitarian
structure of God - as reflected by the Trinitarian structure of the Sun - is that which
consists in the indivisible unity resulting from the indissoluble union of the one and
indivisible divine essence (and hence divine nature and hence divine substance)
with (each, and with all together, of) the three persons in the numerically one God.
In other words, the divine Trinity consists in the indivisible unity resulting from
the indissoluble union of (each, and with all together, of) the three (‘tri’) persons in
the numerically one (‘une’) God with the one and indivisible divine essence (and,
hence, divine nature and, hence, divine substance) to form (three divine persons
each of whom is eternal and almighty and hence truly God but without the three
divine persons being altogether three gods, rather they together constitute one God)
the numerically ‘one’ but structurally ‘triune’ God, the ‘one and triune’ God as
the ‘unitriune’ Lord (unitrinus Dominus, cf. ‘unitrinoque Domino sit sempiterna
Gloria’in the traditional Eucharistic hymn ‘O Salutaris Hostia’).
The Trinitarian structure of the Sun consists in the indivisible unity resulting
from the indissoluble union of ‘the one and indivisible stable and static face of the
Sun as from the common source of the rays’ with ‘the three, and only three possible,
complex aggregates of rays each of which is constituted by two contrary – opposite
but not opposed - subsets of rays. For, from the one and indivisible stable and static
face of the Sun as from their common source, the rays travel in bundles and with
speed and to all the only three possible pairs of contrary – opposite but not opposed
– directions, namely ‘upwards and downwards’, ‘rightwards and leftwards’, ‘
forwards and backwards’, at the same time, making in each direction the alternating
journey of going outwards from the source to an external object, an object existing
outside the Sun, and coming back from the external object towards their common
source after striking the external object, enkindling in the object warmth, heat and
fire, rendering the object warm, hot and fiery).
(i) The first complex aggregate of rays is that the constitutive elements of which
are ‘those two contrary subsets of rays, the first subset of which comprises the rays
moving upwards from the common source outwardly to an external object existing
up above the source, and the rays moving downwards from the external object
back to the common source, while the second subset comprises the rays moving
downwards from the common source outwardly to an external object existing down
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The Kingdom of God
below the source, and the rays moving upwards from the external object back to
the common source’, and this first complex aggregate forms with one another a
vertical straight line that has the common source at the middle of the line, whereby
this vertical line formed by the togetherness (union) of the two subsets of rays (by,
and) with the common source of the rays, symbolizes the first of the three divine
persons in the divine Trinity, namely God the Father, while the togetherness (union)
of the two subsets of rays (but)without the common source of the rays symbolizes
the Father as the first of the three persons in the numerically one God.
(ii) The second complex aggregate of rays is that the constitutive elements of
which are ‘those two contrary subsets of rays the first subset of which comprises
the rays moving rightwards from the common source outwardly to an external
object existing at the right of the source, and the rays moving leftwards from the
external object back to the common source, while the second subset comprises
the rays moving leftwards from the common source outwardly to an external
object existing at the left of the source, and the rays moving rightwards from the
external object back to the common source’, and this second complex aggregate
forms a horizontal straight line that has the common source at the middle of the
line, whereby this horizontal line formed by the togetherness (union) of the two
subsets of rays (by and) with the common source of the rays symbolizes the second
of the three divine persons in the divine Trinity, namely God the Son, while the
togetherness (union) of the two subsets of rays (by, but) without the common
source of the rays symbolizes the Son (of God) as the second of the three persons
in the numerically one God.
(iii) The third complex aggregate of rays is that the constitutive elements of which
are ‘those two contrary subsets of rays the first subset of which comprises the rays
moving forwards from the common source outwardly to an external object existing in
front of the source, and the rays moving backwards from the external object back to the
common source, while the second subset comprises the rays moving backwards from
the common source outwardly to an external object existing behind, at the back, of the
source, and the rays moving forwards from the external object back to the common
source’, and this third complex aggregate forms an oblique or slant line that has the
common source at the middle of the line, whereby this oblique or slant line formed
by the togetherness (union) of the two subsets of rays (by and) with the common
source of the rays symbolizes the third of the three divine persons in the divine Trinity,
namely God the Holy Spirit, while the togetherness (union) of the two subsets of rays
(but) without the common source of the rays symbolizes the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of
the Father and of the Son, as the third of the three persons in the numerically one God.
However, there is a great dissimilarity – in spite of the above delineated
similarity – between the trinitarian structure of the Sun as of a natural, created Light
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JohN egbulefu
and the trinitarian structure of God as of a supernatural, non-created Light. For,
unlike the three and three pairs of bundles of sunrays, each of which is outside the
others while however containing the common source of the rays – each of the three
divine persons, being truly God and hence omnipresent (present everywhere at the
same time and at all times), is at the same time inside, and inherent in, each of the
rest two divine persons and outside, but adherent (since there is no interval in space
nor in time and hence no discontinuity but rather continuity, and no separation but
rather inseparability between any two realities in the eternal God) to, (what only)
the two (own) together. For, as long as each of the divine persons is truly God and
therefore omnipresent, ubiquitous, present everywhere at the same time and at all
times, He must be contemporaneously present inside and outside each of the rest
two divine persons, whereby to be inside each of the rest two is to be inherent in
each of them, whereas to be outside each of the rest cannot mean to be separated
from any of them, for between any two realities in the eternal God as into the Being
that has neither a beginning nor an end, there is no interval of space nor of time,
hence no interruption, no discontinuity, but rather continuity, and no separation but
rather union and inseparability, thus no succession but rather contemporariness, and
no mediation but rather immediacy, with the consequence that a divine person is
outside each of the rest two divine persons does not mean that He is separated from
them but rather adheres, is adherent, to (what only) the two (own) together.
Thus, each of the three divine persons is, as long as He is truly God, and hence
omnipresent, thus contemporaneously inherent in each of the rest two divine persons
and contains what only the two own together and each person adheres to only what
the three own together.
Since there cannot be more than three persons in one God it follows that the
love of the three divine persons jointly for the Father and for the Son together and
jointly for the Holy Spirit does not have another divine person as its fruit. But
this does not mean that it is fruitless; for in God there is no sterility. The fruit of
this love is rather a thing, God’s decision to stabilize outside of Himself the reign
of that eternal love going on inside Him among the three persons in Him - i.e. to
establish the eternal Love into a kingdom of the eternal Love that Himself is, hence
the Kingdom of God - and this turn of God ad extra is natural, not constrained,
because since God is goodness (bonum) in person, and goodness diffuses itself,
giving itself as gift (donum) to another than itself, God, the summum Bonum, turns
to give Himself to another outside of Him. And since there is no other outside Him,
God calls into existence another than Himself, and this other is intended to be the
beneficiary of God’s overflowing goodness (benevolence, benediction, beneficence),
thus came God to create Man in the image and likeness of Himself, so that Man
might have something in common with Him on which He can divinely build up a
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The Kingdom of God
certain communion with man, and in such communion of man with God consists the
salvation of Man. God’s establishment of His Kingdom, His external stabilization
outside of Himself of the internal reign of love eternally going on inside Him among
the three persons in Him as in the numerically one God is the reason for God’s
creation of the universe (unity resulting from the union of the natural world of visible
creature and the preternatural word of invisible creatures) and history (aggregate of
the events as actions of – human, angelic and divine persons and as occurrences
of things) in which God the King reigns, governs, as well as His creation of the
humans (as His royal people) and the Angels (as His royal ministers) over whom
He governs, as King reigns, applying His sovereign powers to lead them on the
way of justice and peace to prosperity and fulfilled life, directing their steps as of
His flock of sheep and lambs towards green pastures. His creation of the different
components of His Kingdom passes through His calling into existence, through His
eternal creative Word, of His royal objects (comprising the two things: space, and
events as actions of persons and occurrences of things taking place in time and
space, in which He reigns) and of His royal subjects (comprising the two collective
persons: the people of the King, and the ministers – authoritative servants – of the
King). The correlate of the Kingdom of God is the divine donation of Salvation to
humans, the decision to make such donation is the fruit of the inner-divine joint-love
of the three persons in one God, namely the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
for the first person and the second person together, namely for the Father and the
Son together. Salvation as a reality that cannot be defined can only be described (i)
liberation from evil (fear, sin, sickness, death, poverty, impiety), (ii) security of the
human life effected through man’s return to God till into the deep bosom of God
to which the Evil One has no access, (iii) participation of man in the eternal life as
life of eternal love for one another, eternal joy at one another, eternal glorification
of one another, eternal peace with one another which is going on inside God among
the three persons in one God.
The Structure of the Kingdom of God
God is unitrine, one and triune, numerically one and structurally triune.
Therefore, the Kingdom of God as that which is established by Him ought to be one
and triune, numerically one and structurally triune, seeing that agere sequitur esse.
The unity of the numerically one Kingdom of the numerically one God is imperative
because a Kingdom divided in itself collapses. The Trinity of the structurally triune
Kingdom of the structurally triune God is imperative because a triple or triadic or
tripartite Kingdom has no unity that underlies and sustains it and, hence, it tends to
be disintegrated, because the three parts cannot have an indissoluble union among
41
JohN egbulefu
them and, hence, they cannot have an inseparability among them, rather they are
susceptible to separation from one another them, since they do not have another
reality of a diverse nature which holds them together.
The trinitarian structure of the Kingdom of the structurally triune God is not
only a principle of the ‘intelligibility, understandability’ (hence a hermeneutical key)
and hence of the ‘cognoscibility’, ‘knowability’ (thus epistemological status) of the
Kingdom of God, but also the principle regulating i) the structure of the contentcomponent of the same Kingdom and ii) the structure of the container-component
of the divine Kingdom. The trinitarian structure of the content-component of the
Kingdom of the structurally triune God consists in the unity resulting from the union
of the majesty of the Kingdom, which in the eternal and universal Kingdom of God,
is ‘the immense divine majesty’, with the three groups of transcendental virtues
lived in the divine Kingdom which are interchangeable with the unity lived by the
persons within the Kingdom: (i) Goodness which in the divine Kingdom is the divine
holiness and the divine grace (cf. regnum sanctitatis et gratiae), (ii) Truth, which in
the Kingdom of God is the divine truth and the divine life (cf. regnum veritatis et
vitae), and (iii) Beauty, which in the divine Kingdom is divine justice, divine love
and divine peace (regnum justitiae, amoris et pacis5.The Trinitarian structure of
the container-component of the Kingdom of the structurally triune God consists in
the unity resulting from the union of the numerically one King Himself who, in the
divine Kingdom, is God the Creator, with that triad the three constitutive elements
of which are: (1) as far as the things created by the King are concerned, 1a) the
space in which God reigns, and which, in the divine Kingdom, is the universe as the
unity resulting from the mediated union of the natural world of partly directly and
partly indirectly visible creatures and the preternatural world of invisible creatures
through the Sun as the connecting member and mediating centre between the two
halves of the universe, and (1b) the time in which the events – actions of persons
and occurrences of things – take place, and which in the divine Kingdom, is rather
eternity in which the history made by the God of salvation takes place, and (2) as far
as the persons created by the King are concerned, (2a) the ministers as authoritative
servants of the King, who in the divine Kingdom are the Angels, and (2b) the people
of the Kingdom, who in the divine Kingdom are that humans that result from the
self-multiplication of the first couple, Adam and Eve, and whom God has sanctified
with His Holy Covenant transforming them into His elected and holy people, and
(3) the sovereign powers with which the King reigns over His people and over His
ministers, and such sovereign powers of the King in the Kingdom of God are those
three most powerful powers that exist which are embraced by that all-embracing
5
Cf. Preface of the Solemnity of Christ the Universal King.
42
The Kingdom of God
power which constitutes the omnipotence of God, namely (i) the power to do all
good things and do each of them on the absolutely superlative level of doing it well
and of its being well done, (ii) the power never to do any evil, a bad thing, and never
to make a mistake; (iii) the power to overpower, overcome, overthrow, conquer
every evil and to uproot it and eliminate it.
The God of the Kingdom of God
The God of the Kingdom of God is the triune God, the God whose trinity,
the divine Trinity consists in the unity existing out of, and in, the eternal and
indissoluble union of (1) the three distinct but inseparably united, intertwining, i.e.
mutually inherent and adherent, co-eternal, co-substantial, co-equal persons, called
the Father who has no origin, the Son who originates from only the Father that
generates Him from the very substance of God, and the Holy Spirit who originates
from the Father and Son together by proceeding from both at the same time, with
(2) the only one and indivisible, ineffable (i.e nameless) thing that the Father and
the Son and the Holy Spirit (as the three persons in the numerically one God) own
only together with one another (hence something that none of the three persons can
call His own, instead of their own, or can own privately or separately from any of
the other two persons). Such an indivisible and ineffable (i.e. nameless) thing is
namely the name – not names – which the three persons own only together with
one another. For, only name has no name, or has no other name than itself, name
is the only thing the name of which is name, and such name of each, and of all
together, of the three persons in one God constitutes, and is, primarily and basically
the essence of God (the divine essence which consists in God’s being – esse - the
first and the last Being, ens), secondly and centrally the nature of God (the divine
nature which consists in the union of those attributes of God that derive from the
divine essence as from God’s being the first and the last Being. Such attributes
of God are His eternity, absoluteness, immensity as immeasurability, His allinclusiveness, i.e. all-embracing, thus catholic, character, hence His omnipresence,
omniscience, omnipotence, holiness and perfection, etc.), (3) finally the substance
of God (the divine substance which consists in that all-embracing power that not
only is constituted by the unity that results from the divine nature as from the union
of the divine attributes that derive from the divine essence but also embraces all
the three most powerful powers that can exist. In effect, the one divine essence,
divine nature and divine substance, which the three divine persons own only
together with one another is the thing that unites them with one another all the
more (beyond their being already inseparably united by one another through that
intertwining relationship, perichoresis, among them according to which each one
43
JohN egbulefu
of them, comprising two components, namely what is peculiar to only Himself and
what the three own only together with one another, is inherent – having penetrated
(circumincessio) and taken seat (circuminsessio) – in each of the rest two, and every
pair of whom is inherent in the remaining person through that which only the two
components of that pair own together).
The King of the Divine Kingdom and His Royal Acts, Powers and
Handover of His Government
The proper King of the Kingdom of God is God Himself, and His essential
royal act consists in reigning by applying His sovereign – legislative, executive
and judicial – powers to govern His people like a shepherd governs his flock. The
structure of God’s government of the world is Trinitarian, as it consists in the
unity resulting from the union of the tripod of His government as that triad the
constitutive elements of which are ‘the Legislative itself in person that the Father
is’, the Executive itself in person that the Son is’, and ‘the Judiciary itself in person
that the Holy Spirit is’, with the absolute authority which the three divine persons
have over the whole of creation as long as they are its author and which subsists in
the one and indivisible omnipotence as the all-embracing power that the substance
of God constitutes and that embraces all the three most powerful powers that can
exist, namely the power to do all good things and do each well at the absolutely
superlative level of doing it well and of its being well done, the power never to do
any evil nor make any mistake, and the power to overpower and overthrow, uproot
and eliminate every evil. The Universe is the unity resulting from the mediated
union of the preternatural world of visible creatures and the natural world of directly
or indirectly visible creatures through the sun. The natural world of visible creatures
itself is structured into two parts: The planetary and the extra-planetary halves. The
planetary halve of the natural world embraces the terrestrial and the extra-terrestrial
planet. The human being is at home in the planet earth and it does not seem, from
scientific research into space so far that he can live in any other planet as long as
he is a synthesis of corporal and spiritual components. And since the human being
cannot with the human body survive in any other planet outside the earth nor live
in the sun nor even approach the sun without been burnt, nor shift from his position
in the planet earth to another planet without been frozen, it means the judgement of
human being after his death can only take place in those extra-terrestrial planet or in
the extra planetary part of the natural world. It means also that the retribution that
follows after the judgment of man at the end of his life on earth namely purgatory
or hell would take place in the preternatural, for the souls of the unjust, while it will
take place in paradise for the souls of the just. Paradise is both a place (where God
44
The Kingdom of God
and the Holy creatures dwell) and a state (in which God us in man and man in God).
Purgatory as well is a place (for the purgation of the sins of those souls imprisoned
there for the unpaid debt of the sins they committed on earth) and a state (in which
God is in man and man is not in God). Finally, hell is also a place (of eternal absence
of all that God is, hence eternal absence of light and presence of darkness, absence
of love and presence of hatred, absence of goodness and presence of evil, absence
of spirit as of intelligent living being and presence of foolishness and death) and a
state (in which man is not in God and God is not in man). History is the aggregate
of events – as actions of person and occurrences of things – which take place in time
as programmed by God.
God’s hand-over of the whole of His Kingdom – comprising both the royal
things called the Universe, and history and sovereign powers with which the King
reigns, and the royal persons called the Angels and humans over whom the King
reigns – and hence handover of His reign, His government, of the whole creation to
His Son Jesus Christ as the universal King. The kingdom of God is rendered present
by Christ the Redeemer6, it is a kingdom that has its characteristics and demands7; it
is a Kingdom accomplished and proclaimed by the resurrected Christ8, and for this
relationship the Kingdom of God with Christ the Head of the Church, the divine
Kingdom has a special relationship with the Church Body of Christ9, whereby the
Church is at the service of the Kingdom10. God has handed over every authority
and, hence, His sovereign powers and, hence, the Government of all the Creation,
to Christ as to the beloved incarnate Son of the living God: “All authority in heaven
and on earth has been given to men” Mt. 28:18; “You are the Christ, the Son of the
living God” (Mt. 16:16).
The manifestation of God’s Government of the world in general, and of humans
as His people in particular, is seen in Christ’s shepherding as convoking mission
and as guarding, guiding and feeding function or acts, actions and activities on
earth. Christ’s proclamation (kerygma) – preaching and teaching – of the Word of
God as Good news (Gospel) of the Kingdom of God through His parables is His
calling back into the Kingdom the scattered sheep, all of which had gone astray,
each to its own way, on account of sin committed, while His wonder-works through
His miracles show that the prayerfully much invited Kingdom of God the heavenly
Father has come, that the Kingdom of the heavenly Father as the long-awaited and
6
7
8
9
10
Cf. Redemptoris Missio (RM), 12-13.
Cf. RM 14-15.
Cf. RM 16.
Cf. RM 17-18.
Cf. RM 20.
45
JohN egbulefu
with-joy-and-hope-expected Kingdom has really arrived and is present in the midst
of the humans who have been inviting and awaiting and expecting it (Adveniat
Regnum tuum). His indications regarding the conditions for one to see the kingdom
(cf. Jn. 3:3) and to enter into it (cf. Jn. 3:5) and regarding the spirit of the typical
members of the divine Kingdom (cf. Mt. 5:1-7,27) constitute that second part of
His tripartite pedagogy on the Kingdom of God, the first part of which comprises
his already above named indications and enunciation of the components of the
Kingdom and the third part of which consists in His indications on how to govern
the people of the King, namely His training of His Apostles on how to serve humans
as His royal people by imitating Him (cf. Mt. 11:28-30; Jn. 15:1-16,33). And it was
after concluding this pedagogy that He finally handed over to them the Fathergiven sources of the divine graces necessary for man’s entrance into, remaining in
and belonging to the Kingdom of God, namely the authority to proclaim the word
to all nations and to baptise and teach them (cf. Mt. 28:18-20) and the power to
forgive sins (cf. Jn. 20:23) and handed over to only Peter the charge over His flock
as the people of the King who are required to be protected, fed and directed to the
way of salvation, whereby the rest of the Apostles are to work with and under Peter,
especially seeing the vastness of the work to be done and the limitedness of Peter, of
his human strength, health and life (cf. Jn. 21:1-23). In order to govern their people
adequately, the Governors of the Nations, being humans whom the three persons
in one God have created in the image and likeness of their divine selves (cf. Gen.
1:26) and who therefore, can imitate the three divine persons, are to, first of all,
learn: (1) from God the Lord as the absolutely superlative Shepherd that protects
and feeds His sheep (cf. Ps.23: 1-6); and (2) from the incarnate Son of God, Jesus
Christ as the relatively superlative Good Shepherd who governing as God but with
the instrumentality of humanity) and knows His flock made up of sheep and lambs
and gives His life for them as His friends (cf. Jn. 10:1-21); and (3) from Peter the
Apostle of Christ as from the proper comparative Shepherd of the flock of Christ
(cf. Jn. 21:1-23), how to govern the peoples of their nations. And they have got
thereby to make the consequent shift from the traditional system of Government
built on the tripod (Legislative, Executive and Judiciary) to the Trinitarian system
of God built on the unity resulting from the union of (i) the triad constituted by ‘the
Legislative derived from God the Father, the divine Legislator as the Legislative
itself in person within the system of God’s government of the world’, ‘the Executive
derived from God the Son, the divine Executor as the Executive itself in person
within the system of God’s government of the world’ and ‘the Judiciary derived
from God the Holy Spirit, the divine Judge as the Judiciary itself in person within
the system of God’s government of the world’ with (ii) ‘the one and indivisible allembracing power that the three constitutive elements of the named triad possess
46
The Kingdom of God
together and that each has in equal measure as each, of the rest two have and as both
of the rest two together have’. The togetherness of God’s government of the world
and Man’s government of the nations for a truly salvific Government has as its
model the togetherness of the Divine and the Human in the Godman Jesus Christ,
whereby, as in the Godman, the Divine penetrates and permeates and inheres in
the Human to heal and sanctify it from within, while the human, neither daring to
separate itself from the Divine, since that would tantamount to sin, nor being able
to penetrate the Divine, is left with the only alternative of binding itself, adhering,
to the Divine (adhaerere Deo) in order to participate in the life and mission of the
Divine that has healed and sanctified it for this purpose of using it as instrument of
work (instrumentum laboris).
Conclusion
I conclude this article with the following three statements:
(1) The proper system of the Government of their nations by humans as imitators of
the divine Governor of the universe is that which is called Theodemocracy as the
unity resulting from the union of Theocracy and Democracy.
(2) The theodemocratic Government has a Trinitarian structure; it bears the
trinitarianly structured image and resemblance of the Government of the people
of God (Demos tou Theou) by their King, the triune God as the Creator of the
universe who on the basis of his authorship of the world is the only One that has
Authority over all creatures and is thus the only Lord of creatures and the only
Most High and hence the only King of kings.
(3) The system of the theodemocratic Government is in so far trinitarian as
it consists in the organic unity (oneness, hence goodness, trueness and truth
and truthfulness, beauty and beautifulness) resulting from the union of (i) the
governing triad (or tripod) the three constitutive elements of which are ‘the
human Legislators that have learnt from the divine Father as the Legislative
itself in person in the divine Government of the Universe and as the supreme
model for all human legislators in the Government of their nations’, ‘the human
Executors that have learnt from the divine Son as the Executive itself in person
in the divine Government of the Universe and as the supreme model for all
human executors in the Government of their nations’, and ‘the human Judges
that have learnt from the divine Holy Spirit as the Judiciary itself in person in
the divine Government of the Universe and as the supreme model for all human
Judges in the Government of their nations’, on the one hand, with (ii) the one
and indivisible governed people of the nation who have learnt from the one and
indivisible divine substance not only to preserve, conserve and custody a unity
47
JohN egbulefu
that constitutes an inalienable connatural and coessential power of the governed
people that generates, invigorates and preserves the probity (as against the
egoism or selfishness underlying and sustaining the nepotism, clanism, tribalism,
nationalism and racism), the integrity (as against the corruption of minds through
telling and believing lies and through deceits or making believe and obtaining by
tricks and forgery which underlies and sustains the corruption of morals through
giving or taking bribes and through assassination of character and killing of
persons) and the fidelity and truthfulness, trustworthiness and reliability, of the
governing triad in their service to the nation, but also to make use of such power
of the people reserved to only the people to enthrone or dethrone the governors
according as the latter deserves it in their service, on the other hand.
48
EJ 13 (2019) 49-66
THE DIALECTICS OF THE CITY OF GOD
AND THE EARTHLY CITY IN NIGERIA:
TOWARDS A CRITICAL AND CONSTRUCTIVE
AFRICAN POLITICAL THEOLOGY
stAN chu ilo
Introduction
This essay argues for a critical and constructive prophetic Christian social
imaginary in Africa. I will use Nigeria as a test case to show why the absence of a
political theology is undermining the witness and mission of the Church, harming
the common good of society and the realization in our history of the eschatological
fruits of the reign of God. Given the limited scope of this essay, what I offer here are
some preliminary thoughts and principles, which will be further elaborated in future
writings. My hope is that readers may find here some helpful starting point which
could inspire them to raise critical questions about the validity of some of the current
narratives about African societies with regard to religious faith, the nation-state, and
the movement of history in Africa. I will proceed by stating five key principles and
five methodological starting points for doing African political theology. Secondly,
using Augustine’s political theology as guide, I will develop some theological
hermeneutic for analyzing the dialectics of the two cities in history. I will finally
apply this analysis to critiquing Nigeria’s political situation today. I will conclude
by showing the wisdom of Pope Francis to show the urgency of a strong engagement
of the Christian Gospel with contemporary African politics and its centrality for the
Christian mission in Africa today.
Building Blocks for an African Political Theology:
Some Preliminary Thoughts
Ugandan political theologian, Emmanuel Katongole, has noted the absence
of a sustained scholarly engagement with political theology in Africa. He raises
the question about the relationship between ‘the distressing political and economic
realities of Africa and its dynamic Christian expression.’ He identifies the task of
African political theology as finding how African Christianity can make a difference
in Africa’s political history and how it can become a positive force for social
transformation. This is particularly urgent because the nation-states of Africa as
‘successor institutions’ to the colonial states continue to defeat, exploit and plunder
49
stAN chu ilo
the common good of African peoples. This plunder has proceeded under the guise of
liberating and saving Africa because of Africa’s post-colonial corrupt and extractive
leadership. Katongole identifies three broad paradigms of reform, embrace and
reinvention as forms through which the Christian churches in Africa have engaged
the ‘dysfunctional politics’ in Africa today. 1
Theological engagement with politics in Africa is developing differently from
what happened in Western Christianity. This is because of Africa’s unique history
of slavery, missionary Christianity, colonialism, and globalization. All these sad
historical realities have entrenched a Western epistemological hegemony in both
the Church and State in Africa which hamper creative sub-alternation capable
of generating new knowledge and counter-narratives to challenge and dismantle
the current status quo in Africa. Furthermore, the neat separation of Church and
State which putatively exists in many Western states is not something that might
be realized in Africa. In Africa, there is no such dualism between the sacred and
the secular hence discourse on politics and religion are in many settings in Africa
tightly woven together sometimes as theological conversation and sometimes as
political discourse. The language of God and faith pervade African politics making
it hard in most cases for any conceptual clarity and systematic reflection. However,
African theologians have reflected on the social context within the broader purvey
of the social condition in Africa and the search for salvation within it (Benezet
Bujo, Engelvert Mveng, Elias Bongmba, Jean-Mac Ela, Tinyinko Maluleke, Mercy
Oduyoye, Emmanuel Katongole, Stan Chu Ilo, Musa Dube, Nathanael Soede,
Agbonkhanmehie Orobator, Laureen Maseno among many others).
What we find in these writers are a strong embrace of critical social theory,
some traces of liberation theology paradigm, especially inspired by the works
of African-American liberation theologians James Cone and Katie Canon; and a
strong biblical and cultural analysis. These writers operate from a strong historical
consciousness which questions the modernization-progressive-development
paradigm. They also employ the tools of post-colonial analysis of the African
social context with the intention of unmasking the unequal relations of power in
Africa and in the globe. The ultimate goal of these scholars is to construct new
paradigms for social transformation and for ecclesial life through a commitment
to the ideals of the salvific mission of the Lord now continued in history through
the followers of Christ. These authors have engaged with questions of human and
cosmic flourishing, poverty and social justice, inculturation and liberation, mission
1
e. kAtoNgole, “Political Theologies of Africa” in William T. Cavanaugh and Peter Manley Scott,
ed. The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Political Theology, second edition. Chichester: Wiley
Blackwell, 2019, 347-348.
50
The Dialectics of the City of God and the Earthly City in Nigeria
and dialogue. They have raised questions about what is the meaning of redemption,
the Cross, the Resurrection and hope for African peoples and societies. While we
may not have a clearly articulated and systematic political theology in Africa today,
I can point at some of the directions of scholarship in African political theology:
Firstly, it is a quest to determine how the movement of history in Africa is
bringing about in the life and reality of Africans, the fruits of the salvific reign of God
in their societies as well as in their religious and secular institutions. This requires
that African political theology develops tools for understanding how history unfolds
in Africa vis-à-vis what Christians understand as salvation history.
Secondly, it interprets the complex and complicated social conditions of
Africans, which have defined the so-called African predicament in the light of the
liberating message of the Gospel and the African moral traditions of abundant life.
This interpretation is guided by the search for how the saving, teaching, healing and
liberating message and ministry of Jesus Christ is being enacted in African history so
that the promises of the later days inaugurated by Jesus Christ can be realized in the lives
of Africans. In doing this, African theology will unmask and disrupt the false narratives
of modernity in Africa. This can be achieved through a total picture analysis of how
structural violence and social sins both locally and internationally have all conspired
in past and present African history in bringing about in Africa an unacceptable social
context, which is undermining the common good and human security in the land.
Thirdly, African political theology must critically confront the idols and
false narratives in some of our religious and political settings in Africa, especially
development discourse, institutional religion and the present shape of the nation-states
in Africa. This critical function looks at how these institutions are contributing in many
ways in promoting injustice, poverty, suffering, rank and social distance between the
poor and the rich, the weak and the powerful, ethnocentrism, racism, clannishness,
exploitation, and extractive leadership among other social evils. This robust critique
of sinful systems and structures in both religious and political settings must show how
they undermine the movement of history through the destructive forces of money,
power and violence. The presence of these negative social evils in our secular and
religious institutions has suffused the social climate with political ideals, false political
hopes and religious claims of better days in Africa without showing how they can be
realized through the agencies of the people and these institutions.
Fourthly, African political theology gives an account of the assets of Africa –
human and natural resources, cultural traditions, religious traditions, local knowledge
and intellectual traditions among others – and develops a Gospel-driven praxis grounded
in sound social ethics, communal consciousness and solidarity. This approach to
theology works towards strengthening people’s agency and removing those obstacles
against the integral and fruitful exercise of human freedom. This way, Africans can
51
stAN chu ilo
gradually be enabled through a new social and communal consciousness to become
protagonists in bringing about the actualization of their boundless resources, gifts and
latent energies for the greater good of all in the continent and beyond.
Fifthly, an African political theology must offer Africa a prophetic social
imaginary through a robust analysis of power relations which helps Africans especially
those on the margins to see clearly how few Africans – politicians, religious leaders,
powerful families and business interests – are benefiting from the systems that are
currently in play and why and how the majority of Africans are suffering because of
unequal and exploitative exercise of dominant power. As a result, African political
theology will go beyond wishes, hopes, anger, and dreams to constructing a praxis
for a new Africa. It is also a theology of identification because it seeks to find out
where and how God is present in the local processes and institutional priorities and
practices which are bringing about new life and new social realities in different parts
of Africa. This requires going beyond affirmation and assertions of what the future
would look like to actually developing a road map of how that future is coming
about in present history. The ultimate task of African political theology is identifying
in concrete history how the kingdom of God is coming about now in the context of
the people. As a result, African political theology is like the finger of John pointing
towards the salvific ferment in history or the dangers against its emergence. It shows
how societies of Africa are moving towards the realization of the fruits of God’s
kingdom through daily individual and communal social and virtue ethics.
African political theology should be rooted in the double narratives of local
processes which reveal on one hand the footprints of God for a just and transforming
society, and on the other hand the narratives of God’s great deeds in scripture. This will
offer a complimentary direction and vision for understanding how Africans through
their culture and faith see the will or reign of God being realized in their history.
What is important is that a theology of politics is mediated and moderated through
the agency of the people; embedded in the people’s plausibility structure in order to
truly be a theology of the people. This approach is opposed to a top-down traditionalist
mindset, which often reinforces and consolidates the same power structures and
systems, which have all conspired in maintaining the unacceptable socio-economic
and political condition in Africa. In a word, African political theologies are by their
very nature prophetic social imaginary constructed after the example of the prophetic
and liberating work of the Lord. It will be designed in a way that it contests and
offers contrasting vision of history which is different from the present modernization
approach to history in Africa which have crushed the deepest desires and aspirations
of Africans which continues to hold Africa captive to a false history and unrealistic
ideals. This kind of theology will challenge Church leaders and officials to reject
compromises and alliances with the idols of power and privilege and to pitch their
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The Dialectics of the City of God and the Earthly City in Nigeria
tents with the poor and live with and like the poor in Africa. It will contest the various
forms in which the narratives of history are being constructed in preaching, in neoPentecostal and Charismatic prosperity Gospel, healing ministries, capital campaigns
in our churches, church structures, clericalism and many other ecclesial styles and
practices which reinforce a false sense of history and false religious practices in what
have been referred to as ‘an antiseptic Christianity.’
The credibility of the Church in Africa will be largely measured on how it helps
bring about such a political theology, which shows Christians, and churches how they
can become mirrors of what the wider society would look like – a redeemed and healed
society where everyone is realizing their potentials, optimizing their assets and having
access to the common good. It is obvious that such a theology will be interested in
social and popular movements and give a name and content to the ‘empty signifiers’,
which often drive such movements. It will be concerned with the narratives which
are being fed to people in African societies about why human and cosmic flourishing
in Africa is constantly imperiled by political and social crisis and why our continent
continues to be the scene of the most heart-wrenching social evils and crises – wars,
refugee crisis, epidemic, political crisis, immigration crisis, ecological crisis, brain
drain, and persistent economic problems and rising poverty in the midst of bounteous
and rich natural resources. It will be a theology of martyrs who are willing to die in
order that a new life and social reality can be seeded in Africa.
What I have proposed here are fairly broad principles for doing theology in
Africa which calls for the following methodological operations: (i) An immersion
in history through a theology which speaks from the heart of African history and
the pathos of God’s people in Africa. Any theology without a sense of history will
alienate the people. Unfortunately, historical consciousness is often lacking in our
theological imagination. This lack continues to create a wedge between the lived
reality of our people, the teachings of the churches and the theological productions
of our experts. There is no future for any disembodied theology or an ahistorical
theology. Such a theology speaks in generality, is careful to toe the party line and
scared to perform any critical function, especially in settings where religious groups
are sympathetic to the ruling elites. African theologies must move away from a
manualist theologizing, driven often by the intention to protect certain interests,
power and privilege within the Church and society. Such a theology does not have
any long-lasting transformative impact in the life of the people or in the life of the
Church and works against the mission of God in history.
(ii) A theology grounded in the experience of the people and which leverages that
experience as the locus of enunciation for theological analysis, reflection and praxis.
We must do a theology, which meets our people where they are. Theologians in Africa
must embody the experience of the people and become part of that experience in order
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to speak credibly about what we have seen and heard. African theologians must see
their vocation as that of being eye witnesses to the suffering and hope especially of
many of our people who are still hanging on the Cross, waiting for a resurrection.
Without this grounding and without a theology, which has the ‘smell of the sheep’, our
theologies in Africa will be alien, bourgeois, oppressive, and exploitative and lacking
in any convictions and credibility. It cannot stir the course of history in the direction
of the eschatological fruits of God’s kingdom nor steer the consciousness of the people
to prophetic engagement with the contradictions of history in Africa. On the other
hand, a grounded theology must hew the narratives of redemption and recovery from
the deadening stones of hard and harsh social conditions of God’s people in Africa
and from their actual faith and socio-cultural experience. It is a theology which tells
compelling stories of God’s people because the theologian is narrating his or her lived
story from a place of deep encounter with God and God’s people.
(iii) A Critical theology which is bold enough to name what is wrong with
the present status quo – in both the life, ministry and public witnessing of churches
and Christians and in African society in general. It is a theology of courage driven
by a clear perception of how God’s dreams emerge in history and how it is being
defeated by sinful structures, unjust institutions, and weak social ethics and false
religious hopes which all conspire among other factors in stymieing the movement
of the Spirit in history. An essential part of this critical function is an appreciative
hermeneutics of the faith and culture of our people. This will lead to identifying
those alternate points of light and hope in many marginal settings in Africa while
showing how they represent even in ways not sufficiently clear to us the footprints
of God in the reversal of unacceptable history in Africa.
(iv) A prophetic theology which must reject a consumerist theology or uncritical
assumption of the narratives of modernity and development in Africa. A political
theology proceeds from a notion of salvation history which while not being totalizing
also accepts that God is the king of the earth and that the narrative for the future
is not simply a gift to be given to people, but a task or vocation which they must
undertake every new day with faith in a God who leads us to a better future. The
consumerist mindset is the bane of theology and politics in Africa. It is a mindset
which simply assimilates and regurgitates everything which is offered from outside
Africa as political and religious ideals without testing them and seeing how they can
lead us to the kingdom of God or how they are leading us away from the kingdom
of God. This consumerist mindset often proceeds with certain presupposition that
there are things which cannot change, for example, the national boundaries of
countries in Africa, which were drawn without any input from Africans. Another
example is the shape and structure of our churches and the approach to Church and
politics developed with the experience in Europe. The experience of Europe – the
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The Dialectics of the City of God and the Earthly City in Nigeria
Church’s endorsement of the divine rights of those kings who aligned their political
and economic interests to that of the Catholic Church; (cf. Mk. 12:13-17; Romans
13), caesaropapism, the Investiture Controversy, the French Revolution, the Italian
nationalist movement in the latter half of the 19th century which effectively put an
end the papal states, and other developments led the Catholic Church to impose
neutrality in politics at the end of the 19th century. This neutrality was made to
help the Church to move away from the yoke of Christendom and the Church’s
unfortunate involvement in European politics beginning from Constantine.
However, this neutrality in politics caused the Catholic Church so much pain
and public condemnation in the U.S in the Catholic Church’s neutrality during the
fight for the abolition of the slave trade in the US. The Catholic bishops in the U.S
understood slavery and the slave trade as a political issue and not a moral evil and
as a result the Catholic Church stayed neutral until the publication of In Supremo
Apostolatus (1839) by Pope Gregory XVI which clearly asked Catholics and church
leaders all over the world to condemn the slave trade and work towards its abolition.
However, by the time this papal document came out, the harm to the Catholic Church
had already been done and that loss of credibility still haunts the Catholic Church in
her relation with African-Americans today.
In many settings in Africa, given the scale of the social evil and the extractive and
exploitative tendencies of entrenched bad state actors, political parties and economic
classes, the Church cannot be neutral. The political order is not neutral in Africa today;
it is often a threat to the common good and opposed to the human security of the poor
and the vulnerable. In many settings in Africa, the political order has imposed a heavy
cross on God’s people. In many cases, ordinary Africans do not see any exit route
from the corrupt and oppressive deep states – Sudan, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Burundi,
Congo Democratic Republic, Nigeria, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Cameroun, Congo
Brazzaville among many other African countries. In such settings, the neutrality of the
churches may actually be a sinful abdication of the social implications of the Gospel.
God’s people in Africa need tools and formation to enable them to protest, resist,
contest, reform, and defeat these sinful systems. The political systems and structures
often exploit the poverty, ethnicity, and other polarizing tendencies in modern Africa
to entrench bad leaders and sinful institutions and social hierarchies. The Church in
Africa must be on the side of the poor people and not on the side of the mighty who
like pharaoh are opposed to God’s liberation of God’s people.
(v) A Theology of hope for social transformation in Africa. African political
theology bring about a design of how Africa can emerge from the present unacceptable
social condition. The theological task is not simply about documenting what others
have thought and how they have lived, or simply appropriating, or imposing them
on any context. Rather, the task of political theology in Africa is to create a new
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social imaginary. This demands a conscious effort with a deep sense of history, a
grounding in theological foundations especially privileging some biblical narratives
of reversal and enabled by grace and the Holy Spirit to co-create with God a new
heaven and new earth in Africa. This new society can always emerge when we let
ourselves explore the more which is present in our brokenness and in our cries, as
well as in our hopes and dreams. A new social imaginary in Africa is simply not
a product. Rather, it is a process of reflection, believing, identification, working,
healing, imagining and daily effort of bringing our social context today with all its
challenges and opportunities closer to the fruits of God’s reign, which in African
religious tradition translates, into human and cosmic flourishing.
The Dialectics of the Two Cities: Building Blocks of an
African Political Theology
Augustine wrote The City of God after the collapse of Rome on 24 August 410
as a response to pagans who blamed Christianity for the collapse of the empire. The
concern was about how God orders and governs our lives in the state according to divine
providence. Augustine wanted to demonstrate that it was not that the old gods of Rome
protected the empire and then when the city embraced Christianity, the Christian God
failed to protect the empire. Virtue is the best defense for any state. Augustine argues that
every state stands or falls by the values or love, which the citizens embrace.2 Augustine
was not simply seeking for a ‘Christian empire’ or ‘a Christian world’, but rather was
concerned about the emergence of a just society.3 Reflecting on Augustine’s motivation
for writing The City of God, Henry Chadwick, writes: “People cursed the times they
lived in; ‘but whether times are good or bad depends on the moral quality of individual
and social life, and is up to us’ (S 80.8). Each generation, he remarked, thinks its own
times uniquely awful (S 25); morality and religion have never been at so low an ebb as
in their generation, and civilized values have never been more threatened. He thought it
his duty to attack fatalism and to arouse people to a sense of being responsible if things
went wrong. They could have a say in what was going to happen next.” I propose that
Augustine’s reading of the two cities is an analogy of how people’s values and love
shape what goes on in history and offers a key to understanding how to interpret what
goes on in the polis in the light of faith and the ordination of all things to God.4
Let me quote extensively from Augustine’s analysis of the two cities in The City
of God and outline three points on differences between the two cities: “Accordingly,
two cities have been formed by two loves: the earthly by the love of self, even to
2
3
4
h. chAdwick, Augustine: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001, 103.
h. chAdwick, 106.
I have relied on Basil Studer’s study of the City of God, 115-118.
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The Dialectics of the City of God and the Earthly City in Nigeria
the contempt of God; the heavenly by the love of God, even to the contempt of self.
The former, in a word, glories in itself, the latter in the Lord. For the one seeks glory
from men; but the greatest glory of the other is God, the witness of conscience. The
one lifts up its head in its own glory; the other says to its God, “Thou art my glory,
and the lifter up of mine head.” In the one, the princes and the nations it subdues
are ruled by the love of ruling; in the other, the princes and the subjects serve one
another in love, the latter obeying, while the former take thought for all. The one
delights in its own strength, represented in the persons of its rulers; the other says to
its God, “I will love Thee, O Lord, my strength.”5
Three points are important here:
First, there is wisdom in both cities, but the wisdom of the city of God leads to
life, love, peace and human fulfilment; while the wisdom of the earthly city leads to
unending conflicts, quest for power and comfort, pleasure, injustice, hatred, death,
and violence.
Second, these two wisdoms are related in the sense that the ‘wisdom’ of the
earthly city is oriented towards the ‘wisdom’ of the heavenly city. However, properly
speaking, the wisdom of the earthly city is not really true wisdom because it is
founded on a false notion of reality. The wisdom of the city of God is true wisdom
because it is built on the proper knowledge of the truth of things and the firm grasp
of the order and ordination of all things to God’s reign. Government is meant to
control the chaos of sin and disorder following ‘providential principle’ by bringing
about justice. The legitimacy of any government is the morality of the rulers and the
presence or absence of true justice.6
Third, the ‘wisdom’ of the earthly city is to be encountered, discerned, judged
and appropriated in order to see its limitations in bringing about the ultimate
salvation of all things in Christ. This ‘wisdom’ ought to be understood in its
instrumental nature and how it helps to convey the narration of God’s great deeds.
The goal of all education in faith as Augustine pointed out in the introduction to his
De Catechizandis Rudibus is the narration of God’s great deeds in history. Thus,
the theologian or Christian scholar must devote time to searching for this goal/
wisdom through rigorous immersion in historical analysis. He or she must penetrate
the false pretensions of wisdom in the earthly city which often can appear as good
or profitable because it offers some immediate gratification, but does not lead to
ultimate happiness and a just and harmonious society.
Viewed in the light of these three perspectives, the political theologian must
not shy away from history or in engaging in socio-cultural studies and embracing
5
6
The City of God, Book XIV Chap. 28.
Cf. h. chAdwick, 110-111.
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the tools of political discourse. Augustine makes a distinction between uti and
frui. There is the need to understand the real value of a thing, a social reality, or
an institution which are irreducible and essential; and how that value is mediated
through structures and systems which are dispensable and changeable. We must
hold on to what is of ultimate value which are those things in society which reveal
to us the fruits of God’s reign. Augustine’s distinction between uti and frui is helpful
here in discerning the wisdom of the two cities. This is so because it will enable the
Christian scholar, ‘to discern the thread of what God is really up to’ in order that he
or she can develop a ‘thick description’ of God’s work in human history.’7
In discovering what God is really up to in our present political history in Africa,
for instance, the accent should be placed on harvesting what Augustine calls ‘the
eternal and unchangeable things’ (De Doc. 1.8.39) in our social context to the extent
to which they show us in our cultural and human fulfilment that we are living under
the reign of God. According to Augustine, the only true object of enjoyment is the
Holy Trinity. All other realities are instruments and signs which God has given to
humanity for attaining the ‘enjoyment’ of that which human beings cannot obtain
for themselves and which are unchangeable. For Augustine, ‘enjoyment’ here is not
sensate or pleasurable satisfaction of human emotions rather “to enjoy something is
to cling to it in love” (De Doc. 1,1,3).
By contrast, there are other things which humans pursue, other than in the mode
of enjoyment, that is, all relative and instrumental goods (uti) are willed ultimately
for the sake of those things willed for themselves alone.8 Augustine argues this way
in De Doctrina Christiana. 1, 34,39: “The chief purpose of all that we have been
saying in our discussion of things is to make it understood that that the fulfillment
and end of the law (cf. Rom. 13:10; 1Tim 1: 5) and all divine scriptures is to love
the thing which must be enjoyed and the thing which together with us can enjoy that
thing…To enlighten us and enable us, the whole temporal disposition was set up by
divine providence for our salvation. We must make use of this, not with a permanent
love and enjoyment of it, but with a transient love and enjoyment of our journey, or
of our conveyances, so to speak, or any other expedients whatsoever so that we love
the means of transport only because of our destination.”
Therein lies the need to discover within history what is temporal and what is
eternal; what is valuable and what is of less value, what leads to true worship of
God and to the Lord Jesus Christ and what leads people away to idols of the self,
7
8
r.A. mArcus, Signs and Meanings: World and Text in Ancient Christianity, 2nd Edition. Eugene,
Oregon: Wipf and Stock, 2011, 4.
D.C. schiNdler, “Freedom Beyond our Choosing: Augustine on the Will and its Objects” in
Communion International Catholic Review, XXIX, 4 (Winter 2002), 362.
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The Dialectics of the City of God and the Earthly City in Nigeria
institutions, systems, structures, or false religion; what is to be loved eternally and
what is to be loved for the sake of the eternal. Here again Augustine writes with so
much conviction: “There is this important difference between temporal things and
eternal things: something temporal is loved more before it is possessed, but will
lose its appeal when attained, for it does not satisfy the soul, whose true and certain
abode is eternity. The eternal, on the other hand, is loved more passionately when
obtained than when desired” (De Doc. 1,37,41).
This discovery of what is important and what is instrumental is not a purely
disinterested abstraction of metaphysical principles. It requires direct contact with
daily realities of the people and critical hermeneutics of culture and social life.
African theologians must immerse themselves into the social context of God’s
people and enter into the dumps of history – going to the shrines, the prayer houses,
visiting the refugee camps, disaster areas, the hospitals, prisons, market places,
highways of deaths and many other sites of tears in our land.
Using Augustine as guide, we can identify some of the reasons for the persistent
of the social evils ravaging our land.
First, is our dysfunctional value syndrome which is driven by pride, selfishness,
and greed. What needs to change in any society in order for social transformation to
occur is the value system. In many African countries today and in many churches,
we have often absolutized power, wealth, ethnicity, and religion. All these belong
to the realm of uti in Augustine’s thought meaning that they are relative instruments
which should lead people to finding God, wisdom, love and fulfilment in society and
in their lives.
Second, the rupture of value and meaning is the result of the lack of wisdom or
true knowledge about the truth in our earthly city with regard to the reason for the
existence of our common life in states and communities. This has led many people
in Africa to glorify falsehood and false knowledge and half-truths – about ethnicity,
politics, state – all of which sow the seed of hatred, suspicion, perpetuate conspiracy
theories and create divisions and conflicts which lead our people away from the
ultimate end of social life.
Third, what needs to change in any society is the inner selves of citizens from
self-love and pride of self to selflessness, love of God and neighbor and humble
following of God. The polis as a natural institution is always in need of being
redeemed from distortions and falsehoods which lead people away from the destiny
willed by God for societies. In order for this to happen, both the center of value
and meaning of citizens in the state, and the heart of the culture and worldview
operative in social, religious and political institutions must change. This will create
a community of love and friendship where the common good can be promoted,
preserved and protected so that all will draw from it as from a well pool. This is the
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kind of society and individuals who will undertake social action, advocacy, priorities
and practices driven by sound values and life-affirming and socially transformative
acts which will bring about the reign of God.
At the end of the day, culture and history are not simply accidents, they represent
in large measure the sum total of values and choices made by individuals, churches,
societies, nations, civilizations and races across time. They emerge as responses to
the context of people in their search for a sense of meaning and direction. They can
be good or bad based on how they bring healing and transformation of a particular
society in the light of the goal of temporal life here on earth. This is particularly
decisive when people are faced with crisis or uncertainty as a result of a long history
of injustice and suffering which have created in Africa this ever-revolving cycle of
poverty and social unrest and dissatisfaction. Creating a new social imaginary will
require embracing the wisdom of the city of God which does not look for quick
fixes to long-term problems, but rather seeks the development of sound values and
character in citizens which will help create sound systems and institutions. The
chaos and sadness of an earthly city without the wisdom of the city of God and
the value preference which can create a culture of love, selflessness, truth, honesty,
humility, justice, friendship, and a sense of community can be demonstrated when
we look at the present Nigerian context.
Nigeria: The Crises of Governance and Citizenship
I agree with the late African political thinker, Claude Ake, that the bane of
African development is the lack of the necessary structures for democracy and
growth. Ake argues that African countries like many other countries that went
through colonialism or that were forced into nationhood by strong-arm tactics like
former Yugoslavia are never politically integrated. According to him, a political
system is integrated to the extent that the minimal units (e.g., political actors, tribal
groups, religious groups, etc.) develop in the course of political interaction a pool
of commonly accepted norms regarding political behavior and a commitment to
the political behaviour patterns legitimized by these norms. A commitment to
these norms channels the flow of exchanges – outputs and inputs, actions and
reactions, expectations and responses – among interacting political actors. It gives
coherence and predictability to political life.9 Based on his theory, one could say
that most of the African countries were malintegrated or minimally integrated after
Independence, because the citizens did not share a common value orientation. They
were held together physically without any political culture, political socialization
9
Cf. c. Ake, A Theory of Political Integration, (Homewood: The Dorsey Press, 1967), 3-5.
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The Dialectics of the City of God and the Earthly City in Nigeria
and invariably no sense of obligation, duty, or loyalty to the political system and the
country. As a result, Ake concludes: “The problems of emancipation of the poor in
Africa are compounded by the fact that the very processes by which they participate
reinforces their disempowerment. The peasant is not politically mobilized in the
market-place of formally equal legal subjects who are negotiating their interests
and finding common ground, but through patron-client chains, leveraging parochial
identities, bribery and intimidation. In these circumstances, voting becomes a
metaphor for powerlessness and exploitation.” 10
Government is big business in Africa. “In post-colonial Africa the premium
on power is exceptionally high, and the institutional mechanisms for moderating
political competition are lacking. As a result, political competition tends to assume
the character of warfare. So absorbing is the struggle for power that everything else,
including the quest for development, is marginalized.”11 At the heart of this problem
is the nature of the post-colonial state in Africa, how it was constituted and the
inchoate bonds of the elements constituting the state. As Adebayo Olukoshi rightly
argues, there has been an erosion of the autonomy of the state in Africa and the
delegitimization of local development and social policies and practices by Western
governments, corporations, financial institutions (like the International Monetary
Fund and World Bank), and aid agencies. These have led to a lack of harmonization
between economic policies and locally driven instruments and agencies for social
renewal.12
Africa is burdened by a failed leadership and the absence of a critical historical
consciousness. This happens both for elites and ordinary Africans. The failure to
understand the bigger context of global imperialistic structures within which Africa
is enchained is perhaps the missing link in our political socialization. It has also
affected the development of sound civic culture and democratic ideals, patterns and
behaviors which should influence the ways in which citizens act towards themselves
and to the body politic. The sad reality in Nigeria today is that a corrupt and unpatriotic
elite – military, ex-military men, and their civilian and religious acolytes – has run
Nigeria’s economy aground by siphoning and mismanaging Nigeria’s oil wealth.
They have frustrated the hopes and aspirations of Nigerians through extractive and
authoritarian leadership. Nigeria, for example, lost more than 220 billion pounds of
10
11
12
c. Ake, Democracy and Development in Africa. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution, 1996,
Press, 10.
c. Ake, Democracy and Development in Africa, 16.
Cf. A. olukoshi, “Africa and the Process of ‘Underdevelopment:’ Neo-Liberal Globalization and
its Social Consequences,” in African Voices on Development and Social Justice: Editorials from
Pambazuka News, ed. Firoze Manji and Patrick Burnett (Dar es Salaam: Mkuki na Nyota, 2005),
2–4.
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her national wealth in the first 40 years after independence through the elite network
and gatekeepers who control 90% of Nigeria’s GDP. According to the London-based
Chatham House, Nigeria loses about 1.5 billion dollars every month to oil theft.
With over 70% of Nigerians suffering from grinding poverty, there is a real
frustration and anger in Nigeria today. Nigeria recently overtook India as the
country with the highest number of people living in extreme poverty in the world.
In the Commitment to Reducing Inequality (CRI) report of the Development
Finance International (DFI) Nigeria placed bottom in a ranking of 157 nations. How
Nigeria, the 6th largest oil-producing country in the world should now become the
poverty capital of the world requires greater probing. Beyond poor planning and
management of the economy; and lack of strategic visioning for projects and the
use of ethnocentric and religious motivation for citing of projects over needs and
economies of scale, Nigeria suffers from persistent failure to reorder her priorities
according to her assets, capability and needs. This is why health, agriculture,
education, social security and safety net receive less budgetary allocation, than
running the ever-ballooning cost of bureaucracy and ‘settlement’ of long chains
of redundant government and state officials. The report shows that Nigeria has the
highest number of out-of-school dropouts, has one of the lowest levels of labor rights
and is placed 152 out of 157 in the world’s measurement of human capital index
(CPI), a predictor of the level of human security based on five indicators – chances
of a child reaching age five, healthy growth, expected years of schooling, quality
learning available and the adult survival rate (life expectancy).13 Most Nigerians,
especially the poor, are suffering and dying in droves from malnutrition, violence,
and hopelessness. The future outlook of the nation is grim because rather than
create wealth and produce capital, Nigerian politicians are obsessed with wealth
distribution or the sharing of the national cake.
Analyzing the Nigerian Socio-Political Context
Many scholars have often pointed out at the difficulty in analyzing Nigeria’s
complex socio-political context. However, one can identify four significant aspects
of this complex among many which need to be understood in order to grapple with
their consequences.
First is the lack of generally accepted knowledge and belief among Nigerians
about the reason for the existence of the country. Nigeria is not a nation and has
never been. Those who preach the gospel of one Nigeria are often those who benefit
from this false contraption and its destructive and monstrous prehensile tentacles.
13
https://qz.com/africa/1421543/nigerias-poverty-crisis-is-worsening-oxfam-world-bank-data/
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The Dialectics of the City of God and the Earthly City in Nigeria
They are the ones who stash our national wealth abroad, who do their check-ups
abroad and whose children are studying outside Nigeria.
Second, Nigeria is not a nation because she has no common identity and
common national interest around which we can build a common national agenda
and a clear path for national integration, development, peace, and prosperity in a
healthy and pluralistic environment. This is the kind of structure which guarantees a
generally accepted and actionable citizen’s rights. This way, all Nigerians can have
equal access to social mobility and the good things of life in any part of Nigeria.
The sad reality, however, is that everything in Nigeria is seen through tribal,
religious, regional and class lenses. Thus, analyzing the dynamics of power relations
along these lines is an important task so that people can clearly see the winners and
losers in these power games – and we know that the poor and ordinary Nigerians
are the ones who are losing out while a thin top layer of the populace are reaping
the benefit of this lack of national agenda and national cohesion. Nigerians need to
understand that the balkanization of our nation into these small cultural, political
and religious silos is destroying the common good especially that of the majority of
our citizens who are suffering from these artificial social constructs and camps. The
present political structure cannot sustain a better and brighter future for Nigerians.
Third, Nigeria has no regnant national value, which transcends these miniaturized
conceptions of identity – ethnic, religious, class and regional. Like Augustine
teaches the earthly city is defined by the kind of values which it promotes – love of
self to the forgetfulness of God and neighbors. The ideal pursued by most Nigerians
are driven by selfishness, greed, pride and what Augustine calls ‘libido dominando’
(the desire to dominate and occupy spaces by hook or crook and also increasing
by violence – Nigeria has seen the one of the most deadly wars in modern African
history, and bloody ethnic conflicts, civil unrest, religious persecution, kidnapping
and other forms of violence perpetrated by Boko Haram, Fulani herdsmen and tribal
militias).
A common national value is the only engine which can drive a national
renaissance for national growth and development and the flourishing of the talents
of our richly endowed citizens. What we have in Nigeria is a dysfunctional value
system which celebrates mediocrity as long as it benefits me or my reference group;
and which celebrates hypocrisy and deceit as long as it promotes the culture of
extraction of the resources of the land to be parceled out to one’s prebendal peons. A
national character can only be built on a sound values template. There is the need
for a commonly agreed moral compass about what is right and wrong. This can help
us navigate the tempestuous terrain which we must traverse as a nation if we will
ever get to the beautiful shores of abundance and the good life for the majority of
our people. The unfortunate thing is that in our national and local politics as well
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as in our social interaction even in religious organizations, we have come to idolize
money and materialism over character and wisdom. We have come to celebrate
the building of physical structures even with sordid money over the building of
character, competence, and a good name. This is why academicians, teachers,
healthcare workers, innovators, artists and many other professionals who are the
architects of tomorrow are wallowing in inexcusable poverty in Nigeria. This is why
our hard-working women are reduced to destitution and to praise-singing for corrupt
and inefficient politicians in order for them to get a bag of rice and a tin of oil to
feed their hungry children and spouses. This is also why some powerful religious,
business and political leaders would seek sexual favors from our young girls and
women before they could get a job or any access to the ladder of social mobility.
Nations, like individuals, stand and fall on the basis of the values which govern
choices and decisions of citizens and leaders across the board. In that light, the ugly
face of Nigeria can only be seen clearly by looking at our failed value system across
the board. This goes beyond any single individual because we all as Nigerians
have been tainted by or socialized into this prurient ethical climate. This explains
our bribery and corruption, constant fighting and contestation in small and larger
units of association; our toxic social interaction and unethical business practices.
It also explains why we often do not trust each other and thus treat each other with
suspicion. It is the cause of the dishonesty and inauthenticity which govern a lot
of our social interactions; and the laziness and ineptitude of our public and private
officials among other sad realities which reflect our destructive value system. Until
there are consequences for bad behaviors in this country, and until we call the demon
by its name rather than excuse or rationalize it away, there will be no exit route
Fourthly, are false religious claims and false religious consciousness. Nigeria
is said to be a religious nation but what values, moral and spiritual traditions have
developed from our so-called religiosity in Nigeria? Many religious leaders in
Nigeria abuse their religious authority and blaspheme the name of God through their
greed and false religious claims. They are feeding the people with religious poison
rather than food for the soul or hope to strengthen them to become agents in their
own history and champions of change in the land. Some of our religious leaders have
become compromisers in many instances and a few of them have become openly
partisan, taking side with one party or another based on the highest bidder. One
wonders why a bishop with all the members of his diocesan curia (24 priests) would
leave his work of shepherding his flock to spend precious time in the state house
with the sole mission of coming to congratulate a governor for winning an election!
One wonders why our priests, bishops, religious and religious institutions are
flocking to state houses caps in hand begging for money from government officials
and why they think it is consistent with the Gospel for them to receive monetary
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The Dialectics of the City of God and the Earthly City in Nigeria
gifts and SUVs from government officials. Most poor people in our country see the
Church as part of the system of power and privilege which is holding them in an
unbreakable yoke of poverty and suffering. These are just a few of the examples of
the glaring failure in our Church today to stand on the side of the poor, powerless
and marginalized of our society who are still hanging on the Cross.
It is not surprising that the two institutions which are flourishing in Nigeria
today are politics and religion; they are the two games in town. The interests of
religious leaders and politicians should never intersect except when they work
together for the common good, especially to protect the rights and welfare of the
most vulnerable members of society. The lesson of history should remind us all as
church leaders, clerics and religious that the lowest point of the Church’s history has
always been when she compromised the Gospel in the search for power or wealth
– the Great Schism, the Reformation, the French Revolution, the Napoleonic Wars,
the Italian Revolution, the kulturkampf in Germany, the Trans-Atlantic slave trade
among many others instances. A better future for our country can only be realized
when there is a healthy distance between religious and political leaders. This way,
the religious leaders can call Nigerian politicians forth from darkness into the light.
Religious leaders in Nigeria must swim against this dangerous current of corruption
and materialism and become sentinels of justice, while fighting for the poor, for
good government, and for the common men and women in our country who are
hurting in this harsh wind of poverty and exploitation by the political class.
Concluding Theological Reflection
I would like to conclude with some thoughts from Pope Francis. First, African
theologians must live on the frontiers. Pope Francis has called for a renewal of
Catholic theology by locating the center of Catholic theology at the frontiers that is
in the pastoral life and public square which is the laboratory of theology rather than
in libraries. Writing in a letter to the Chancellor of the Pontifical Catholic University
of Argentina in 2015, Pope Francis said that to do theology is ‘to live on a frontier’,
and that ‘every good theologian, like good shepherds, has the odor of the people and
of the street.’ As a result, he proposed that theologians by their reflection, can develop
reflective practices which ‘pour oil and wine onto the wounds of humanity.’14
Second, political theology in Africa must see the role of theology within the
overall mission of the Church which Pope Francis calls a field hospital. According
to Pope Francis, “Theology is an expression of a Church which is a ‘field hospital
14
PoPe frANcis, A Letter to the Theological Faculty of The Pontifical University of Argentina, March
3, 2015.
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stAN chu ilo
which lives her mission of salvation and healing in the world.” He rejects any form
of reflection which he calls ‘desktop theology’ which is comfortable with settled
answers, and afraid to meet headlong the big questions and new complexities of our
times. Being in the field, means that theologians of Africa must be prepared to be
wounded themselves and must be open to touching the wounds of their brothers and
sisters and to die with and for the people for the sake of God. In the speech referred
to above, he points out that theology should be done by “people immersed in the
broadest theological community possible, of which they feel they are truly part,
connected by bonds of solidarity and also of authentic friendship.”
Finally, the most effective way through which political theology in Africa could
become effective in the wider African society of today is to the extent to which it
emerges from, reflects and models the face of truly transformative African Christian
communities. Such communities are not simply advocating for a better world and
a new Africa, but are examples of such a new community in the way they celebrate
diversity, reach out to the poor, and bring healing to the sick. It is a community
which displays authentic Christian witnessing through sound social ethics, whose
members are reconciled among themselves and are at peace with each other and
with God. We need to see in our churches today a people who yield to one another in
a spirit of service, love, respect, and humility and who mutually honor and advance
the good of everyone. In such a community of solidarity, and sharing, people are
driven by true faith which does good works in gladly bearing with the burdens of one
another. African political theologians should not only look for such alternate sites
of faith and action, but must help create such faith communities where the healing
balm of Gilead will salve the festering wounds of this beautiful continent.
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EJ 13 (2019) 67-90
TRANSLATIONS OF “OUR LORD’S PRAYER”
IN AFRICAN LANGUAGES:
ISSUES OF INCULTURATION
frANcis ANekwe oborJi
Preliminary Considerations
In support of French Bishops’ Conference retranslation of the Latin phrase
of the Lord’s Prayer, ne nos inducas in tentationem (lead us not into temptation),
which now reads, “ne nous laisse pas succomber à la tentation” (do no not let us
succumb to temptation), Pope Francis made an important observation concerning
this last phrase in the Lord’s Prayer. That is, “… lead us not into temptation, but
deliver us from evil.” According to the Pope, this last phrase in the Lord’s Prayer is
poorly, translated in most of the Western Latin languages such as English, French,
Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, etc. For this reason, the Pope asked that the
last phrase in the Lord’s Prayer (lead us not into temptation …), be retranslated
in those Latin languages and others to reflect the original text and meaning of the
‘Lord’s Prayer.’
Since Patristic era, the Church had preserved the Sacred Scripture in Greek,
which was the first language, the Bible (New Testament, in particular), was
translated into from the original Aramaic Text.1 The Greek Text of the Lord’s
Prayer phrase, “lead us not into temptation”, according to experts, reads as
follows: “Kài mé eisenénkes kemas eis periasmõn.” This, according to experts,
loosely translates as follows: “Do not allow ‘temptations’, or ‘trials’, prevail
over us.” In fact, some scholars from the Middle East of the Aramaic tradition
and language group are beginning to say that the new French retranslation is
closer to the original text in Aramaic than the Greek translation. However, I do
not know about this.2
In any case, in France, the newly retranslated version of the Lord’s Prayer,
which the Bishops’ Conference had long approved, became effective in all the
1
2
Of course, Hebrew language was the original language of the Old Testament Bible. However, since
Aramaic was the official language in the Middle East at the time of Jesus and the Apostles, the New
Testament came to be written first, in Aramaic, and later translated into Greek, which was then the
lingua franca of that part of the Roman Empire.
Cf. P.-M. gy, The Reception of Vatican II Liturgical Reforms in the Life of the Church, (The Père
Marquette Lecture in Theology 2003), Marquette University Press, Milwaukee, WI, 2003, 42ff.
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churches in that country from First Sunday of Advent in December 2017. In some
other countries, however, e.g., in Germany, the Bishops there said that for historical,
theological and philosophical reasons, among others, the German translation
remains as it is.
Pope Francis in requesting other language groups to look into the possible of
revisiting the translation of the last phrase of the Lord’s Prayer in their various
languages, makes the following observations. According to him, in its present form
the last phrase in the Lord’s Prayer gives impression that it is God himself, who
leads us into temptation (sin). But that is wrong, because, God does not lead human
beings into temptation, but rather delivers us from it.
Here, a question naturally suggests itself: Do we have the same problem of
poor translation of the last phrase of the Lord’s Prayer, which according to the Pope
exist in translations in Western Latin languages, in our African local languages?
Digging into this problem is our task in the present article. We shall discuss all these
as issues of inculturation since they all border on the question of translation of the
Bible (“The Lord’s Prayer”) and Liturgical Texts into local languages. Although, I
have had occasions in the past to share my opinion on this matter in a small scale,
however, there is need to expatiate on it. This will help us to answer the question:
Are African language translations and interpretations of the Lord’s Prayer and
Liturgical Expressions, closer to the original texts of the Sacred Books and Texts
than the translations in Western Latin languages!
Before we proceed, however, the following facts about “Our Lord’s Prayer”
need to be noted: First, we must note that this is a prayer, which Jesus taught his
disciples to pray. Both Matthew (6:9-15) and Luke (11:1-14) are clear about that.
Matthew sets the whole Sermon on the Mount in the context of the disciples (Mt.
5:1); and Luke tells us that Jesus taught his prayer in response to the request of one
of his disciples (Lk. 11:1).
This is understandable when we remember that in the Biblical world, it was
the regular custom for a Rabbi to teach his disciples a simple prayer which they
might habitually use. John the Baptist had done that for his disciples, and now Jesus’
disciples came asking him to the do same for them. Luke’s version of the Lord’s
Prayer is shorter than Matthew’s, but they both teach us all we need to know about
how to pray and what to pray for.
Therefore, the Lord’s Prayer is a prayer which only a disciple can pray; it is a
prayer which only one who is committed to Jesus Christ can take upon his lips with
any meaning. Commenting on this, William Barclay makes the following remarks:
“The Lord’s Prayer is not a child’s prayer, as it is often regarded; it is, in fact, not
meaningful for a child. The Lord’s Prayer is not the Family Prayer as it is sometimes
called, unless by the word family we mean the family of the Church. The Lord’s
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Translations of “Our Lord’s Prayer” in African Languages
Prayer is specifically and definitely stated to be the disciple’s prayer; and only on the
lips of a disciple has a prayer its full meaning.”3
This implies that the Lord’s Prayer can only really be prayed when one who
prays it knows what he is saying, and he cannot know that until he has entered into
discipleship. Moreover, we must note the order of the petitions in the Lord’s Prayer.
The first three petitions have to do with God and with the glory of God; the second
three petitions have to do with our needs and our necessities.
That is to say, God is first given his supreme place, and then, and only then, we
turn to ourselves and our needs and desires. It is only when God is given his proper
place that all other things fall into their proper places. Prayer must never be an
attempt to bend the will of God to our desires; prayer ought always to be an attempt
to submit our wills to the will of God.
The second part of the prayer, the part, which deals with our needs and our
necessities, is a marvelously wrought unity. It deals with the three essential needs of
man, and the three spheres of time within which man moves. First, it asks for bread,
for that which is necessary for the maintenance of life, and thereby brings the needs
of the present to the throne of God. Second, it asks for forgiveness and thereby brings
the past into the presence of God. Third, it asks, for help in temptation and thereby
commits all the future into the hands of God. In these three brief petitions, we are
taught to lay the present, the past, and the future before the footstool of the grace of
God.
However, the Lord’s Prayer is not only a prayer which brings the whole of life
to the presence of God; it is a prayer which brings the whole of God to our lives.
When we ask for bread to sustain our earthly lives, that request immediately directs
our thoughts to God the Father, the Creator and the Sustainer of all life. When we
ask for forgiveness, that request immediately directs our thoughts to God the Son,
Jesus Christ our Savior and Redeemer. When we ask for help for future temptation,
that request immediately directs our thoughts to God the Holy Spirit, the Comforter,
the Strengthener, the Illuminator, the Guide and the Guardian of our way.
In the most amazing way, this brief second part of the Lord’s Prayer takes the
present, the past, and the future, the whole of man’s life, and presents them to God
the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, to God in all his fullness. In the
Lord’s Prayer, Jesus teaches us to bring the whole of life to the whole of God, and
to bring the whole of God to the whole of life.4
3
4
w. bArclAy, The Daily Study Bible: The Gospel of Matthew, Vol. 1, (Revised Edition), The Saint
Andrew Press, Edinburgh 1975, 199.
w. bArclAy, The Daily Study Bible: The Gospel of Matthew, Vol. 1, 200.
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From a Contextualized Point-of-view
Taking Igbo as a case-study in this matter, it is likely that the Igbo version
of the Lord’s Prayer may not have the same problem of wrong translation and
misrepresentation, Pope Francis has pointed out that this exists in some of the
Western Latin languages’ versions of the Lord’s Prayer. Authors who worked on the
‘Lord’s Prayer’ in the Western Latin languages might have taken their translations
from the Latin Vulgate (original Latin version of the Bible), instead of the earlier
texts in Aramaic language of the New Testament. We should not forget that the Latin
Vulgate of the Bible was translated from the earlier texts of the New Testament in
Greek. And of course, the Church from the earliest time, decided to preserve the
Bible in Greek language.
Thus, the last phrase of the Lord’s Prayer under contention goes like this in
its Latin version: “… et ne nos inducas in tentationem; sed libera nos a malo.”
In Italian, it is translated thus: “… e non ci indurre in tentazione, ma liberaci dal
male.” In English, it goes thus: “… and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us
from evil.”
The wrong translation from Latin of this last phrase of Lord’s Prayer in Western
languages is more evident in German version of the Prayer, which goes thus: “…
Und führe uns nicht in Versuchung, sondern erlöse uns von dem Bösen.” In this
case, the expression, ‘… and lead us not into temptation’, is emphasized with strong
terms in German version with the words “…führe uns nicht in Versuchung”, which
literally, could mean, ‘do not hurry us (early) into temptation.’
It is like asking that God delays, somehow, hurrying human beings into sin.
The German version does not only make God a predicate of human sin but also the
cause of it.
The French version of the Lord’s Prayer was recently retranslated, thanks
to the Pope’s observations, and it came into effect from First Sunday of Advent
(December 3, 2017). The retranslated French version goes thus: “… ne nous laisse
pas succomber à la tentation” (which literally, means: ‘don’t allow us to succumb
(fall) into temptation’).
In general, apart from the newly retranslated French version, all other translations
of our Lord’s Prayer in Western Latin languages give the wrong impression that it
is God himself, who leads us into temptations (sins). This is the wrong translation
and interpretation which the Holy Father, Pope Francis asked should be revisited
and corrected, because God does not lead human beings into temptation but rather
protects and saves us from it.
All these could mean that existing translations of our Lord’s Prayer in African
languages are more correct, and perhaps closer to the original Aramaic and
Greek Texts of the New Testament Bible than translations in the Western Latin
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Translations of “Our Lord’s Prayer” in African Languages
languages under consideration. For example, the Igbo translation goes thus, “…
ekwene ka anyi kwenye (dabanye) na nlonye (onwunwa), ma zoputa anyi na ajo
ihe.” In other words, while the Latin language translations accuse God as the one
that leads (induces) us into temptation, the Igbo translation does not, but rather
accuses man himself as being responsible for his temptations, and requests God’s
grace and protection from them. However, as we continue to wait and expect further
theological and biblical exegetical studies on this topic, one thing remains certain.
Our pioneer missionaries and first-generation African priests, teachers, catechists,
other indigenous scholars and experts on African Christianity and culture, who
worked on these local translations of the Lord’s Prayer in our land, bequeathed
us with solid and proud African Christian tradition. They left us with authentic
translations in our local African languages of not only the Lord’s Prayer, but also
of most of other traditional Christian prayer books, catechism, popular Christian
hymns, and forms of worship.
However, if today we are beneficiaries of the good work and sacrifices of our
forbears in the Christian faith in our land, the question now is, ‘can the present
generation of Christians – church leaders, priests, pastors, theologians and other
scholars alike, in Africa in general and Nigeria in particular, live up to the challenges
confronting the local church today in our land?’
For instance, have our local church leaders, priests, pastors, theologians and
other Christian scholars of various linguistic groups in Nigeria, ever confronted
themselves, in the light of our new reality, with the question of translating the basic
texts of our faith (in addition to the Bible translations), into our local languages? If
yes, what are the concrete steps taken so far and structures in place towards their
realization! Do we see such a project and venture as priority; or do we just mention
it at our meetings, for the sake of sounding politically, correct?
Take the Catholic Church in Nigeria for example. Have the Catholic theologians
and scholars in Nigeria been confronted by the local church authority, charged
under trust and support, with the responsibility of translating into our different
local languages, the basic texts of the Vatican Council II, Catechism of the Catholic
Church, 1983 Code of Canon Law, Breviary, Sacramentary, and the new Roman
Missal.
By now, we are supposed to be using local translations of these basic texts
of our faith in our places of worship, teaching in schools, seminaries, universities,
other institutions, and in private and public discourse in Nigeria. Nigeria ranks as
number one country in Africa with the highest number of trained and educated
Christian leaders, priests, pastors and theologians with specializations in various
fields of ecclesiastical studies. The question is: how is the local church making use
of these talents in our midst today? This is the crux of the matter!
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The Translation of “Adveniat regnum tuum” (Thy Kingdom Come)
A further analysis of Igbo translation of the Lord’s Prayer will make us
appreciate the work done by missionaries. This is evident in the Igbo translation of
the phrase “Adveniat regnum tuum” (Thy Kingdom Come) (Mt. 6:10).
However, before this phrase of the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy Kingdom Come” was
translated into Igbo, there was a very long debate, which was necessary, among
members of the translation commission. The Igbo Translation Commission of the
Lord’s Prayer had then a very long debate before they settled with what we have
today – “Ka ochichi Gi bia” (Thy Kingdom Come).
In fact, a friend of mine, a Nigerian Holy Ghost priest, the current Vice Superior
General of the Holy Ghost Congregation in Rome, Fr. Bede Ukwuije, CSSp.,
recently told me a story of his visit to Fr. Gogan C.S.Sp. at the Spiritan Fathers’
Elderly Priests Home in Dublin, Ireland, some years ago. That was before Fr. Gogan
died shortly after. Fr. Gogan was a missionary in Igboland for many years and was
a member of the commission that worked on Igbo translations of the Lord’s Prayer,
among others.
According to Fr. Ukwuije, Fr. Gogan recounted to him of the long reflections
they (Igbo Language Translation Commission) had before translating the Lord’s
Prayer phrase, “Adveniat regnum tuum” (Thy Kingdom Come) into “Ka ochichi Gi
bia”, instead of “Ka alaeze Gi bia.” Because “Ochichi” is dynamic reign instead of
static sense of the “kingdom” (alaeze).”
The Igbo translation of “Thy Kingdom Come” into “Ka ochichi Gi bia” is ad
rem and very impressive. Had it been that the commission had adopted the other
suggestion, that is, “Ka alaeze Gi bia”, that would give the impression of equating
and comparing God’s reign inaugurated in Jesus Christ with the earthly monarchical
and feudal kingdoms, all the trappings such worldly kingdoms and reigns embody.
But the Igbo translation of “Thy Kingdom Come” into “Ka ochichi Gi bia” is the
most appropriate, one that is very close to the Biblical meaning of that phrase of the
Lord’s Prayer.
In the first place, the phrase “The Kingdom of God” is characteristic of the whole
New Testament. No phrase is used oftener in prayer and in preaching and in Christian
literature. It is, therefore, of primary importance that we should be clear as to what it
means so as to appreciate the Igbo translation of that phrase in the Lord’s Prayer.
The first point to note is the fact of the centrality of the Kingdom in the message
of Jesus. The first emergence of Jesus on the scene of history was when he came
into Galilee preaching the good news of the Kingdom of God (Mk. 1:14). Jesus
himself described the preaching of the Kingdom as an obligation laid upon him: “I
must preach the good news of the Kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was
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Translations of “Our Lord’s Prayer” in African Languages
sent for this purpose” (Lk. 4:43; Mk. 1:38). Luke’s description of Jesus’ activity is
that he went through every city and village preaching and showing the good news
of the Kingdom of God (Lk. 8:1). Clearly, the meaning of the Kingdom of God is
something, which we are bound to try to understand.
In fact, the more one tries to understand the meaning of this phrase, the more
one meets certain puzzling facts. For instance, as we tried to show earlier, we find
that Jesus spoke of the Kingdom in three different ways. He spoke of the Kingdom
in the past. He said that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and all the prophets were in
the Kingdom (Lk. 13:28; Mt. 8:11). In this sense, the Kingdom goes far back into
history.
Furthermore, Jesus spoke of the Kingdom as present. “The Kingdom of God,”
he said, “is in the midst of you” (Lk. 17:21). The Kingdom of God is therefore a
present reality here and now. He spoke of the Kingdom of God as future, for he
taught his disciples to pray for the coming of the Kingdom in this his own prayer.
The question therefore, is, ‘how then can the Kingdom be past, present and future
all at the same time?’ How can the Kingdom be at one and the same time something
which existed, which exists, and for whose coming it is our duty to pray? In other
words, the Kingdom Jesus preached and taught in the Lord’s Prayer is dynamic and not
static. It is the dynamic reign of God, yesterday, today and tomorrow, in eternity. This
is the key to understanding the meaning of this double petition of the Lord’s Prayer.
One of the commonest characteristics of Hebrew style is what is technically,
known as parallelism. The Hebrew tended to say everything twice. He said it in
one way, and then he said in another way, which repeated or amplified or explained
the first way. Almost any verse of the Psalms divides in two in the middle; and the
second half repeats, or amplifies or explains the first half. Here some few examples
may suffice: “God is our refuge and strength – a very present help in trouble” (Ps.
46:1). “The Lord of Hosts is with us – the God of Jacob is our refuge” (Ps. 46:
7). “The Lord is my shepherd – I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green
pastures – He leads me beside still waters” (Ps. 23:1-2).
If one applies this principle to these two petitions of the Lord’s Prayer – “Thy
Kingdom come – Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Mt. 6:10), then we
have the perfect definition of the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is a society
upon earth where God’s will is as perfectly done as it is in heaven. Here we have
the explanation of how the Kingdom can be past, present and future all at the one
time. Anyone, who at any time in history perfectly did God’s will was within the
Kingdom; anyone who perfectly does God’s will is within the Kingdom; but since
the world is very far from being a place where God’s will is perfectly done and
universally done, the consummation of the Kingdom is still in the future and is still
something for which we must pray.
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frANcis ANekwe oborJi
In other words, to be in the Kingdom is to obey the will of God. Immediately
we see that the Kingdom is not something which primarily has to do with nations
and peoples and countries. It is something which has to do with each one of us. The
Kingdom is in fact the most personal thing in the world. It is the reign of God in
human hearts, in the heart of each and every man and women on earth. The Kingdom
demands the submission of my will, my heart, my life. It is only when each one of us
makes his personal decision and submission that the Kingdom comes.5
Pope Francis at the General Audience on Ash Wednesday, March 6, 2019 at the
Vatican, on his catechesis on the Lord’s Prayer “Our Father” phrase “Thy Kingdom
Come”, explains better the meaning of this phrase. In the words of the Pope:
This petition for the coming of God’s Kingdom is offered frequently and
urgently. Jesus has come, and there are multiple signs of the Kingdom, yet the world
is till marked by sin and hearts of many remain closed, which compels us to implore
the Lord: “your kingdom come.6
Going further, Pope Francis emphasizes the dynamic character imbedded in
the meaning of the phrase “Thy Kingdom Come.” According to him, sometimes we
ask, why does it (the kingdom) emerge slowly? Because it has to follow the rhythm
of God, not man’s. God is not like us; God is patient. “He wants to establish his
Kingdom not with violence but with gentleness, for it is like a grain of mustard seed,
which, though tiny, grows into a mighty tree. The Lord always surprises us! We see
this as the night of Good Friday gives way to the dawn of Resurrection, which fills
the whole world with hope. “Thy Kingdom come!”7
The Translation of ‘Et cum spiritu tuo’ in African Languages
Few years back, before his resignation, Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI,
introduced some retranslation of certain expressions in the “commons (Order) of
the Holy Mass. Of particular importance here is the change in the words commonly
used by the assembly in responding to the priest’s invitation at liturgical celebrations,
which now has been corrected and retranslated in some Western Latin languages,
like English. For example, before, in the English translation of the Order of Mass,
when the priest says to the people (assembly), ‘The Lord be with you’; the people
would respond, ‘And also with you.’ However, with the new retranslation introduced
by Benedict XVI, when the priest says, ‘The Lord be with you’; the people will now
respond: ‘And with your spirit.’
5
6
7
Cf. w. bArclAy, The Daily Study Bible: The Gospel of Matthew, Vol. 1, 212.
PoPe frANcis, “Catechesis on the Lord’s Prayer, “Our Father”, at the General Audience on Ash
Wednesday, March 6, 2019: Vatican News: www.vaticannews.va (assessed April 17, 2019).
Ibid.
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Translations of “Our Lord’s Prayer” in African Languages
The new directive from Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, that we should use the
expression “And with your spirit’, instead of ‘And also with you’), is closer to the
original Latin text of the Roman Missal, which has, ‘Et cum spiritu tuo’ (And with
your spirit). Some Western languages like German, Spanish, Italian, etc. do not have
problem with these new changes introduced by Benedict XVI, because they have
correct translations from the beginning from the original text in Latin. However,
English translation which used to have, ‘And also with you’, has been adjusted and
corrected to read now, “And with your spirit”, in conformity with the original Latin
text of the Roman Missal.
However, in the African case, most of the translations in our local languages
of ‘Et cum spiritu tuo’, have the same problem as the English and are yet to be
retranslated and corrected. For instance, the existing Igbo translation followed the
English pattern of the old, ‘And also with you.’ In Igbo Mass, when the priest says,
‘Onye nwe anyi nonyere unu’ (The Lord be with you), the people would respond,
‘Nonyere kwa gi” (And also with you).8
Translating the Latin, ‘Et cum spiritu tuo’, into Igbo, we would have, ‘Nonyere
kwa mmuo gi’ (And with your spirit). But this is not going to be easy in the Igbo
context, because of Igbo worldview and concepts of spirits and the Spirit. Thus,
thorough theological investigations, to be followed by catechesis on Christian
theology on the Spirit (Pneumatology) in the Igbo local church, is needed, should
the phrase, ‘Et cum spiritu tuo’, be translated as, ‘Nonyere kwa mmuo gi’ (And with
your spirit). In other words, before allowing the use of the translation, ‘Nonyere kwa
mmuo gi’, in our local church during the Mass, the people need to be catechized first
on the novelty of Christian teaching on the Spirit. This is very necessary if we do not
want to put the local people, not yet versed in Christian theology and doctrine into
crisis of faith and spirituality.
This last point is very necessary since majority of our local Christians are coming
from the background of our African Traditional Religion (ATR), where spirits are
believed to loom large, and distinction is hardly made between the world of man
and the spirit-world.9 Moreover, the word ‘spirit’ among the Igbo, for instance, is a
kind of conventional term applicable to any of the spiritual being or deities, in their
various functions and hierarchy.10
8
9
10
Cf. The Catholic Bishops of East Central State, Nigeria, Usoro Emume Nke Missa (The Order of
Mass – Ordo Missae), 1973.
Cf. F.A. oborJi, Trends in African Theology Since Vatican II: A Missiological Orientation, second
edition, Leberit Press, Rome 2005, 136-138.
Cf. F.A. oborJi, Towards a Christian Theology of African Religion: Issues of Interpretation and
Mission, AMECEA Gaba Publications, Eldoret, Kenya 2005, chapter 2.
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frANcis ANekwe oborJi
Among the Igbo, there is the Supreme Being (Chukwu), a multitude of lesser
divinities and spirits, the ancestral spirits and evil spirits. Chukwu who is Chineke
(Creator God), is the maker of heaven and earth, he sends the rain and makes the
crop grow. Above all, he is the source of life and the source too from which human
beings derive their Chi (accompanying spirit, destiny or selfhood).11
But Chukwu is also conceptualized among the Igbo as a metaphysical
personality, almost oriental in character. He is a distant Being of vague personality
and sacrifices are seldom offered to him directly. Though, he can be invoked directly
through prayers. This accounts for the reasons for the presence of lesser spirits and
deities in the Igbo worldview. Chukwu has left affairs of people’s daily life to his
subordinates (deities, ancestors and other spirits). He is nevertheless a good God,
so good that he does not hurt anyone. As Francis Arinze observes, the Igbo offer
sacrifice to God (Chukwu) often through the spirits. Though, Chukwu is often
invoked first, even in sacrifices to the spirits and the ancestors. The Igbo invariably
invoke God in the beginning.12
Subordinate to Chukwu, there are many spirits – good and evil. At the head of
bad ones is Ekwenzu or akalogeli (the devil). This great evil spirit’s work on earth
consists in causing misfortunes, sickness of different kinds and premature deaths to
people. At times, it appears visibly and then it is a sad omen to anyone who see it.
There are many spirits of this kind.13
Nevertheless, the good spirits are also many. Among these good spirits, is
Ikenga – the first household spirit sought by a young man or woman at the beginning
of his or her career for protection and success in life. There is the Ala or Ana (land
spirit), which is another prominent deity and is regarded as the queen of the earth
and the custodian of human morality. There are also deities named after the four
days that make up the Igbo week (Izu). These are Eke, Orie, Afo and Nkwo. There
are many other deities (spirits), which are particular to certain villages. Each of the
above has its own special function in the families, individuals and in the village at
large.
Thus, most of these good spirits have shrines dedicated to them and various
kinds of sacrifices are offered to them in atonement, in propitiating them or in asking
11
12
13
The word Chi is at times, used to denote the Supreme Being and at times this accompanying
spirit. The commonest use however is in the later sense. It is important also to note that for the
Igbo the word Chi does not mean “soul” (or human spirit). Some have translated it as “destiny”,
£selfhood”; (cf. Synod of Bishops, Special Assembly for Africa, Instrumentum Laboris, Libreria
Editrice Vaticana, Vatican City 1993, 105.
Cf. F.A. AriNze, Sacrifice in Ibo Religion, University Press, Ibadan 1970, 49.
Cf. S.N. ezeANyA, The Method of Adaptation in the Evangelization of the Igbo-speaking People of
Southern Nigeria (unpublished Doctoral thesis), Pontifical Urbaniana University, Rome 1956, 26.
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Translations of “Our Lord’s Prayer” in African Languages
favours. People salute, bow, genuflect and prostrate as the case may be, on passing
nearby these shrines. However, it is necessary to emphasize here that the Igbo does
not bow down to wood and stone. He bows down to the indwelling spirit only and
therefore troubles little about the outer husk. No Igbo would for a moment have
credited a material thing with spiritual power; it could be never be more than a
receptacle for a spirit which worked through it.
In addition to these spirits, the Igbo believe that every human being has a genius
or spiritual double known as Chi, which is associated with the individual from the
moment of conception, to which his or her abilities, faults, and good or bad fortunes
are ascribed,14 and into whose care is entrusted the fulfilment of the destiny which
Chukwu has prescribed.15
All these mean that translating the Latin expression, ‘Et cum spiritu tuo’, into
Igbo as ‘Nonyere kwa mmuo gi’, there is need for a deeper catechesis and teaching
of the novelty of Christian Pneumatology to the local Igbo Christians. Otherwise,
the new translation may create more problem than it could solve in the spiritual
psychic and worldview of the Igbo.
Thus, the new change in the translation of the Order of Mass introduced by
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI affects not just the grammatical structure of the
phrase under consideration but also its content and form. This, as we have seen, has
enormous consequences for translation of the liturgical text in an African language
such as the Igbo.
Again, in the Igbo context, we are not only confronted with the old phrase,
“And also with you.” The new phrase itself, “And with your spirit”, rocks the
entire perception of the traditional spiritual worldview of the Igbo. This is one
of the most challenging aspects of inculturation of Christian theology, which
came to us in Africa in its Western form and thought-pattern. In it, we meet the
divergences as well as the convergences of African worldview and philosophy
with the Western thought-pattern and philosophy through which Christian faith
was brought to us.
If the old phrase in the Order of the Mass, ‘And also with you’, addresses the
individuality of the human person as indivisible whole (body and spirit), which is
in line with African philosophy and anthropology, the new phrase, ‘And with your
spirit’, emphasizes the individuality itself of the human spirit, which, in traditional
scholastic Christian theology, is the indwelling place of God, the Trinity in human
14
15
Cf. E.E. uzukwu, “Igbo World and Ultimate Reality and Meaning”, in: Lucerna (Bigard Theological
Studies), 4(1983)1, 20.
Cf. S.N. ezeANyA, “God, Spirits and the Spirit World”, in: K.A. Dickson and P. Ellingworth (eds),
Biblical Revelation and African Beliefs, Orbis Books, Maryknoll, New York 1969, 35.
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frANcis ANekwe oborJi
person. It is in the human spirit that God works first in a person in order to transform
the entire being of the individual in question from within, in rendering praise and
thanks to God Almighty within the worshipping community and the world.
Here we meet the novelty of the Christian faith, which is very important to the
African thought-pattern and religious worldview and for authentic inculturation of
the Christian faith in the continent. This is the most challenging aspect of the new
change in Roman Missal introduced by Pope Benedict XVI. It has implications for
the inculturation of the Roman Missal in Africa through its translations into local
African languages.
Again, in the Igbo worldview, which we tried to analyze above, the concept
of Chi (accompanying spirit), is a better concept that could be used in introducing
the Igbo to the Christian mystery and teaching of the indwelling Spirit of God in
the heart and soul of the individual.16 Thus, if the ‘Et cum spiritu tuo’ in Latin is
translated into Igbo as ‘Nonyere kwa mmuo gi (Chi = spirit)’, the Christian who uses
that expression ‘mmuo gi’ (your spirit (Chi), will know that what is being referred to
is the indwelling spirit of God in him and not any other type of spirit or Chi.
In other words, the Igbo word, Chi (as spirit), in the new dispensation, assumes
a new significant on the account of novelty of Christian faith. It is now not just Chi
(as in the traditional religious spiritual worldview), but the indwelling spirit of God
in man which we acquired as a free-gift (grace) of God through the Paschal-Event
of Jesus Christ and his gift of the Holy Spirit. This is because for the Igbo, Chi
represents the individuality of the human spirit, which is the indwelling or rather
operative human spirit of the individual.
It is now many years since Pope Benedict XVI introduced the new change in the
Order of Mass. But up till now, not much debate is going on in our local Church –
among theologians and scholars of different linguistic groups on how to effect these
changes of translation of the liturgical text in our local languages. Although, there is a
text of the translation in Igbo of the affected phrase already in circulation. However,
one should have thought that enough awareness and catechesis should have preceded
16
However, this is without prejudice to what is in circulation for over a year now, as the approved
new Igbo translation of the Pope Benedict XVI’s instruction for the translation of the Latin phrase
in the Ordo Missae, ‘Et cum spiritu tuo’, into Igbo language. Whichever is the case, what is needed
is a thorough catechesis to the faithful on the novelty of Christian Pneumatology – the Spirit, so
as to protect the local Christians from confusion and syncretism. Again, the emphasis is on the
novelty of Christian theology and understanding of the Spirit – Pneumatology. This is why the
local church should be careful not to hurry over the use of any of the suggested translations of
‘Et cum spiritu tuo’ into Igbo language, without first of all, engaging the Igbo local faithful with
thorough catechesis on the Christian significance of the “Spirit” in relation to Igbo worldview and
Ultimate reality and meaning.
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Translations of “Our Lord’s Prayer” in African Languages
such a rush. Moreover, before putting up such a translation for public use and approval
by the Episcopal Conference of Igbo-speaking areas, one should have been expected
a wider consultation since it is a community project meant to serve for posterity. Deep
studies and research among experts of different fields in theological studies, African
culture and linguistics, is needed to produce something we all shall be proud to call our
own, and bequeath to future generations for posterity and permanence of the Gospel of
Jesus Christ in Igboland. This is to help the local church not push out to the public in
a hurry, a half-hazard translation of sacred and liturgical texts, like the ones the Popes
are correcting today, almost two thousand years after they had been in use.
The Importance of Inculturation
Among the Catholics, for example, who knows how things could have been today
had the Vatican Council II not directed that sacraments, especially, the Holy Eucharist
be celebrated in local languages. In Nigeria, we started from 1970, immediately after
the Vatican II to celebrate the Holy Mass in our local languages. After over forty years
of that practice, the result is there today for all to see. The active participation of our
people in liturgical life of the Church is today, second to none.
Inculturation has been the way of the missionary life of the Church from its
beginnings. This is because the scope of the Church’s mission is universal and allembracing. It entails crossing of all human boundaries and meeting peoples of all
cultures and religious traditions. Hence, no culture or people could monopolize it.
Though this fact looks very clear today, yet it took the apostolic Church some time to
appreciate the universal dimension of Christianity and its missionary – inculturation
implications.17 The question of the admission of Gentiles into the Church without
imposing Jewish law and culture on them initiated a general council before it could
be resolved (cf. Acts 15). For Karl Rahner, that was the first major theological
development in early Christianity: a transition from a Judaeo-Christianity to a
Christianity of the Gentiles.18
However, when this initial problem was resolved, Christianity spread gradually
beyond its original Jewish surrounding into the Gentile world. In the process, the
Church came to appropriate new structures, categories and symbols in an effort to
make Christianity relevant to the people of the new socio-cultural milieu. It was
really an effort towards the incarnation of the Christian faith through “inculturation”.
Hence, the early Christian apologists described the good elements in Greek
17
18
Cf. F.A. oborJi, Trends in African Theology Since Vatican II: A Missiological Orientation, 69ff.
Cf. K. rAhNer, “Basic Theological Interpretation of the Second Vatican Council”, in: K. Rahner,
Theological Investigations, Vol 20, Darton, Longman and Todd, London 1981, 83.
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frANcis ANekwe oborJi
Philosophy as praeparatio evangelica,19 and as semina Verbi planted in creation by
the Logos which took flesh in Jesus Christ.20
Furthermore, philosophical categories of the Mediterranean cultures were
adopted by the early Church when Christianity reached the region. Examples of such
categories include ousia, homoousios, physis, hypostasis, substantia, consubstantia,
natura, and so forth. These were adopted to formulate central Christological dogmas.
However, ecumenical councils were held to ratify and define the use of such terms
as Christian dogmas.21 Once that was done the category or symbol so adopted
acquired a new meaning which transcended its original meaning, on account of the
novelty of the Christian faith. In the same spirit, David Bosch explains that the early
Christians did not simply express in Greek thought what they already knew; rather,
they discovered, through Greek religious and philosophical insights, what had been
revealed to them. Hence, Bosch writes, “the doctrines of the Trinity and of divinity
of Christ...for example, would not be what they are today if the Church had not
reassessed itself and its doctrines in the light of the new historical, cultural situations
during the third through the sixth centuries”.22
Moreover, when Christianity became the official religion of the Roman empire
in the fourth century, Christian liturgy developed with structures adopted from
elements of the Roman cultures. Cardinal Newman describes the elements the
Church adopted from other cultures at the time thus: The use of temples...incense,
lamps, and candles; votive offerings on recovery from illness, holy water, asylums,
holydays and seasons, use of calendars, processions, blessings of fields; sacerdotal
vestments, the tonsure, the ring in marriage, turning to the East, images at a later
date, perhaps the ecclesiastical chant, and the Kyrie Elesion, are all of pagan origin,
and sanctified by their adoption into the Church.23
In a similar manner, A. Chupungco explains that the rites of Baptism, the
Eucharist and Ordination of the Roman liturgy were developed through the
incorporation of elements from the cultural milieu of the time.24
Furthermore, when Christianity began to spread to other parts of Europe after
its consolidation in Rome, it carried along the Greco-Roman cultural elements it
19
20
21
22
23
24
Cf. eusebius of cAesAriA, Praeparatio Evangelica, I, I: Patrologiae Cursus Completus 21, 28 AB
(edited by P. Migne), Series Graeca, Paris (1857-1866).
Cf. JustiN the mArtyr, I Apologia 1-4; II Apologia 6:3, 8:1, 10:1-3: Patrologia Cursus Completus
6 (edited by P. Migne), Series Graeca, Paris (1844-1855), 398-399, 454, 458-459.
Cf. Concilia Carthaginiensia: Patrologia Cursus Completus 3, Series Latina, 875-887.
D.J. bosch, Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission, Orbis Books,
Maryknoll, New York 1993, 190.
Cf. J.H. NewmAN, An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, 6th Edition, University
Press, Notre Dame, 1989, 373.
Cf. A.J. chuPuNgco, Worship: Beyond Inculturation, Pastoral Press, Washington DC 1994, 1-65.
80
Translations of “Our Lord’s Prayer” in African Languages
had adopted. Nevertheless, the new converts were allowed to retain their customs
which were not opposed to the Christian faith. It was from this understanding that
Pope Gregory the Great, writing to Mellitus in 601, instructed the latter to advice
his confrere, Augustine, not to destroy the sacred places of the Anglo-Saxons, but to
preserve them for worship of the true God. However, they were to destroy the idols
inside the temples. On the feast of martyrs, the people could kill bulls, as was their
custom before becoming Christians. But now only as food in praise of God.25
Again, from the time of Emperor Constantine the Great, when Europe embraced
Christianity as their religion, the nascent Church in Europe began an aggressive
evangelization of the continent through inculturation of the Gospel. This was how
Europe transformed itself, thought and culture through the Gospel. So much so that
it may not be an over statement to say that Christianity gave Europe its present
identity, culture, civilization and technology.26
Through the work of inculturation, the churches of the West and East of Europe
from the earliest stages of the evangelization of that continent were able to give their
people and land an enviable cultural identity and solid Christian foundation. This
is why today, we all see Christianity as the ‘religion of Europe’ and the bedrock of
their culture, civilization and thought-pattern. But in reality, theirs was simply an
inculturated Christianity which eventually, they used to give their people a new
culture of civilization and scholastic philosophy of thought from which modern
science and technology came to be born.
The Arab world did the same with Islamic religion and Arab culture. They
gave themselves a new culture and civilization through Islam and Arabic language.
We should not forget that in the beginning of his mission, Prophet Mohammed
was not welcomed in his native land, the present Saudi Arabia. He was sent in
exile and his followers took refuge in African crescent of Ethiopia where they
were treated with kindness and African hospitality. That is why the Holy Quran
forbid any Jihad against the Ethiopians, which it described as good people of
priests and monks.
It was only many years later, after Prophet Mohammed had gone that the
people of Arabia peninsula decided to unite themselves under Islam, Arabic culture
and language. Today, the highest weapons the Arabs have in confronting the world
is their Islamic religion, Arabic language and culture. These three elements – Islam,
Arabic culture and language have given the Arabs an indelible identity, culture and
civilization that nothing will ever take away from them.
25
26
Cf. gregory the greAt, Epistola 76 ad Mellitum Abbatem: Patrologiae Cursus Completus 77
(Series Latina), 1215-1217.
Cf. J.H. NewmAN, An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, 373.
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frANcis ANekwe oborJi
In other words, there is power in cultural identity and local language of a people.
Until we learn and begin to store and live our faith and civilization in our local
languages and African culture, nobody will take us serious. This is what Chinese,
Japanese, Indians, Koreans, among others, are doing today. These countries and their
people are today highly respected by the world not just because of their economic
power but more especially, because of their cultural consciousness and identity upon
which they have decided to rebuild their nations as modern states. What lesson can
we learn from these countries for own advancement not only in inculturation, but
also in overall human development and civilization?
Has it worried any of us that till today, none of the agreements African nations,
whether individually, or collectively, have entered with foreign nations is written or
stored in African languages. All the agreements, African nations, and individuals,
have entered with outsiders and among themselves since the dawn of modern era,
are all written and stored in foreign languages.
Moreover, all the formal education Africans have been receiving since the
dawn of modern era, are all done in foreign languages. No matter how intelligent
you may think you are, you can never surpass in originality of thought the owner
of the language in which you do your thinking and writing. There is something
pathological about language.
No matter how much English grammar you think you know, you can never be
more original and creative in that language than the native English speaker who may
not have even received formal education in his or her language. In other words, we
shall continue to be second-class citizens of the world until we begin to think and
practice our faith and work in our local languages.
Liturgical Inculturation in Africa since Vatican II
Vatican Council II was in effect a real watershed in liturgical inculturation, and
especially, in the positive evaluation cultures of non-European peoples. Before Vatican
II, African people and culture did not receive as such, a very positive evaluation
from European people. This attitude reflected not only in missions but especially
in European literature, intellectual scholarship about African people and culture.
However, Vatican II changed all that. In fact, before Vatican II, the African story was
always portrayed with negativity in all existing scholarship and realtionships between
the outside world and people of the continent. Thus, the appreciation of African
culture and thought pattern for the work of inculturation as we know it today, passed
through some checked history, especially from the 15th Century, but in particular from
the 19th Century European missionary expansion in Africa.
Therefore, when Western Christianity began to encounter Africa from the
th
15 Century onwards, and especially, from the 19th Century European missionary
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Translations of “Our Lord’s Prayer” in African Languages
expansion in Southern continents, there was no theological or liturgical shift similar
to the one that took place when Christianity encountered the Hellenistic and Roman
worlds. The African was considered primitive and so has no culture as such upon
which the Gospel of Jesus Christ could anchor. To be a Christian the African has
to assimilate the culture of the missionary. The African was made to abandon his
culture so as to embrace Christianity.27
Meanwhile, it suffices to say that it would be easy for us today to judge the past
missionary attitude to the African and his culture with hard tone, as a good number
of African scholars have done in the past. However, the situation was much complex
than that, even though the eurocentrism and racism could not be ruled out completely.
To be noted, however, is the fact that up to the beginning of twentieth century, at time
of the renewed effort towards the authentic planting of Christianity in sub-Saharan
Africa, there was no well developed theology of mission in the Catholic Church.
Even when it came to be developed, thanks to the efforts of German Josef Schmidlin
(1874-1944)28 and later of the Belgium Jesuit Pierre Charles (1883-1954),29 among
others,30 there were two main developments, which did not help the matter as such.
The first development concerned itself with the question of salvation of souls
of non-Christians. And in African situation, it was regarded as the salvation of
souls in darkness. The second development, which represents a certain progress
compared with the former, is when the aim of mission came to be regarded as the
implanting of the Church throughout the world as the universal means of salvation
intended by God for mankind. And in the Africa situation, this was interpreted as
the implanting of the Church among people of tabula rasa (without culture and
civilization). Hence, the Church is to be implanted in Africa with the cultures of the
missionaries.31 However, the two perspectives, salvation of souls and the implanting
of the Church are two aspects of the Church’s mission. The latter persisted unto
Vatican Council II. The former has been broadened with the modern emphasis on
27
28
29
30
31
Cf. J-M. ÉlA, My Faith as an African, Orbis Books, Maryknoll, New York 1995, 33-34.
Cf. J. schmidliN, Catholic Mission Theory (Techny III, SVD Mission Press (Sankt Augustin, Bonn),
1931, 255ff. Originally in German as Katholische Missionslehre im Grundriss (Münster, 1919),
edited and translated into English by M. Braun).
Cf. P. chArles, Les Dossiers de l’action missionnaire: Manuel de Missiologie, Vol.I (2nd ed.),
AUCAM, Louvain, 1938, 24.
Recent authors in that regard include – André Seumois, Angel Santos Hernàdez, and Louis J.
Luzbetak (who may be described as a contemporary protagonist of the theology of adaptation);
cf. A. Seumois, Théologie Missionnaire, 5 Vols. PUU, Roma, 1973; A.S. Hernandez, Adaptaciòn
Misonera, El Siglos de las Misiones, Biblao, 1958; L.J. Luzbetak, The Church and Cultures, Orbis
Books, Maryknoll, New York 1993.
Cf. J. duPuis, “Evangelization and Mission”, in: R. Latourelle and R. Fisichella (eds), Dictionary
of Fundamental Theology, Crossroads Publishing Company, New York 1994, 276-277.
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frANcis ANekwe oborJi
the integral dimension of salvation and the recognition of cultural diversity, together
with the present practice of interreligious and intercultural dialogues.32
However, things began to change with the development of social sciences in
the late nineteenth century and early this twentieth century. The new scholarship
and its subsequent application to Christian missionary activities opened up new
prospects for evangelization.33 People once considered uncivilized and uncultured
were discovered, after careful study, to have complex cultural systems, religious
beliefs and high moral standards. It was also realized that culture had a much deeper
influence on the person than was previously thought. And that merely converting
individuals and isolating them from their native cultural milieu so as to protect
their faith was a useless endeavor. Rather, what is required is authentic conversion
through a real penetration of the cultural milieu itself with Gospel values.34
This new development in the appreciation of culture and its impact on the person,
introduced a further challenge in mission: is it justifiable to transplant for the sake of
uniformity, a Christianity developed in another cultural context, to all peoples and
cultures around the world? This challenge initiated the debate on missionary adaptation,
which eventually led to the development of the modern theology of inculturation.35 The
teaching of Vatican Council II on the value of local cultures for missionary adaptation
and inculturation, owe much to this development and theological debate.
In this regard, Vatican Council II Dogmatic Constitution on Liturgy
Sacrosanctum Concilium (SC), was the first document of the Council to be approved
and promulgated by the Council Fathers. This shows the primary importance of
liturgy in the life and mission of the Church. In addition, the conciliar document
Sacrosanctum Concilium is unique not only because of the attention it gave to
liturgical reforms, but moreover, because of its emphasis on cultural adaptation
(inculturation) of the liturgy. The Council Fathers used the word “adaptation” not in
the old sense of that word, but actually, in its new sense, that is, in sense of the new
terminology, inculturation.
At the time of the Council, the term inculturation was not in common use. The
Council Fathers developed the theology of the “word” – the planting of the seed
32
33
34
35
Cf. F.A. oborJi, Trends in African Theology Since Vatican II. A Missiological Orientation, 73.
Cf. M.C. Azevedo, “Inculturation I: The Problem”, in R. LATOURELLE & R. FISICHELLA
(eds), Dictionary of Fundamental Theology, 506.
Cf. P. chArles, “Missiologie et acculturation”, in: Nouvelle Revue Théologique 75(1953), 26.
For instance, the fourth missiological week of Louvain in 1926 had for its theme: “Autour du
Probléme de l’Adaptation” (Compte rendu de la VI Semaine Missiologique de Louvain, 1926),
Museum Lessianum, Louvain, 1926. Also the third week of missionary studies of Canada in 1950
was dedicated to religious values of pagan religions; cf. La valeur religieuse des religions païennes
(IIIe Semaine d’Etudes Missionnaires du Canada), Québec, 1950.
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Translations of “Our Lord’s Prayer” in African Languages
of the “Word” through proclamation, in all cultures and among all peoples (AG
6). In this context, the Council Fathers spoke gloriously of the incarnation of the
Gospel message in local cultures and the importance of contextualized theology in
that regard that will be at the service of inculturation (AG 26). The new theology
of inculturation and theology of the “word” emphasize the mystery, which occurs
each time the Gospel encounters a new culture through proclamation. The mutual
interpenetration of the Gospel into the local culture and the culture into the Gospel,
in such a way that a new people and culture is born through the evangelizing work
of the Church in any particular cultural context.36 This is the recognition of the
importance of cultures (of which language is an essential element), in evangelization.
In his monumental work entitled: Worship as Body Language: Introduction
to Christian Worship - An African Experience,37 the Nigerian Spiritan African
theologian, Elochukwu Uzukwu writes that successful liturgical inculturation
process makes the Christian liturgical celebration a cultural experience. Besides,
as a public worship, liturgy is like a barometer, which measures the maturation of
the Christian faith in the local Church, because the particular character of a Church
is made manifest in its cult.38 For Peter Schineller, if a liturgical worship is to be
genuine, it must reflect the faith experience of the community which celebrates it. It
must express their faith and their struggles for fullness of life, for justice, and their
living of the Kingdom vision. A people addressed by the Gospel must respond with
an act of faith which should be reflected in their prayer and worship.39 Hence, the
axiom, lex orandi lex credendi: the law of praying is the law of belief. This faith
response is made in the cultural reality of the people, since culture is an integral part
of the self-realization of every people (cf. GS 53).
The foregoing remarks imply that we must recognize the cultural factor in
liturgy, and accept its immediate consequence of diversity and communion (SC 3740), since there are numerous cultures in the world. No single form of liturgical
celebration, venerable and ancient as it may be, could respond adequately to the
religious needs of all peoples. It follows therefore that each cultural area should
36
37
38
39
Cf. vAticAN II, SC 37-40; Ad gentes (AG) 26; Gaudium et Spes 53-63; See also Paul VI, Evangelii
nuntiandi (EN) 18-20; John Paul II, Enyclical Letter Slavorum apsotoli (1985) 21; John Paul II,
Exhortation Post-synodal Catechesi Tradendae (CT) (1979), 53; John Paul II, Encyclical Letter
Redemptoris missio (RM) 52; Benedict XVI, Post synodal Exhortation Verbum Domini, 114; and
finally, Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii gaudium, nos. 45-48.
The Liturgical Press Collegeville (Pueblo Book), Minnesota, 1997.
Cf. E.E. uzukwu, “Africa’s Right to be Different: Christian Liturgical Rites and African Rites”
(Part I), in: BTA 4 (1982) 103.
Cf. P. schiNeller, “Inculturation of the Liturgy”, in P.E. Fink (ed.), The New Dictionary of
Sacramental Worship, Gill & Macmillan, Dublin, 1990, 599.
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frANcis ANekwe oborJi
develop its own form of liturgical celebration and expressions, according to its
own genius, while maintaining communion with the universal Church. It is against
this background, that liturgical worship, especially, since Vatican Council II, is
considered one of the most privileged areas of inculturation in Africa. This is the
background for our emphasis on cultural sensibilities in the translation of liturgical
texts in African languages in the present article.
Although, some often use the expression “African liturgy” in discussing the
issues under consideration, however, it is necessary to emphasize that “African
liturgy” as it is sometimes used by African theologians, is wider than the local
theological efforts for the inculturation of Eucharistic celebration. It covers all
the liturgical, theological, and disciplinary patterns and expressions found in the
celebration of all the sacraments or rather liturgical life of the Church. It includes
especially, the issues of translation of liturgical and other Sacred Texts into African
languages. Likewise, is the term “rite”, which sometimes are used to refer to the
emergent forms of liturgical celebration in Africa. It is always good to use the term
in its rightful theological sense, that is, in the sense in which the Roman (Latin) Rite,
for example, is distinguished from the Eastern Rite, to show their differences in
doctrines and sacramental disciplines. The emergent African local forms of liturgical
celebrations are within the Roman (Latin) Rite. In other words, they require the
approval of the Holy See.40
Consequently, African forms of liturgical celebration and translations of
liturgical texts are still in making. But since the Eucharist is the focal point of
the Church’s life, and with the officially approved Zairean (Congolese) Mass, an
advanced stage has been achieved in the area of Eucharistic celebration.
Furthermore, and in General, we can identify three major stages in the liturgical
reforms introduced by the Vatican Council II.41 These stages were developed in the
African churches. All these reforms are intended to help the faithful to understand
their liturgical celebrations with ease and to “take part in them fully, actively, and as
a community” (SC 1-3; 21).
The first stage was to be the revision and translation of established texts into
local languages (cf. SC 36). In the African local churches, this spurred not only the
40
41
Cf. coNgregAtioN for diviNe worshiP ANd the disciPliNe of the sAcrAmeNts, The Roman Liturgy
and Inculturation (IVth Instruction for the Right Application of the Conciliar Constitution on
the Liturgy (nn.37-40), 37: Vatican Press, Vatican City, 1994, 18; see also J. Dinh Duc Dao,
“Missiography: Present Situations and Emerging Tendencies of Mission”, in AA.VV., Mission
for the Third Millennium: Course of Missiology, Pontifical Missionary Union, St. Paul’s Press,
Bangalore, 1993, 44-46.
Cf. E.T. chArles, From Adaptation to Incarnation: A Study of the Theology of Inculturation in the
Teachings of The African Bishops (1969-1994), 208-209.
86
Translations of “Our Lord’s Prayer” in African Languages
use of African languages for liturgical celebrations, but also the adoption of local
liturgical hymnody accompanied by drums, gongs and other native instruments,
hand clapping, rhythmical swaying, and dancing, and the increasing visibility of
local art and architecture (e.g., vestments made of African textile, sacred images and
paintings, etc.). In the same vein, Elochukwu Uzukwu observes that these elements
have started to demarcate liturgical life in the African region.42
The second stage was to consist of variations and adaptations of already established
forms of liturgical celebrations according to the needs of local churches, particularly
in mission territories. In this regard, the Council recommends that suitable “elements
of initiation rites ... already in use among some peoples” could be incorporated into
the Christian ritual for initiation, provided the conditions given in SC 37-40 (such as
the preserving of “the substantial unity of the Roman rite” (SC 38) were respected (SC
65). The Episcopal Conferences were to initiate such adaptations (SC 22; 39).
Among the Yoruba of Nigeria, a reasonable progress has been made in this
regard. This is in the area of naming ceremony, which is the first major (and
symbolic) gesture through which African societies begin the socialization of the
child – the beginning of his or her social definition as a person. The Yoruba child is
born and introduced into the Yoruba (African) world through this ritual. This is the
way toward the emergence of the Yoruba human type. Each child is welcomed as a
unique creation. The name imposed on the newborn baby already encapsulates his or
her destiny. Infant baptism, among Christians has overshadowed this native African
practice. However, the Church in Yorubaland in its liturgy for the celebration of
baptism adapted the traditional patterns of the naming ceremony.43
Similar adaptation is made in the Moore ritual (for use in the diocese of
Diebougou, Bourkina Faso. The Moore ritual is based on the traditions of the Mossi
of Bourkina Faso. It is an effort to rediscover the spirit of the reformed rite for
Christian initiation of adults (catechumenate in stages and baptism of adults) and to
make it turn native in the Mossi country. The Moore ritual draws analogies from the
Bobo traditions in Bourkina Faso, and has this insight: the tree of the cross and the
tree of initiation; the procession into a large court (of a local chief) and procession
into the house of God; imposing new names on the neophytes by both traditions,
which makes the initiate live the communion of ancestors or saints; the rhythm of
formation in stages to acquire a new knowledge and wisdom; and finally putting
42
43
Cf. E.E. uzukwu, Worship As Body Language: Introduction to Christian Worship - An African
Orientation, 271.
Cf. T.M. ilesANmi, “Eto Ati Adura Isomolorukoi”, in: Adura Onigbagbo, Iranoo-Owuro Press,
1978; quoted in E.E. Uzukwu, Worship As Body Language: Introduction to Christian Worship: An
African Orientation, 275.
87
frANcis ANekwe oborJi
on new clothes or being dressed in white.44 In the past the glaring analogies that
exist between Christian and native rites of initiation posed a serious problem for
missionaries who evangelized this region. But today, with the Moore inculturated
liturgy of Christian initiation it becomes easy for neophytes to appreciate and
appropriate Christianity as ancestral tradition.45
Finally, the third stage in the Vatican Council II’s liturgical reforms called for
a more “radical adaptation of the liturgy” which, though not stated explicitly, might
involve a radical modification of, or even going beyond, the established Roman
Rite of liturgical celebrations. This includes the creation of a new form of liturgical
celebration of the Mass for a particular region. Thus, this stage was to begin after
a careful study of the liturgical traditions of the Church and the religio-cultural
traditions of the people concerned. It was also to be carried in dialogue between the
Holy See and the Episcopal Conferences concerned, so as to establish the necessary
guidelines for the process (SC 40).
Accordingly, the local churches around the world availed of the new
opportunities offered for liturgical reforms. The local churches in Africa also
responded positively, since it could be said that the reform led to the birth of the
Roman Missal for the Dioceses of Zaire (Congo), and the other experimentations in
the same direction in various parts of Africa. For instance, the Ndzon-melen Mass in
the diocese of Yaounde, Cameroun (though not yet recognized by the Holy See, but
at least enjoys the approval of the local Bishop).46 To this must be added the ongoing
liturgical creativity or rather efforts (mainly on theological level), at the various
higher ecclesiastical institutes in Africa.
Put together, since Vatican Council II, two stages could be distinguished in
liturgical reforms in Africa. The first was the translation of Roman liturgical texts.
This stage had already begun before Vatican Council II, as some rituals, prayers and
hymns were translated into African languages by some missionaries. Those efforts
were to be followed by the translation of the Mass text into local languages. The
second stage is the present era, which began when the initial liturgical adaptations
44
45
46
Cf. A.T. sANoN-R. luNeAu, Enraciner l’Evangile: Initiations Africaines et Pédagogie de la Foi,
Cerf, Paris 1982, 132-133.
Cf. R. ouedrAogo, “Rituel Moore”, in: Le Calao, 51(1980)3, 34-47; cf. also E.E. Uzukwu,
“Africa’s Right to Be Different: Part II: African Rites in the Making”, in: Bulletin de Théologie
Africaine (BTA (DRCongo), 4(1982), 263-267.
Cf. A. AbegA, “L’experience liturgique de Ndzon-Melen”, in: Telema, 16 (1978), 41-50; cf.
also E.E. Uzukwu, Worship As Body Language: Introduction to Christian Worship - An African
Orientation, 295ff. In this collection Uzukwu presents a good synthesis of the Ndzon-melen Mass,
and of other efforts in the same direction within African churches. In addition, he details how
patterns of African ritual assemblies have merged with Jewish, Gospel, and early Church traditions
to create living Christian communities and liturgies.
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Translations of “Our Lord’s Prayer” in African Languages
were criticized for having evolved within the framework of the theology of adaptation
of the old. In other words, they merely juxtaposed the Roman-Judeo-Christian
worldview and the African religious worldview without actually providing space
for mutual interpenetration, transformation and enrichment.47
The quest for liturgical inculturation in Africa as we know it today springs
from this awareness. This stage calls for rigorous research into Christian theology
and liturgical traditions, African anthropology and religion, so as to develop
liturgies that are authentic expressions of both the Christian faith and the African
spirit of prayer and worship. This explains why many African local churches have
not reached this stage of liturgical inculturation. In fact, a good number are still
grappling with the problems of translation, due to factors such as lack of trained
personnel and material resources. Other local churches have made some progress,
particularly in the composition of local forms of Eucharistic celebration.48 Among
these, that of Zairean Mass has received remarkable acclamation. Moreover, it is the
only one approved by the Holy See.49
47
48
49
Cf. E.T. chArles, From Adaptation to Incarnation: A Study of the Theology of Inculturation in the
Teachings of the African Catholic Bishops (1969-1994), 209-211.
Cf. A. shorter, “An African Eucharistic Prayer”, in: AFER, 12 (1970), 143-148; cf. also A. Shorter,
“Three More Eucharistic Prayers”, in: AFER, 15 (1973), 152-167. The latter are efforts from
Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. A composition of an “Igbo Eucharistic Prayer” is worked out by E.
Uzukwu in his article, “Blessing and Thanksgiving among the Igbo (Nigeria): Towards an African
Eucharistic Prayer”, in: AFER, 22 (1980), 19-22. However, the next most popular Eucharistic
liturgy in Africa after that of Zaire (DRCongo), is the Ndzon-Melen Mass (named) after the parish,
Saint Paul de Ndzon-Melen, in the diocese of Yaoundé, in Cameroun where it was begun and is
still being experimented. It was started in 1969 by a Camerounian priest, Pie-Claude Nguma,
assisted by another Camerounian priest, A. Abega. Inspired by the mystery of the Incarnation,
in which humanity becomes the medium of God’s self-communication as salvation and by the
understanding of the Christian sacraments as prolongation and re-enactment of the saving actions
of Christ in space and time, the composers of this Mass wish to bring together both Christian and
African elements in the liturgy, so as to enable African Christians to worship authentically and to
encounter God through their cultural medium. It also aims to help the African faithful to overcome
the dichotomy which they experience between Christian life and African religious life. To achieve
this aim, they restructured the Roman Mass according to the traditional assembly of the Beti people
of Cameroun, characterized by two major elements: active participation in the word and in the
sharing in the meal of communion; cf. A. Abega, “L’expérience liturgique de Ndzon-Melen”, 4150. Fr. Abega is a co-composer of the Mass liturgy.
Apart from the local forms for the celebration of Mass and for Christian initiation, other areas of
the liturgy are also being explored, such as the ritual for religious profession in Zaire, based on the
Bantu rite of blood pact; cf. F.K. Lumbala, Alliances avec le Christ en Afrique: Inculturation des
rites religieux au Zaire, Karthala, Paris 1994. Zimbabwe has developed “a Catholic Kurova guva”,
a “Liturgy for Second Burial”; cf. A. Shorter, Evangelization and Culture, Geoffrey Chapman,
London 1994, 129.
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frANcis ANekwe oborJi
Conclusion
The work of translation of basic texts of our Christian faith into our local
languages is the most important aspect of inculturation of the Gospel. The local
church of Nigeria must show leadership in this regard in the African continent.
In fact, it appears we are already behind many African countries in the area of
inculturation and translation. We have been overtaken many years ago by the local
churches in Francophone Africa as well as Anglophone countries of Eastern Africa.
Even Ghana, our nearest neighbour in West African sub-region, is already miles
ahead of us in this area of inculturation and translation.
Without inculturation and translations into local languages of the basic texts
of our Christian faith in our local churches in Nigeria, the Christian faith will never
reach the desired maturity in our land. We shall continue to complain of syncretism
living side-by-side with the Christian faith of our people with no solution in sight.
We shall continue to complain of charlatan pastors and priests, their multiplication
of healing centers of which distressed poor masses are their easiest victims.
One could imagine how our faith could have been today had the Bible not been
translated into African languages. In fact, experts in African Christianity tell us that
it was from the time the Bible came to be translated into African local languages
that the number of African Christians began to increase in a way never seen in the
history of modern Christianity.
All this implies that there is no alternative to an authentic inculturation of the
Gospel in our land if we want Christianity to take root in Nigeria. The ongoing
menace and deformation of authentic African spirituality and Christianity by most
of the fake pastors of Neo Pentecostalism and the so-called ‘priest-healers’ in the
mainline churches will die a natural death once we have an authentic inculturated
Christianity in Nigeria.
Our people will begin to worship God in truth and spirit only if we take
seriously the work of inculturation and translation of basic Christian texts in
our local languages. In fact, until we are able to translate, interpret, live and
celebrate correctly the Christian faith and doctrine in our local languages, culture,
philosophy of life, idioms and customs, the Gospel of Jesus Christ can hardly take
root in our land.
90
EJ 13 (2019) 91-106
ABUSES THREATENING
TRUE CHRISTIAN WORSHIP
AND THE CELEBRATION OF THE SACRAMENTS:
THE AFRICAN EXPERIENCE
AustiN echemA
Introduction
Right from the onset, it may be necessary to state clearly that what is referred to
in this article as “true Christian worship” is the same as liturgy which is the common
and official name used in Roman Catholic circles. Perhaps, the other important remark
is that this article will be discussing the Roman or Latin rite and therefore Western
liturgy. Although, of all things Catholic, there is nothing so familiar as the liturgy, yet
most Catholics have never really been introduced to it, with the result that they have
never come to know and understand its true nature. Most including the clergy and lay
faithful are still confused, upset, or ignorant about why we celebrate our greatest act
of worship, the Holy Mass, which again is another name for the liturgy.
What has been said so far is equally true of the sacraments of the Church. This
explains why our liturgical and sacramental celebrations have been bedeviled with
abuses. Both the clerics and the lay faithful have sometimes constituted themselves
into the lord and master of the liturgy. It is true that the reformed liturgy of the
Second Vatican Council encouraged active participation (participatio actuosa)
of all Christ’s faithful, yet this is not to be arbitrarily carried out. In Africa and
Nigeria in particular, these abuses have assumed such an unprecedented magnitude
(proportion) that the true Catholic worship has been eclipsed. Jesus Christ remains
the chief person acting in every liturgical celebration which is the public worship
of the whole Church. Every other participant, whether minister or lay faithful is
subsumed in the one eternal high priest of Christ. In other words, they must and
are bound to follow the liturgical norms that guide the Church’s liturgy.
This article, therefore, aims at examining the nature of the Church’s true worship,
namely, the liturgy. It will consider the relationship between liturgy and the Church;
and finally pinpoint some of the abuses that have plagued this earthly liturgy, which
Pope St. John Paul II says “is a mysterious participation in the heavenly liturgy”1.
1
JohN PAul ii, Encyclical letter Ecclesia De Eucharistia (On the Eucharist in its Relationship to the
Church), Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2010, 19. See Scott Hahn. The Lamb’s Supper: The Mass as
Heaven on Earth. New York: Doubleday, 1999, 3.
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The setting is the African context using Nigeria as a point of contact, where these
abuses seem to have reached their zenith in recent times.
The Nature of Liturgy and Sacraments
The concept of worship is as old as the Church itself, with its roots firmly grafted
on ancient Judaism. But in Roman Catholic circles, the contemporary view of worship
is the outgrowth of the seminal principle of New Testament theology that all salvation
history is recapitulated and ‘personalized’ in Jesus Christ. Everything in sacred history
– every event, object, sacred place, theophany, cult – has quite simply been assumed
into the person of the Incarnate Christ. He is God’s eternal Word (Jn.1:1,14); his new
creation (2Cor. 5:17; Gal. 6:15; Rom. 8:19; Rev. 21-22); the new Adam (1Cor. 15:45;
Rom. 5:14); the new Pasch and its lamb (1Cor. 5:7; Jn. 1:29, 36; 1Pt. 1:19; Rev. 5);
the new covenant (Mt. 26:28; Mk. 14:24; Lk. 22:20; Heb. 8-13); the new circumcision
(Col. 2:11-12); the new heavenly manna (Jn. 6:30-58; Rev. 2:17); the new temple
(Jn. 2:19-27); the new sacrifice and its priest (Eph. 5:2; Heb. 2:17-3:2; 4:14-10:14);
the fulfillment of the Sabbath rest (Col. 2:16-17; Mt. 11:28-12: 8; Heb. 3:7-4:11) and
the messianic age that was to come (Lk. 4:16-21; Acts 2:14-36). All that went before
is fulfilled in him, and that includes all cultic realities. Thus, the Paschal Mystery of
Christ is the full revelation of the mystery of the world’s origin, the climax of the
history of salvation and the anticipation of the eschatological fulfillment of the world.2
This is the basis for any Christian theology of liturgy.3
Henceforth, true worship pleasing to the Father is the saving life, death, and
resurrection of Christ. The liturgy is quite simply the mystery of Christ operative
in our midst. Salvation consists in our insertion into the salvific mystery of Christ
primarily through the visible continuation of this mystery in the liturgy and indeed
also through the sacraments of the Church. As Pope St. Leo the Great (440-61) puts
it in his famous aphorism that sums up the entire patristic liturgical theology: “What
was visible in our Redeemer has passed into the liturgical ministry of the Church”
[Quod itaque Redemptoris nostri conspicuum fuit in sacramenta transivit]4 – what
2
3
4
r.f. tAft. “The Theology of the Liturgy of the Hours,” in Anscar J. Chupungco, ed., Handbook
for Liturgical Studies, Vol. V: Liturgical Time and Space, Collegeville, Minnesota: A Pueblo Book,
2000, 119-120; see also Maxwell E. Johnson, ed., Between Memory and Hope: Reading on the
Liturgical Year, Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 2000, XV.
See, for example, Pius XII’s 20 Nov. 1947, Encyclical letter Mediator Dei (On the Sacred Liturgy),
16-20.
Sermon 74 (De ascensione 2) 2, PL 54: 398. See also Robert F. Taft, “Liturgy in the Life and
Mission of the Society of Jesus,” in Keith Pecklers, ed., Liturgy in a Postmodern World, London –
New York: Continuum, 2003, 37.
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Abuses Threatening True Christian Worship and the Celebration of the Sacraments
Christ did visibly during his earthly ministry is the exact same ministry that the
Church carries on now in the liturgy. These acts–liturgical and sacramental–do not
merely express the Church; they constitute her.
Liturgy, then, is the common work of Christ (actio Christi) and his Church. Far
from being extrinsic to our liturgy, Christ is its chief protagonist. Liturgy is much
more than an individual expression of faith and devotion. It is first and foremost an
activity of the body of which Christ is the head. This is why it is possible for the
Church to make such extraordinary and bold claims about the nature of Christian
worship, as in the striking assertion in the Vatican II Council’s Constitution on the
Sacred Liturgy 2: “…it is through the liturgy that the work of our redemption is
accomplished.”5 Pius XII had long affirmed the same teaching in his 1947 encyclical
Mediator Dei, the ‘Magna Carta’ of the liturgical renewal of our time: “It is an
unquestionable fact that the work of our redemption is continued and that its fruits
are imparted to us during the celebration of the liturgy…”6 Hence, being an action of
Christ and his illustrious Spouse the Church, the liturgy “is sacred action surpassing
all others. No other action of the Church can equal its efficacy by the same title and
to the same degree.”7 In other words, the worship rendered to God in union with her
divine Head is the most efficacious and most exalted activity the Church undertakes;
so that, “without the liturgy, there will be no Catholic Church.”8 Consequently,
liturgy is at the very centre of the redemptive work Christ exercises through the
ministry of the Church.
Mediator Dei goes further to show how the Church continues the priestly work
of her Lord and Head: “In obedience, therefore, to her founder’s behest, the Church
prolongs the priestly mission of Jesus Christ mainly by means of the Sacred Liturgy.
She does this in the first place at the altar where constantly the sacrifice of the Cross
is re-presented and with a single difference in the manner of its offering, renewed.
She does it next by means of the sacraments, those special channels through which
men are made partakers in the supernatural life. She does it finally by offering to
God, all Good and Great, the daily tribute of her prayer of praise.”9
It further states: “Along with the Church, therefore, her Divine Founder is
present at every liturgical function: Christ is present at the august sacrifice of the
altar both in the person of His minister and above all under the Eucharistic species.
He is present in the sacraments, infusing into them the power which makes them
5
6
7
8
9
Citing a Phrase from the Old Roman Secret for the 9th Sunday after Pentecost: DOL 2.
Pius Xii, Mediator Dei 29.
Sacrosantum Concilium 7.
e. ANAgwo, Liturgy in the Life of the Faithful, Onitsha: Laurans Prints, 2012, 6.
Mediator Dei 3.
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AustiN echemA
ready instruments of sanctification. He is present, finally, in the prayer of praise and
petition we direct to God.”10 What this means is that the Church’s liturgy is not just
a series of actions or rituals but in the final analysis a person, namely, Christ himself.
He is the one who renders glory to God the Father, and then invites us to unite
ourselves to Him and be totally transformed in Him becoming a sacrifice pleasing
and acceptable to God (cf. Rom. 12:1-2). This is actually “the very core of the life and
mission of the Church without which she would be reduced to the level of a service
of altruism only, or to an earthly association of likeminded people.”11 Furthermore,
without the centrality of Christ in the liturgy, the eschatological finality of the
community will also be taken away, for in her liturgy the Church celebrates already
the heavenly liturgy. As Pope St. John Paul II explains, “the liturgy we celebrate on
earth is a mysterious participation in the heavenly liturgy.” It is “veritatis splendor”
as he calls it or “a glimpse of heaven appearing on earth.”12 It is as it were a heavenly
happening here on earth, where “we take part in a foretaste of that heavenly liturgy
which is celebrated in the Holy City of Jerusalem towards which we journey as
pilgrim, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God, Minister of the holies and
of the true tabernacle.”13
It is this centrality of the role of Christ which makes liturgy sacred and places it
beyond the creativity of humanity. Sacramentum Caritatis calls Christ “the subject
of the liturgy’s intrinsic beauty.”14 And Pope Benedict XVI then goes on to explain:
“Since the Eucharistic liturgy is essentially an ‘actio Dei’ which draws us into Christ
through the Holy Spirit, its basic structure is not something within our power to
change nor can it be held hostage by the latest trends.”15 Consequently, it is not really
what we do that matters as much as what He does in and through us. Every liturgical
celebration revolves around Jesus. He is the principal agent of the liturgy; the Church
is the secondary agent, for the liturgy is entrusted into her hands. For any worship
to become liturgy, the Church must approve of it. In the words of Dom Lambert
10
11
12
13
14
15
Mediator Dei 20; see also Sacrosanctum Concilium 7.
m. rANJith, “The Sacred Liturgy, Source and Summit of the Life and Mission of the Church,” in
Alcuin Reid, ed., Sacred Liturgy: The Source and Summit of the Life and Mission of the Church,
San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2014, 20.
JohN PAul ii, Encyclical letter Ecclesia De Eucharistia (On the Eucharist in its Relationship to the
Church) Rome: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2010, 19.
c.t. oguNlusi, “Abuses in the Liturgy and the Ratzingerian Panacea,” in B. E. Ukutegbe, ed. et. al,
Abuses in the Liturgy and the Nigerian Context Today, Benin City: St. Paul’s Printing Press, 2018,
115-116.
beNedict Xvi, Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis, The Sacrament of Charity
(Henceforth Sacaramentum Caritatis). Nairobi: Paulines Publications Africa, 2007, 36.
Sacramentum Caritatis 37.
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Abuses Threatening True Christian Worship and the Celebration of the Sacraments
Beaudium, liturgy is the “cult of the Church,”16 while Dom Odo Casel maintains that
the “paschal mystery is experienced through the liturgy in which Christ himself is
present and active through the Church and the Church acts with him.”17
The Church also approbates the celebration of sacraments, especially the Mass,
sacramentals and blessings, the liturgy of the hours and the feasts in the course of the
liturgical year, as her official form of worship. These are liturgical actions; they are
public worship of the Church, and therefore, are never private, but always done in
the name of the Church by persons validly and legitimately assigned to carry them
out.18 The Church teaches that for believers the sacraments of the New Covenant
are necessary for salvation.19 God sanctifies and saves human beings through the
sacraments, which are primarily means of salvation. Sacraments are efficacious
because in them Christ himself is at work: it is he who acts in them in order to
communicate the grace that each sacrament signifies.20 The Father always hears the
prayer of his Son’s Church which, in the epiclesis of each sacrament, expresses her
faith in the power of the Holy Spirit.21
The Church affirms that the sacraments act ex opere operato (literally by the
very fact of the action being performed), i.e., by virtue of the saving work and action
of Christ, accomplished once for all. That means, “the sacrament is not wrought by
the righteousness of either the celebrant or the recipient, but by the power of God.”22
Baptism, for instance, “does not have its effect because of the merits of the person being
baptized, but because of the merits of Christ.” Baptism is efficacious “because of the
passion of Christ.”23 Put negatively, the significance of sacramental efficacy ex opere
operato is that bestowal of grace is not dependent upon the sanctity of the minister,
nor does the faith of the recipient put any obligation or obstacle on the grace; Christ
remains free, sovereign and independent with regard to any human merit whatsoever.
Put positively, ex opere operato efficacy means that this act is Christ’s act.24
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
Quoted by Ignatius Puthiadam, Christian Liturgy: The Presentation of the Greatest God – Human
Story. Mumbai: St. Pauls, 2002, 21.
PuthiAdAm 21.
h.P.o. okeke, Let us Celebrate the Mystery of Faith, Onitsha: Goodmark Press, 2005, 52.
Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) 1129; cf. Council of Trent (1547) DS 1604.
A. echemA, “Sacraments of Christian Initiation: Channels for Evangelization and Salvation,” in
The Nigerian Journal of Theology 31 (June 2017) 123.
CCC 1127.
t. AquiNAs, Summa Theologica III, 68, 8.
m.g. lAwler, Symbol and Sacrament: A Contemporary Sacramental Theology. New York/
Mahwah: Paulist Press, 1987, 38.
Cf. e. schillebeeckX, Christ the Sacrament of Encounter with God. London and Sydney: Sheed
and Ward, 1963, 82-85.
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Sacraments are, therefore, the final events in the historical working-out of the
relationship between God and humans in the economy of salvation. Although they
are means of salvation, their function is more as signs of salvation. The Church’s
sacramental service is directed ultimately to the honour of God but in the first
instance it is for the sake of human beings and their union with God.
However, The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy points out that “the liturgy
does not exhaust the entire activity of the Church,”25 nor is the spiritual life limited
only to participation in the liturgy.26 For this reason, the Church highly endorses the
popular devotions of the Christian people, which should be so organized “that they
harmonize with the liturgical seasons, accord with the sacred liturgy, are in some
way derived from it, and lead the people to it.”27 While these others are optional,
there is an obligation to participate in the Sunday liturgy.
In some cases, both the clergy and Christ’s faithful confuse the liturgy with
popular devotions, the sacraments and sacramentals. This distinction ought to be
made clear both to the people of God and the clergy. Oftentimes, the faithful do not
realize the tremendous nature of the liturgy. They are conscious of the horizontal
plane, their own actions and the effect of their actions. The liturgy is seen as another
human assembly in which human actions are determinant. Some people invest so
much in making such assemblies interesting, enjoyable, captivating, exciting and
emotionally fulfilling. That is why psychedelism in various forms, in music, dances,
method of preaching and decorations is becoming the order of the day.28 But the
beauty of liturgy does not lie so much in what we do or how interesting and satisfying
it becomes to us, as much as how deeply we are drawn into something that already
happens which is profoundly divine and liberative. The liturgy is greater than us and
carries with it a totally transforming effect, which we often cannot fully grasp. It is
Christ’s Paschal victory celebrated in heaven and on earth.29
The Liturgy and the Church
The Church has a great responsibility towards her liturgical life. The seriousness
of this matter has been made clear to all, down the centuries. Writing on the rites,
Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI, Emeritus) states: “They elude
control by any individual, local community, or regional Church. Unspontaneity is
25
26
27
28
29
Cf. SC 9.
SC 12.
SC 13.
okeke 53.
rANJith 19.
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Abuses Threatening True Christian Worship and the Celebration of the Sacraments
of their essence.”30 Consequently, “…no other person whatsoever, not even a priest
may add, remove or change anything in the liturgy on their own authority.”31 And
so, the clear demand of the great Pope St. John Paul II is only normative: “No one
is permitted to undervalue the mystery entrusted to our hands; it is too great for
anyone to feel free to treat it lightly and with disregard for its sacredness and its
universality.”32
Since Christ is the main subject of liturgical action, nobody is allowed or
permitted to arbitrarily change or tamper with the essential orientations or norms of
liturgy. Otherwise, we would be not so different from those who, impatient at waiting
for Moses to descend from the mountain, constructed a golden calf and worshipped
what was made by their own choosing. They made their own ritual, eating, drinking
and merry making – “playing god” in the process and the Holy Scriptures mention
what then happened to them.33 This reference to the golden calf, according to the then
Cardinal Ratzinger, is “a warning about any kind of self-initiated and self-seeking
worship.” When such a thing happens, liturgy automatically becomes “pointless,
just fooling around. Or still worse, it becomes an apostasy from the living God,
an apostasy in sacral disguise. All that is left in the end is frustration, a feeling of
emptiness. There is no experience of that liberation which always takes place when
man encounters the living God.” 34
Abuses in Liturgical Celebrations: The African Experience
Although abuses in liturgical celebrations have been there from the years
following the post conciliar liturgical reforms, they seem to be more common in
our own days. One of such abuses is the “arbitrary alterations of ‘liturgical’ texts,”
which is as a result of a misguided sense of creativity and inculturation. Recently,
the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) in its Communiqué at the
end of its Second Plenary Meeting at Domus Pacis Pastoral Centre, Akure, 8-16
September, 2016 seriously expressed concern on this matter.35 Some people wish to
make the liturgy more “interesting” or palatable to what they call “our times.” They
invent their own norms, thereby running the risk of emptying liturgy of its essential
inner dynamism which can only result to the so-called worship-forms becoming
eventually tasteless and boring. The use of unapproved texts and rites, the on-the-
30
31
32
33
34
35
J. rAtziNger, The Spirit of the Liturgy, San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2000, 165.
SC 22; CIC, c. 873, 838, 846; see also Vicesimus quintus annus, December 4, 1988, 10.
Ecclesia De Eucharistia 52.
rANJith 17.
rAtziNger 23.
CBCN, Communiqué 2016.
97
AustiN echemA
spot improvisation are not what makes the liturgy interesting and effective. On the
contrary, they can only lead to “manipulations of horizontalism, man-centeredness
and even desacralization and banalization.”36
People do not go to Mass in order to admire the preacher, the choir, the readers
or even one another. The primary movement of the Mass is vertical, toward God and
not horizontal, toward one another. The Eucharistic sacrifice and indeed all other
liturgical celebrations are not something that we make or invent on our own. They
are gifts of Christ, our Redeemer, which he entrusted to his Body, the Church for
salvation.37 It is not proper for each celebrating priest or local community to presume
to have the right to create or invent words, and gestures in the sacred liturgy. In the
words of Robert Cardinal Sarah, “We observe more and more that man seeks to
take the place of God. The liturgy then becomes a mere human game. If Eucharistic
celebrations turn into human celebrations of ourselves and places where we apply
our pastoral ideologies and partisan political preference, which have nothing to do
with spiritual worship that is to be celebrated as God wills, the danger is immense.
For then God disappears.”38
By its very nature, liturgy is fixed in form and procedure, in structure and
essential content. This is the genius of liturgical worship. It is repetitive and
therefore, a certain predictability and stability is unavoidable. This may sometimes
lead to dull or mechanical routine. But liturgical fidelity is a matter of charity, unity
and finally of faith. Fidelity necessarily includes obedience, recognizing specific
limits and accepting liturgical authority. This means that “creativity” cannot be an
authentic category for matters liturgical.39
These fundamental structures of the liturgy uphold the unity and catholicity
of the liturgy in the interest of the good order of the whole Church. They reassure
parish communities and dioceses that they are in union and communion with the
universal Church in the celebration of Mass as well as other sacraments that span
over the centuries. It reinforces the sense of belonging to a worldwide Church, and
bears witness to the unity and coherence of the Church’s tradition. The faithful come
to Mass knowing what to expect in the readings, prayers, gestures and movements.
It is their right to receive a liturgy celebrated according to the approved books of the
36
37
38
39
f. AriNze, “The Role of Liturgical Norms in the Eucharistic Celebration.” An Address to the Path to
Rome International Conference in Mexico City on November 3, 2007; Notitiae (Nov-Dec 2007) 2.
A. echemA, “The Importance of Liturgical Norms in the Eucharistic Celebration: The Nigerian
Experience,” in The Nigerian Journal of Theology 29 (June 2015) 65.
r. sArAh, God or Nothing: A Conversation on Faith with Nicholas Diat, San Francisco: Ignatius
Press, 2015, 275-276.
Cf. rAtziNger 168; Echema 67.
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Abuses Threatening True Christian Worship and the Celebration of the Sacraments
Church.40 Any neglect of the liturgical rules, leaves the People of God at the mercy
of the priest’s personal ideas, feelings, theories, or idiosyncrasies.
By their very nature, liturgy and the sacraments do not admit arbitrariness
because as the action of Christ and the Church, they are official and public; hence
any changes have to be official and not at the instance of the individual ministers.41
And as Anagwo rightly puts it, “these celebrations are contained in the official
liturgical books so that the liturgical practices would not be exercised according to
individual’s whims and caprices.”42
But is there any room for creativity in the liturgy? The answer is yes, but it has
to be according to the established liturgical norms and not the creativity of inventing
novelties or of trying to entertain people. According to Cardinal Arinze, “the liturgy is
not a field for self-expression, free creation, and the demonstration of personal tastes.
Idiosyncrasies tend to attract attention to the person rather than to the mysteries of
Christ being celebrated. They can also upset, puzzle, annoy, mislead, or confuse the
congregation.”43 Indeed, “ample flexibility,” “is given for appropriate creativity aimed
at allowing each celebration to be adapted to the needs of the participants, to their
comprehension, their interior preparation and their gifts, according to established
liturgical norms.”44 But the document warns that, “it should be remembered that the
power of the liturgical celebrations does not consist in frequently altering the rites, but
in probing more deeply the Word of God and the mystery being celebrated.”45
Any private recasting of ritual by any priest or lay faithful is an insult to
the dignity of the believer and introduces individualism and idiosyncrasies into
celebrations which belong to the whole Church. Generally, experimentation and
creativity can only cause scandal, confuse the congregation, breed uncertainty,
perplexity, opposition and factionalism. One such example is the abuse in the
practice of Eucharistic adoration, whereby people are confused with regard to sound
faith and Catholic doctrine concerning this wonderful sacrament. The Bishops of
Nigeria pointed this out in what they referred to as “the exposition of the Blessed
Sacrament as if it is a magical and theatrical display.”46
What the People of God expect from their pastor every Sunday is not novelty
but a celebration of the sacred mysteries that nourishes faith, manifests devotion,
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
Cf. Redemptionis Sacramentum (henceforth RS) 12, 18, 24, 184.
Cf. b.e. ukutegbe, “The Dignity and Place of Liturgical Books in Sacred Liturgy: An Evaluation
in the Light of Digital Revolution” in B. Ukutegbe, ed. et. al. Abuses in the Liturgy…2018, 98.
e. ANAgwo, Liturgy in the Life of the Faithful, Onitsha: Laurans Prints, 2012, 7.
f. AriNze, Celebrating the Holy Eucharist, San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2006, 85.
RS 39.
RS 39; cf. Liturgicae Instaurationes 202.
CBCN, Communiqué 2016.
99
AustiN echemA
awakens piety, leads to prayer, enriches and incites them to active charity in their
daily life.47
Another serious abuse in the liturgy is the non-observance of liturgical norms.
This abuse is so serious that it actually invalidates the Mass and other sacraments
which eventually prevent participants from sharing fully in the celebration of the
mysteries of Christ. The abuse stems from a false understanding of freedom. That is
why some priests do not see anything wrong in experimentation.
Some priests in Nigeria invent their own liturgy, introduce extraneous gestures,
icons, dances, secular greetings and invite the congregation to recite some parts of the
Eucharistic prayer meant for the priest alone.48According to Liturgicae Instaurationes
4: “The Eucharistic prayer more than any other part of the Mass is, by reason of his
office, the prayer of the priest alone.”49 “Recitation of any part by a lesser minister of
the assembly, or any individual is forbidden. Such course conflicts with the hierarchic
character of the liturgy in which all are to do all but only those parts belonging to them.
The priest alone, therefore, is to recite the entire Eucharistic prayer.”50 The part of Mass
most violated in this regard is when the priest invites the congregation to join him to
sing or say, “Through him, and with him, and in him, O God, Almighty Father….”
This prayer said immediately after the Eucharistic prayer is for the principal celebrant
alone or in a concelebration with concelebrants, never with the congregation.51
Furthermore, some priests have plagued the liturgy with additions, commentaries,52
idle chatter and totally unjustified modifications or omissions. Even the lay faithful
are not totally exonerated. The recent introduction in some places of a liturgical
gesture such as waving of the hands or handkerchiefs after the dismissal injunction
has no place in the Catholic liturgy. This is nothing but one of those useless influences
from the Pentecostal churches, which should be discouraged.
47
48
49
50
51
52
echemA 69.
e.c. ANAgwo, “Liturgical Norms and Good Governance: The Imperative of the Rule of Law,” in
Areopagus 3 (October, 2013) 25.
Cf. GIRM 10.
SC 28.
echemA 74.
Some pious celebrants are guilty of this ‘sin,’ when they gloss all the prayers and explain all the
gestures: “Now the priest is about to present to God the bread that has been gotten through the
hard work of men: “Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for through your goodness we have
received the bread we offer you….” “All together now let us proclaim our faith in Christ who is
present in our midst: “The Mystery of Faith…” Or the singing of choruses at the elevation of the
host or chalice during consecration, etc. This sort of thing only shows a thirst for novelty (calling
as it does for a climate of theatrical production and representation) and the urge to impress. This is
in stark opposition to the notion of a ritual that has been handed down through the centuries. See
Denis Crouan, The Liturgy Betrayed, San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2000, 14.
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Abuses Threatening True Christian Worship and the Celebration of the Sacraments
Priests are to be reminded that the only valid matter for the celebration of
Holy Mass consists of wheat unleavened bread and grape wine. GIRM 319 says:
“Following the example of Christ, the Church has always used bread and wine
with water to celebrate the Lord’s Supper.” And GIRM 320 adds: “The bread for
celebrating the Eucharist must be made only from wheat, must be recently baked,
and, according to the ancient tradition of the Latin Church, must be unleavened.53
Likewise the wine for the Eucharist must be from the fruit of the grape vine (cf. Lk.
22:18), natural, and pure, that is not mixed with any foreign substance.54 Again, care
must be taken to ensure that the elements are kept in good condition; that the wine
does not turn to vinegar or the bread spoil or become too hard to be broken easily.”55
There are loud rumours today that some priests use unauthorized wine
such as Baron de Valls, Jacob’s wine, Bacchus, and other similar table wines to
celebrate the holy Eucharist. But the use of unauthorized bread or wine invalidates
transubstantiation. There are rare exceptions where bishops may grant individual
priests with allergies or alcohol problems the right to use low-gluten altar bread
or mustem (a specific form of grape juice with fermentation suspended). It is a
grave sin for a priest to celebrate Mass knowing the matter is invalid. Similarly,
priests ought to know that the use of private texts, the proliferation of unapproved
Eucharistic Prayers and the manipulation of the liturgical texts tantamount to a
falsification of the Catholic liturgy. They should realize as Thomas Aquinas warns:
“One who offers worship to God on the Church’s behalf in a way contrary to that
which is laid down by the Church with God-given authority and which is customary
in the Church is guilty of falsification.56
Such falsifications can never bring good results; instead the consequences are
the impairing of the unity of faith and worship in the Church, doctrinal uncertainty,
scandal and bewilderment among the People of God, and the near inevitability of
violent reactions. The faithful have a right to a true liturgy, which is the liturgy
desired and laid down by the Church. Undue experimentation, changes and creativity
bewilder the faithful.57
Another worrisome practice in Nigeria is the unscrupulous manner in which
some priests handle the consecrated hosts. Some leave them in their rooms, cars,
even carry them in their pockets as substitute for charms and talisman against
53
54
55
56
57
Cf. CIC, c 924, 1,2,3; also c 926.
GIRM 322.
GIRM 323.
t. AquiNAs, Summa Theologiae, 2-2, q. 93, a.1.
Sacred Congregation for the Sacraments and Divine Worship, Instruction Concerning Worship
of the Eucharistic Mystery, Inaestimabile Donum, April 17, 1980, Boston: Daughters of St. Paul,
1980; see also Crouan, 49-51.
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AustiN echemA
armed robbers and evil people. Some use the Holy Eucharist to administer oath
taking. These practices are signs of lack of reverence and respect for the Blessed
Sacrament.
Another practice which “obscures the very essence of Catholic worship and
is gradually eroding the true Catholic identity” according to the Nigerian Bishops
is “excessive monetary collections.”58 Eugene E. Uzukwu calls this abuse, “the
introduction of patterns of cooperative development or improvement unions into
the rite of the ‘presentation of gifts’ during the Eucharistic Celebration.”59 The
presentation of gifts or offerings in procession, according to the Roman rite, involves
simply bringing the bread and wine to the altar accompanied by the offertory hymn.
Money or gifts for the poor and the Church may also be collected or brought forward
during the preparation of the gifts.60
But today, this has become a fundraising strategy to ensure a self-reliant
Church. All offertory hymns are carefully composed to inspire and ensure maximum
participation of all. The procession is accompanied by singing, handclapping, and
dancing. The minister often stands before the altar to sprinkle holy water on those
presenting their gifts. The dramatic display of this kind of presentation of gifts is on
Cathedraticum, Harvest and Bazaar. We are all witnesses to the exaggerations and
abuses in this way of celebration, which include the noise and distraction, the loud
music and excessive dancing, the thorough-fare among the People of God in the bid
to make change whereby they reduce their money to smaller denominations. On the
part of priests, they rush the Eucharistic liturgy – what is understandable after over
two hours of intensive dancing, shouting, auctioneering and breaking (selling) of
kola nuts with half of the congregation gone.61
This aberration has given rise to the syndrome of 2nd and 3rd collections in one
particular Mass. As a corollary to this abuse is the recent development of launching
during a funeral Mass. No matter the intention of the deceased or the bereaved, this
practice smarks of insensitivity, lack of respect for the dead and defiance to liturgical
decorum. Part of the “excessive monetary collections” is the current trafficking with
tithes. This is considered by many as evidence of corruption in the Church; it is
exploitation of unsuspecting lay faithful and at worst extortion. Tithing is one of
those unfortunate practices copied from some gullible Pentecostal pastors who are
58
59
60
61
CBCN, Communiqué 2016.
e.e. uzukwu, Worship as Body Language. Introduction to Christian Worship: An African
Orientation, Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1997, 273.
Cf. GIRM 49-53.
A. echemA, “Pastoral Administration of Sacraments and Sacramentals: Abuses,” in Maurice
Jiwike, ed., The Challenges of the Pastoral Ministry in a Pluralistic Society, Owerri: Assumpta
Press, 2004, 45.
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Abuses Threatening True Christian Worship and the Celebration of the Sacraments
bent on impoverishing their members in order to enrich themselves. The fact that
the hierarchy has not yet made any official statement on tithe does not justify it. The
liturgy must not be used for any economic or selfish end. The primary purpose of all
liturgical celebrations, especially the Holy Eucharist (Mass) is the glorification of
God, and sanctification of humanity.
The cry of the Nigerian Bishops about “the near absence of silence and
decorum during liturgical celebrations” is justifiable. Indeed, the liturgy of the
Church in some African countries like Nigeria today has become a noisy affair.
Fulton Sheen describes our age as probably the most talkative in the history of
the world. Hyperactivity and love of noise and chatter characterize our age. The
Church’s liturgy seems to have fallen victim to this societal malaise and has become
an abundance of words.62
According to Sacrosanctum Concilium, “At the proper times all should observe
a reverent silence.”63 “For in the liturgy God speaks to his people and Christ is still
proclaiming his Gospel.”64 The fundamental attitude of the “homo liturgicus” – both
individually and collectively – is one of receptivity, readiness to listen, self-giving
and self-relativizing. It is the attitude of faith, and faithful obedience; of orientation
towards God, wonder, adoration and praise. It is an attitude of contemplation that is
alien to the “homo faber” in many of us.65
The generation of noise in the celebration of the centre and summit of the
Church’s liturgy is as a result of the excessive epic mimicking of the Pentecostal TV
preachers by some priests and even the lay faithful. Their excessive and emotional
singing of choruses and dancing have left the Church’s liturgy half Pentecostal and
half Catholic. The indiscriminate and frequent calling of God’s name, commanding
Him and apparent physical manipulation of the Holy Spirit with the noise and
shouting that go with such invocations have turned the solemn liturgy into a noisy
affair. The irony of the whole matter is that the more noise one generates, the more
acceptable one becomes. On account of the quantity of the words we utter at the
liturgical celebrations, a loss of quality must be feared.66
Another area that signals danger to the sacraments and sacramentals is the
indiscriminate anointing going on, including bathing of “clients” with special water
and oil. The new Rite of Anointing of the Sick stipulates: “The sick person is anointed
62
63
64
65
66
echemA, “Foreword,” in Benedict Ukutegbe, et. al. ed., Active Participation and the Church in
Nigeria, Warri: St. Paul’s Printing Press, 2017, XI.
SC 30.
SC 33.
g. dANNeels, “Liturgy Forty Years After the Second Vatican Council: High Point or Reception,” in
Keith Pecklers, ed., Liturgy in a Postmodern World, London – New York: Continuum, 2003, 10.
echemA, “Pastoral Administration…” 51.
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AustiN echemA
on the forehead and on the hands ... In case of necessity, however, it is sufficient that
a single anointing be given on the forehead or, because of the particular condition of
the sick person, on another suitable part of the body ….”67
Ordinarily, “the oil of the sick is blessed by the Bishop on Holy Thursday.”68
But “in a case of necessity, any priest but only in the actual celebration of the
sacrament” (c. 999 §2) may bless the oil of the sick. Today, however, some priests
anoint indiscreetly with total disregard to the rules. Some have their own special
oil blessed and sold at exorbitant prices. These abuses are nothing short of simony,
which was part of what caused the Protestant revolt of Martin Luther in the 16th
century. Some priests constitute themselves into personality cults, super priests
(Fada karaka) and give the impression that their oil, water or other sacramentals are
special and more efficacious than the normal ones.
Consequently, they sometimes present these sacramentals as having power in
themselves and, therefore, become a substitute for charms. It is no longer the faith
of the Church and of the Christian at work but that of magical Holy Water, Crucifix,
Chaplet, Scapular, etc. The Church is very careful with the ministry of exorcism.
Apart from the canons of the new code of 1983, the Congregation for the Doctrine
of the Faith has published certain Instructions on Prayers for Healing. Articles 1-10
of the Disciplinary Norms of this Document need to be made known to our priests
and seminarians. They need to know also the Guidelines for the Healing Ministry
in the Catholic Church in Nigeria issued by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of
Nigeria in 1997.
Ignorance is part of the problem. No wonder the prophet Hosea laments: My
people perish for want of knowledge! Since you have rejected knowledge, I will
reject you from my priesthood. Since you have ignored the law of your God, I will
also ignore your sons (4:6).
There is nothing like Healing Mass. It is totally forbidden to introduce into the
celebration of the Holy Mass, the Sacraments or the Liturgy of the Hours, prayers for
healing- whether liturgical or non-liturgical, and nobody may exercise the ministry
of exorcism without the express permission of the diocesan Bishop.”69
67
68
69
Pastoral Care of the Sick: Rites of Anointing, 23; see also c. 1000.
Pastoral Care of the Sick: Rites of Anointing, 221.
C. 1172; see also Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Instruction on Prayers for Healing, 8.
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Abuses Threatening True Christian Worship and the Celebration of the Sacraments
Conclusion
The Catholic Liturgy is greater than we are and carries with it a totally
transforming effect, which we often cannot fully grasp. It is Christ’s Paschal
Mystery and victory celebrated in heaven and on earth. Cardinal Ratzinger has
earlier on affirmed these truths in the following words: The life of the liturgy does
not come from what dawns upon the minds of individuals and planning groups. On
the contrary, it is God’s descent upon our world, the source of real liberation. He
alone can open the door to freedom. The more priests and faithful humbly surrender
themselves to this descent of God, the more “new” the liturgy will constantly be,
and the more true and personal it becomes. Yes, the liturgy becomes personal, true,
and new, not through tomfoolery and banal experiments with the words, but through
courageous entry into the great reality that through the rite is always ahead of us and
can never quite be over-taken.70
At ordination, the Church entrusts her own form of worship to each priest
according to a specific rite. The priest does not determine the forms and content of
that rite. In every liturgical celebration, his intention must be to do what the Church
does. Since he is performing a sacred rite in the name of Christ, he must intend what
Christ, and therefore, the Church of Christ intends. One way of proving that this
intention agrees with that of Christ and the Church is by respecting the laws that
govern the celebration of the liturgy, which includes obedience, recognizing specific
limits and accepting liturgical authority.71
Liturgical abuses are a phenomenon that reveals a serious shortcoming of the
inability to interiorize rituals through which personality and social life grow and
develop. In the absence of this work of interiorization, which is an educational work
of the first importance, certain juvenile – not to say infantile – personalities keep
their relationships in a basic state of violence. It is this basic state that explains why
celebrants who are the most eager to embrace liturgical modifications are found to
have a propensity to reject any kind of authority, starting with the authority of the
Pope and the Roman Curia, to that of the Roman Missal and other official liturgical
books.72
As Francis Cardinal Arinze points out, “the spirit of rejecting rules and
regulations, regarded as a violation of one’s autonomy, needs to be corrected. It is
wrong and unreasonable to maintain an attitude of ‘Nobody is going to tell me what
to do.’ This would be a false understanding of liberty.”73 Similarly, Redemptionis
70
71
72
73
rAtziNger 169.
echemA, “Pastoral Administration …,” 53.
grouAN 27.
AriNze, Celebrating the Holy Eucharist, 904.
105
AustiN echemA
Sacramentum instructs: “God has not granted us in Christ an illusory liberty by
which he may do what we wish, but a liberty by which we may do that which is
fitting and right.”74
Finally, it is the right and duty of the Local Ordinary to legislate on liturgical
celebrations which include the sacraments and sacramentals. He is the absolute
interpreter of liturgical laws in his diocese. As the GIRM puts it: “The diocesan
Bishop is the chief steward of the mysteries of God in the particular Church entrusted
to his care; he is the moderator, promoter, and guardian of the whole of its liturgical
life.” 75
74
75
RS 7.
GIRM 22, SC 41, cf. secoNd vAticAN ecumeNicAl
Bishops, Christus Dominus 15.
106
couNcil,
Decree on the Pastoral Office of
EJ 13 (2019) 107-121
THE POLITICAL THEOLOGY OF POPE FRANCIS
AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE FOR THE CHURCH IN NIGERIA
bede ukwuiJe, CSSp
Within a period of four months, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria
(CBCN) issued two statements about the sociopolitical situation in the country. In
the context of the killing of two priests and their parishioners in Mbalom, Benue
State, on 24 April 2018, the Bishops decried the inefficiency of the Government
and went to the extent of calling on the President to resign if he could not protect
the citizens under his care1. On August 8, 2018, the CBCN issued a press release
to Major Superiors of Institutes of Consecrated Life, Catholic Priests, Consecrated
men and women and Catholic Lay Faithful, concerning the role of the faithful in
political life. The Bishops declared that the Church is “apolitical.2”
Unfortunately, the expression “apolitical” drew too much attention that
it distracted people from understanding the clear position of the Bishops. Many
thought that the expression “apolitical” could support the thesis of those who want
to restrain bishops and priests to the sacristy in order to achieve the modern project
of privatization of faith and religion. The fear is understandable because, taken in
its original sense, “apolitical” means “having no interest or involvement in political
affairs” or having an aversion to politics or political affairs” or again “having no
political significance3.” Nevertheless, the Bishops meant that the Church should
neither be identified with a particular political party nor should liturgical ceremonies
be used as opportunity for political campaigns4. The whole press release shows that
they clearly understand the necessary role the Church is called to play in the political
life of a people.
In this article, I will argue that what the Church in Nigeria needs is a wellarticulated “political theology” which will underline the political implications of the
Christian profession of faith and show the conditions for a healthy Church-politics
relationship. I will also show that Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii
1
2
3
4
cAtholic bishoPs’ coNfereNce of NigeriA, “When Will This Barbarism End?”, April 2018.
cAtholic bishoPs’ coNfereNce of NigeriA, “Press Release”, August 8, 2018.
Meriam Webster Dictionary, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apolitical, (Consulted
on 25 February, 2019).
See the judicious clarification of Francis Oborji, “Is the Church Apolitical in Nigeria?”, https://
theworldnews.net/ng-news/francis-anekwe-oborji-is-the-church-political-or-apolitical-in-nigeria,
(consulted on 25 February 2019).
107
bede ukwuiJe, cssP
Gaudium,5 demonstrates an exemplary political theology which could help the
Church in Nigeria to define a balanced approach to politics.
First, I will explain the term “political theology.” Second, I will discuss Pope
Francis’ approach to Church-politics relationship in Evangelii Gaudium (EG).
Finally, I will sketch out the significance of this approach for the Church-Politics
relationship in Nigeria.
What is Political Theology?
Political theology does not mean an attempt to draw political programs from
Christian dogmatic expressions. It is a response to the question of the practical
implications of the Christian faith in a particular society.6 As clearly explained by
Johan Baptist Metz, political theology is a refusal of the privatisation of religion and
the Christian faith. It brings theology to understand the Church as “an institution of
social critique that is situated neither besides nor above the social reality. Such a
Church will avoid the trap of aligning with a particular political ideology. This sets
her free for a possible cooperation with the different institutions and groups in the
state and society”.7
The framework of the relationship between Religion and politics was fixed in
the theology of two giants, Augustine of Hippo and Thomas Aquinas. While the first
expresses what is commonly called eschatological reservation, the second, on the
other hand, demonstrates a theologico-political optimism.8
The General Framework of Political Theology: Augustine and Aquinas
Augustine’s Eschatological Reservation
Augustine of Hippo exposed his political theology in the City of God written
between 413 and 427. To understand his position, it is important to refer to the
context of his ideas. The fusion between the Church and the State under Emperor
Constantine gave birth to triumphalism in the Church. In his book, Ecclesiastical
History (323/4), the fourth-century historian, Eusebius reports that the Emperor
5
6
7
8
PoPe frANcis, Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium, Rome, 24 November 2013.
Cf. m. kirwAN, Political Theology, A New Introduction, London, Darton-Longman and Todd,
2008; Johan Baptist Metz, “Théologie politique et liberté critico-sociale”, Concilium, 36, June,
1968, 9-25; b. ukwuiJe, “Existe-t-il une théologie politique en Afrique ?”, Laval Théologique et
Philosophique, Vol 63, n°2, June, 2007, 291-303; b. ukwuiJe, “La théologie politique d’Evangelii
Gaudium”, Joël Molinario et François Moog (Eds.) Henri Jérôme Gagey, La théology et le travail
de la foi, Salvator, Paris, 2015, 65-79.
J.B. metz, “Théologie politique et liberté critico-sociale”, 24.
Cf. m. kirwAN, Political Theology, 55-71.
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The Political Theology of Pope Francis and its Significance for the Church
triumphed at the battle of Milvian Bridge (AD 312) under the sign of the cross,
after having been allegedly told by Christ, “In hoc signo vinces” (Under this sign
you shall conquer). Consequently, people saw in Constantine, the face of God on
earth, the reflection of God’s invisible Logos, mediator between God and man.9 This
vision of history, devoid of eschatology was put to question by the destruction of
Rome in 410. On one hand, the pagans accused Christians of attracting the anger of
the gods on the Roman empire while on the other hand, Christians wondered why
such a calamity would befall an empire and her emperor supposedly protected by
God.
Borrowing from neo-Platonic concepts, Augustine exposes an agnostic
interpretation of history. The Roman empire was neither holy nor diabolical.
It was neither God’s instrument nor that of the devil. “Like all human work, its
ultimate value is determined by the ultimate allegiances of its creators: their piety or
impiety”.10 Augustine distinguishes between two cities, the civitas of God and the
civitas of the devil, also called the heavenly city and the earthly city. They are not
geographical entities but mystical realities. They are created by two kinds of love:
“the self-love reaching to the point of contempt for God (earthly city), the heavenly
love of God carried as far as contempt for self”.11 The two cities are not externally
different. They coexist in the contemporary history, the present time (saeculum).
They experience the same joys and sorrows, though they do not respond with the
same faith, hope and love. They will only be separated at the end of the time.12
Consequently, Augustine adopted what we designated as “eschatological
reservation”. He refused to sacralize or absolutize the State or even any other human
institution. Earthly politics is a lesser evil, a product of the Fall and belongs to the
sinful human condition.13 The State plays an important role for the fact that it helps
to control the human desire for domination and vengeance. No historical condition
or process can accomplish or slow down the fulfilment of God’s promise to man
revealed in Jesus Christ. This will only be fulfilled in God’s kingdom.
Thomas Aquinas’ Theologico-political Optimism
Thomas Aquinas adopted a position contrary to that of Augustine. Borrowing
from Aristotelian concepts, revised and corrected with the reading of the Scripture,
Aquinas understands man as a political animal. He does not see any irreconcilable
9
10
11
12
13
Cf. m. kirwAN, Political Theology, 57-58.
m. kirwAN, Political Theology, 59.
m. kirwAN, Political Theology, 60.
Cf. AugustiNe, The City of God, Book 1, 35.
m. kirwAN, Political Theology, 68.
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tension between the pursuit of earthly goods and eternal goods.14 He expresses
confidence in the political society and justice as natural qualities and possibilities.
The goal of political activity is not the suppression of rebellion rather it is the quest
for virtue and happiness. Referring to Matthew 22, 21(“Very well, give back to
Caesar what belongs to Caesar – and to God what belongs to God”) Aquinas states
that, on what concerns the management of civil good, one has to obey the secular
power.15
Modern Political Theologies
Modern essays in political theology evolve between Augustine and Aquinas’
framework. Johan Baptist Metz who popularized the expression “Political theology”
sees it as a “correction of the contemporary theology’s tendency to privatize faith”.16
That is why he assigns an eschatological function to the Church as “an institution
of social critique…situated neither besides nor beyond the social reality”.17 He
introduced the concept of “dangerous and subversive memory”, the “memoria
passionis, mortis et resurrectionis Jesu Christi” which must serve as the dynamic
for the defense of those on the defeated side of history, “les vaincus de l’histoire”.18
He defines religion as interruption. The first categories of interruption are love and
solidarity which help to remember not only successes but also what was destroyed
and what was lost. By so doing, Christianity represents human freedom as the
dangerous memory of the death and resurrection of Christ, through which history is
lived as history of the dead and those who suffer.
However, Metz notes that the Church should not limit herself to the function
of social critique. She must collaborate with other institutions and non-Christian
groups in the construction of the political society. In the light of Augustine, Metz
opts for eschatological reservation. He avoids the politicization of religion and the
sacralization of a particular political system. He shows that there is a permanent
critical and dialectical relationship between the Christian faith and the historical
present. In other words, one must maintain the distance between the achievements
of the present and the kingdom of God.
Other political theologies also developed within the framework fixed by
Augustine and Aquinas. For example, Neo-Augustinians, like the Radical Orthodoxy
14
15
16
17
18
t. AquiNAs, Summa Theologiae 1a 96 :4.
t. AquiNAs, Summa Theologiae 28, 1a, 2ae, 90-99.
J.-b. metz, «Théologie politique et liberté critico-sociale», in Concilium, 36 (Juin 1968), 9-25.
Ibid.
J.-B. Metz, La foi dans l’histoire et dans la société, essai de théologie fondamentale pratique,
Paris, Cerf, Coll. Cogitatio Fidei 99, 1979, 109.
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The Political Theology of Pope Francis and its Significance for the Church
of John Milbank19 and William Cavanaugh20 see the Church as an alternative
society. Instead of trying to save the secularized society, the Church should propose
a “counter-politics” from her own resources based on the Scripture and the Patristic
tradition in order to resist it.
On the other hand, the liberal approach of Public theology, especially that
of Reinhold Niebuhr and John Courtney Murray, in the light of Aquinas, thinks
that the Church has responsibility for the world to which it belongs. She is neither
outside nor beyond the world. She should take part in the public debate knowing that
theology has become a voice among others in the civil society.21
Theological currents like African and Latino-American Liberation theologies
belong to political theology. Liberation theology reads the Bible from the point of
view of the poor and the oppressed. The CELAM Congress held in Medellin in 1968
officially adopted the preferential option for the poor. Two years later, in 1970, African
liberation theology made two major options: the denunciation of anthropological
poverty and the quest for economic/political liberation.22 The approach was ratified
by the Ecumenical Association of Third-world Theologians held in Dar-Es Salaam,
Tanzania in 1976. It also found a positive resonance in the SECAM Assembly in 1984
under the chairmanship of Cardinal Malula.23 The intuitions of African Liberation
theology were later prolonged through the concept of reconstruction proposed by All
Africa Conference of Churches and popularized by Kä Mana.24 Reconstruction theology
calls on the Church to fight on three fronts:25 ‘Political’ – being actively involved in
the struggle for democracy; ‘Economical’ – going beyond charity institutions to create
and invest in wealth generating structures; ‘Social’ – mobilizing the societies around
values like solidarity, work, freedom, justice and truth.
From the foregoing, we can see that throughout the Church’s tradition, the
challenge of political theology has been how to articulate prophetic action of social
critique and the proposal of inventive ways of constructing a political society. This
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
J. milbANk, Theology and Social Theory: Beyond Secular Reason, Oxford/Cambridge USA, Basil
Blackwell, 1990; John Milbank, Catherine Pickstock, Graham Ward(eds), Radical Orthodoxy,
London, Routeldge, 1999.
w. cAvANAugh, Eucharistie et Mondialisation. La liturgie comme acte politique, Genève, AD
SOLEM, 2001, 10.
Cf. m. kirwAN, Political Theology, 184-185.
J.-M. elA, Le cri de l’homme africain, Paris, L’Harmattan, 1980.
Cf. SECAM, “L’Église et la promotion humaine aujourd’hui”, La Documentation catholique, 1913
(2 March 1986) 260-272.
K. mANA, Christ d’Afrique, Enjeux éthiques de la foi chrétienne en Afrique, Paris, Karthala,
1994 ; Foi chrétienne, crise africaine et reconstruction de l’Afrique. Sens et enjeux des théologies
africaines contemporaines, Nairobi/Lomé/Yaoundé, CETA/HAHO/CLE, 1992.
k. mANA, Christ d’Afrique, 58-60.
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supposes that religions renounce the temptation of fusion of the political community
and the religious community. In other words, it is not enough to say “no” to the
unacceptable, it is also important and necessary, on the basis of the “no” to take
risks and say “yes” to the creation of a possible living together. The next section will
explore how Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium pursues this
Christian tradition of political theology.
Evangelii Gaudium and Christian Tradition of Political Theology
Pope Francis did not use the expression “political theology”. Nevertheless,
the relationship between Church and Politics, which forms the background of
his presentation of the social dimension of the evangelization, is a real political
theology in the line of the tradition inaugurated by Augustine and Thomas Aquinas
and prolonged by contemporary political theologies.
While re-echoing the tradition of the Church’s social doctrine developed by his
predecessors26, Pope Francis brings in some accents of Latin American Liberation
theology. This is not surprising when we remember that he was the principal writer
of the Apparecida Document.27
Refusal of the Privatization of Faith and Religion
First, Francis refuses the privatization of faith and religion imposed by
secularization that dates back to the philosophy of Enlightenment (EG 182-183).
“The Church’s pastors, taking into account the contributions of the different sciences,
have the right to offer opinions on all that affects people’s lives, since the task of
evangelization implies and demands the integral promotion of each human being. It
is no longer possible to claim that religion should be restricted to the private sphere
and that it exists only to prepare souls for heaven” (EG 183).
In the light of Aquinas’ vision and the social doctrine of the Church, Francis
argues that the Church has responsibility to the world to which it belongs. This he said
belongs to the logic of the Christian faith. Confessing the Trinitarian faith, incarnated
in the person of Jesus Christ, and celebrated in the Eucharist, in the power of the Holy
Spirit, implies a profound desire to transform the world (EG 24, 178). Consequently,
26
27
PAul vi, Encyclical Letter , Populorum Progressio, Rome, 26 March 1967; Jean XXIII, Encyclical
Letter, Mater et Magistra, Rome, 15 May1961; Paul VI, Encyclical Letter, Octogesima Adveniens,
Rome 14 May 1971) ; John-Paul II, Encyclical Leter, Centissimus Annus, Rome, 1 May 1991;
Encyclical Letter, Sollicitudo Rei Socialis Rome, Rome, 30 December 1987; Benedict XVI,
Encyclical Letter, Deus Caritas Est, Rome, 25 December 2005.
V General Conference of the Episcopate of Latin America and the Caribbean, The Aparecida
Document 29 June 2007.
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The Political Theology of Pope Francis and its Significance for the Church
the Church should intervene in the debates on the social and national life, on the health
of the institutions of social life and on the events that concern the citizens (EG 183).
Expanding on the principle of subsidiarity (EG 240-241), Pope Francis
recognizes the positive role of the State and its proper sphere. While underlining
the co-responsibility between the Church and the State, he affirms that the mission
of the Church is to open up politics to transcendence, by teaching those involved in
state affairs and social institutions to listen to God.
Critique of Socio-political Institutions and Constructive Proposals
Secondly, Pope Francis demonstrates a fine political theology through a remarkable
balance between a severe critique of socio-political and economic institutions and the
proposal of ways to invent a true political society based on social peace.
The Church as an institution of social critique comes out clearly in the
denunciation of what Pope Francis calls the forces of dehumanization. To these
forces he says an unequivocal «No». «No to economic exclusion» and social
disparity based on the culture of prosperity and competition where «human beings
are themselves considered consumer goods to be used and then discarded» (EG 54).
«No to the new idolatry of money» (EG 55-56) which rules rather than serves (EG
57), which tends to take the place of God and man (EG 55). «No to the inequality
which spawns violence» (EG 59) and to the spirit of consumption (EG 60). «No
to cultural relativism» which gives “priority…to the outward, the immediate, the
visible, the quick, the superficial and the provisional” (EG 62, 64). Here, quoting
Ecclesia in Africa28, Francis underlines the devastating impact of this culture on
Africa. “In many countries globalization has meant a hastened deterioration of
their own cultural roots and the invasion of ways of thinking and acting proper
to other cultures which are economically advanced but ethically debilitated. This
fact has been brought up by bishops from various continents in different Synods.
The African bishops, for example, taking up the Encyclical Sollicitudo Rei Socialis,
pointed out years ago that there have been frequent attempts to make the African
countries “parts of a machine, cogs on a gigantic wheel” (EG 62).
However, as we observed above, Francis is not content with the critique of
socio-political institutions. He also makes concrete proposals for the construction of
a true political society. This comes out clearly in his unequivocal «Yes».
«Yes to solidarity» motivated by the Christian conviction about “the universal
destination of goods” (EG 189). Solidarity helps to place the dignity of the human
person and the common good at the center of all political and economic projects.
28
JohN-PAul ii, Apostolic Exhortation, Ecclesia in Africa, Rome, 14 September, 1995, 52.
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Yes to the transformation of the Market economy, in such a way that reduces
inequality which is one of the evils of the society (EG 202). This transformation
should also aim at solving the problem of poverty in a radical and definite way.
Yes to political commitment. Contrary to nihilistic ideologies, Pope Francis
underlines the “noblesse” of politics. “I ask God to give us more politicians capable
of sincere and effective dialogue aimed at healing the deepest roots – and not simply
the appearances – of the evils in our world! Politics, though often denigrated,
remains a lofty vocation and one of the highest forms of charity, inasmuch as it
seeks the common good (EG 205).” He calls on convinced Christians to be involved
in the political structures of the society in order to bring the most noble convictions
of Christianity and humanity to bear on decisions concerning the common destiny
of peoples.
Eschatological Reservation
Finally, in the light of Augustine’s eschatological reservation, Pope Francis
refuses to sacralize both the State and the Church. He subjects both institutions
to severe critique from the point of view of the Gospel, or what J. B. Metz calls
“the dangerous and subversive memory” of Jesus Christ – “the memoria passionis,
mortis et resurrectionis Jesu Christi”.
Both State and Church must adopt “the fundamental option for the poor” (EG
198-200) while being careful not to reduce the kingdom of God to the commitments
and achievements of the present time. Here shines out the significance of the four
principles for the construction of a people and the establishment of social peace: a)
“Time is greater than space” (EG 222-225): the deepest aspirations of the human
person cannot be reduced to and judged by the successes and failures of the present
moment; b) “Unity prevails over conflict” (EG 225-230), the reality of conflict has
to be faced, however, people must not let themselves be drowned in conflict to the
extent of losing sight of the horizon; c) “Realities are more important than ideas” (EG
231-333); d) “The whole is greater than the part” (EG 234), this is the principle of
catholicity. It affirms necessary connection between globalization and localization.
What are the implications of Pope Francis’ political theology for the shaping of
the relationship between Church and Politics in Nigeria?
Political Theology in Nigeria:
Continuing the Critique of Socio-political and Economic Institutions
Many people, especially, politicians are worried about the Church’s intervention
in the political process of Nigeria. They would have preferred that bishops, priests
and religious be contained in the sacristy. However, the dangerous memory of the
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The Political Theology of Pope Francis and its Significance for the Church
death and resurrection of Christ has socio-political implications. As we saw above,
Pope Francis in Evangelii Gaudium underlined clearly, “the profound connection
between evangelization and human advancement” (EG 178) which flows from heart
of the Gospel itself. Hence this affirmation already quoted, “It is no longer possible
to claim that religion should be restricted to the private sphere and that it exists only
to prepare souls for heaven” (EG 183).
The communiqué of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, at least
since1993 until the last two quoted above have been vigorous and consistent in
addressing the state of the nation, critiquing distortions and proposing ways for the
healing of the nation. These documents belong to the genre of political theology.
Individual bishops have also been consistent in the critique of social, political
and economic institutions in Nigeria. Suffice it to mention the positions adopted
by Cardinals Anthony Okogie and John Onaiyekan as well as Archbishop Anthony
Obinna and Bishop Matthew Kukah. We have seen their likes in other African
countries with Desmond Tutu and Buti Thlagale of South Africa; Isidore De Sousa
(Benin); Laurent Monsengwo (DRC); Ernest Combo (Congo Brazzaville); Peter
Sarpong (Ghana), etc. Theologians have to take up their texts/interventions and
explore their impact on the socio-political transformations of Nigeria as well as the
democratic transitions of their countries.
Certainly, the Church cannot draw political programs from Christian dogmatic
expressions. Neither can she be involved as Church in partisan politics. However, a
well-articulated political theology brings theologians and pastors to understand the
Church as an institution of social critique that is situated neither besides nor above the
social reality. Such a Church will avoid the trap of aligning with a particular political
ideology. This sets her free for a possible cooperation with the different institutions
and groups in the state and society.29 In that sense, even if the Church does not issue
political laws or decrees to the civil state, she continues “to make demands on lawgivers from a gospel perspective”30 and to urge Christians to participate actively in
the construction of the civil society.
Raising Foot-soldiers
Pope Francis invites convinced Christians to be involved in the political
transformation of their societies. This call has been reiterated in different documents
of the Church in Nigeria and Africa in general. What the Church needs to do better is
to reflect on how to equip convinced Christians for leadership and how to help them
29
30
Cf. J.-b. metz, “Théologie politique et liberté critico-sociale,” 24.
e. JüNgel, Justification, the Heart of the Christian Faith, T &T Clark, 2001, 276.
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to acquire the skills and competences that will help them to influence decisions at
the different political institutions of Nigeria.
There is a reality we have to face: everywhere in the world, involvement in
politics requires a lot of resources. It is sufficient to see how much one has to pay
to obtain the ticket as a candidate of a political party in Nigeria. Moreover, a lot of
money is required to influence economic, health and other policies at the highest
levels of government institutions. No economic policies are made without taking
into consideration the position or even the body language of some economic powers
and lobby groups. The point I am making here is that it is not enough to be a
convinced Christian for one to be involved in politics. It requires financial backing.
Could there be a lobby of Christian venture capitalists as we see in Germany, US
and other areas?
More still, in Nigeria, Africa and worldwide, beyond the officially recognized
parties, a lay person who wants to impact on politics must belong to one secret
society or another. There they get spiritual, moral and financial support as well
as security. This marginalizes and disqualifies convinced Christians, especially
Catholics. This role is being played more and more by certain fraternities like the
Knights.
I always think of two images in the Bible. Sometimes, some Catholic politicians
look like the crippled at the Pool of Bethesda (Jn. 5:1-15) who could not access
healing because he had no man to put him into the pool when the water was stirred
up. Whenever he attempted to enter the pool, others stepped before him. The second
image is that of the rich man, Joseph of Arimathea. He had the audacity to step into
Pilate’s palace and demand the body of Jesus after his crucifixion (Mt. 27:57-60,
Mk. 15:42-46; Lk. 23:50-54). The rich man used his social status to influence the
policies of the then political power. What would have happened to Jesus’ body if
Joseph of Arimathea did not risk his honor and privilege for him?
Can the Church in Nigeria venture further in this direction? Christian and
Catholic ideals cannot have concrete effects if there are no competent and lobby
groups that bring them to bear on discussions on policies and strategic plans of
governments? In a recent interview, Archbishop Anthony Obinna details some
initiatives taken by the Church.
Yes, the Church has a role in politics. In fact, the Catholic Church has played a
key role in the politics of Nigeria and Imo State…. Through our Justice, Development
and Peace Commissions/Caritas, JDPC, we have been conducting voter education,
monitoring elections. We’ve tried to even involve potential candidates for office,
particularly governorship. We’ve had open debate to interview some of the candidates
to find out what kind of quality they had…. We had occasions for political seminars
inviting people from the national office of Church and Society Abuja, with certain
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The Political Theology of Pope Francis and its Significance for the Church
international foundations. We’ve been in league also with some NGOs promoting
good governance.31
Such initiatives need to be multiplied. Church leaders can go further and
encourage men and women entrepreneurs, bankers, lawyers, health economists,
medical doctors, etc, who consider themselves as disciples of Jesus, to come out
of their reflex of self-protection and risk their positions and privileges in other to
influence decisions and policies in favor of justice and peace in the country. The
Kukah Center32, founded by Bishop Matthew Kukah is a milestone in this endeavour.
It aims at training responsible leaders for good governance. It also offers programs
for the conscientization of people so that they can participate actively in forging the
destiny of the country by voting actively and judiciously.
Living the Liturgy as Place of Resistance
African theologians have not paid much attention to the political implication of
Christian prayer and worship. Here again, it is not a question of instrumentalization
of Christian worship for political purposes. The reality is that Christian worship
offers resources for the right understanding and critique of socio-political structures
as well as the transformation of the society. William Cavanaugh affirms that
Christian liturgy “constitutes a political act which involves another representation
of space and time, where a body of resistance is built, the body of Christ33”. Contrary
to liberalism, Eucharistic practice expresses catholicity and fraternal communion,
which extends beyond the limits of every Nation-State.34 In that sense, when
Christians celebrate “One bread, One body, One Lord” they affirm the communion
to which all humanity is called beyond ethnic and political divides.
We do not have space here to analyze the political implication of the different
parts of the Eucharist. But let’s take for example the doxology which concludes
the Eucharistic prayer: “Through him with him and in him, in the unity of the Holy
Spirit, all glory and honor is yours for ever and ever.” This prayer declares that
all glory and honor, all power belongs to God, through Christ, with Christ and in
Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit. This is a great political affirmation which
contests and rejects all forms of absolutism of earthly power. This is in line with the
proclamation of Christ as King of the Universe. Nigerian Christians know this very
well when they proclaim “Jisos Igwe”. The way they shout it shows that they are
talking to all powers that be, especially those they feel oppress their people.
31
32
33
34
A. obiNNA, Interview with Emeka Ani – The Leader, Sunday April 22, 2018, 4.
Cf. The Kukah Centre, http://thekukahcentre.org/about-us, (Consulted on 30 May 2017).
w. cAvANAugh, Eucharistie et mondialisation, 17-18.
w. cAvANAugh, Eucharistie et mondialisation, 83.
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This liturgical space offers a wonderful and subtle political resistance that
cannot be domesticated by any political power. Different political regimes in Africa
are afraid of the subversive force of Christian worship. That is why they try to
domesticate it. They make efforts to attend Church celebrations during political
campaigns and attribute to themselves soteriological symbols that belong to Christ.
In some cases, like in Congo-Zaire of Mobutu Sesse Sekou, they attempt to ban or
disrupt Christian ceremonies. They follow and analyze the homilies of priests for
fear of their political implications.
In 1993, after the cancellation of the June 12 elections, which were considered
free and fair, Nigeria was at the threshold of chaos. The Bishops of Nigeria composed
the «Prayer for Nigeria in Distress».
All powerful and merciful Father. You are the God of Justice, Love and
peace, you rule over all the nations of the earth. Power and might are in
your hands and no one can withstand you. We present our country Nigeria
before you, we praise and thank you for you are the source of all we have
and are. We are sorry for all the sins we have committed and the good
deeds we have failed to do. In your loving forgiveness, keep us safe from
the punishments we deserved. Lord, we are weighed down not only by
uncertainties but also by moral, economic and political problems. we are
weighed down by clueless and inept leaders. Listen to the cries of your
people who confidently turn to you. God of infinite goodness, our strength
in adversity, our health in weakness, our comfort in sorrow. Be merciful, to
us your people; spare this nation Nigeria from chaos, anarchy and doom.
Spare us bad leaders. Bless us with your kingdom of Justice, Love and
Peace. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.35
This prayer is still said today in all the Churches. It is a severe critique of bad
governance and oppression in Nigeria. It is difficult for any government to control
freedom and protest people express while saying this prayer. At the same time, this
prayer keeps pricking the conscience of all, including those saying it, reminding them
of the necessity to build a healthy, just and peaceful political society. Theologians
and pastors need to help Christians to continue reflecting on the connection between
this liturgy and life in the society? In other words, how does what is celebrated in the
liturgy impact on the transformation of the social and political realities of African
peoples?
35
Cf. A. obiNNA, Interview with Emeka Ani – The Leader, Sunday April 22, 2018, 4.
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Developing the Political Implication of Sainthood
As Pope Francis recently wrote, “The processes of beatification and canonization
recognize the heroic virtue, the sacrifice of one’s life in martyrdom, and certain cases
where a life is constantly offered for others, even until death”.36 The cause of the
beatification and canonization of saints belongs to hagiography, history of holiness
and exhortation to piety. The saints are models of faith, whose lives bore witness to
Christ in the world and are proposed to Christians for emulation.
However, the beatification of saints has political implications and can be used by
the Church to propose values for an alternative society in a country like Nigeria. The
lives of saints can offer resources for the critique of the culture of death and violence
as well as the utilitarian culture that has eaten up the fabrics of our societies. We
cannot underestimate the political impact of the recent beatification of Salvadorian
Archbishop, Oscar Romero, for Latin America. Think also of the impact of the history
of the Martyrs of Uganda, of Josephine Bakhita, Anuarite Nengapeta and Blessed
Michael Iwene Tansi. In his homily at the canonization of the Martyrs of Uganda,
on 8 October, 1964, Pope Paul VI declared that the memory of these African martyrs
marked the beginning of a spiritual, cultural and socio-political revolution in Africa.
These African martyrs herald the dawn of a new age. If only the mind of man
might be directed not toward persecutions and religious conflicts but toward a rebirth
of Christianity and civilization! (....) The infamous crime by which these young men
were put to death was so unspeakable and so expressive of the times. It shows us
clearly that a new people needs a moral foundation, needs new spiritual customs
firmly planted, to be handed down to posterity. Symbolically, this crime also reveals
that a simple and rough way of life – enriched by many fine human qualities yet
enslaved by its own weakness and corruption – must give way to a more civilized
life wherein the higher expressions of the mind and better social conditions prevail”
(Saint Charles Lwanga and his Companions, Office of Readings, 3 June).
Africa needs more of such examples today.37 The ongoing process of beatification
of Julius Nyerere (Tanzania) and hopefully that of Alioune Diop (Senegal) could be
an act of political theology. By so doing, the Church affirms the connection between
statesmanship and holiness; that politics could be a locus of expression of holiness.
African political theology will help the local churches to articulate programs that can
support and sustain the emergence of Catholic men and women capable of exercising
political offices and remaining faithful to Christian and humanitarian ideals.
36
37
frANcis, Apostolic Exhortation, Gaudete et Exsultate, Rome 19 March 2018, 5.
Cf. e. kAtoNgole, Born from Lament. The Theology and Politics of Hope in Africa, Grand Rapids,
William Eerdmans, 2017, 164-178.
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bede ukwuiJe, cssP
Respecting the Eschatological Reservation
In light of Evangelii Gaudium, prolonging Augustine and the Church tradition
of political theology, the Church in Nigeria needs to maintain the principle of
“eschatological reservation.” No human institution, even the best of them, is perfect.
Even institutions with the best intentions can produce ambiguous and adverse
effects. Moreover, be it in Haiti, Democratic Republic of Congo or Nigeria, history
shows that the political sphere always reserves great surprises. Politicians do not
always keep their promises. Most times they use Church institutions and services
to accomplish their personal strategies. Here the Church should meditate deeply on
Pope Francis’ four principles for the construction of the society: Time is greater than
space; Unity prevails over conflict; Realities are more important than ideas; The
whole is greater than the part.
The Church’s Pastoral Constitution, Gaudium et Spes 76, teaches that the
salvation of man, the reign of God is not limited to the earthly realities. Speaking
of eschatological reservation, the German theologian, Eberhard Jüngel says: “I
believe, therefore I hope that world history will not be the judge of the world”.38
Even if the efforts made do not yield all the expected results, we should not lose
hope. Our future is in God and this future has already been inaugurated in the death
and resurrection of Christ. In that sense, even if the Church does not issue political
laws or decrees to the civil state, she continues “to make demands on law-givers
from a gospel perspective”39 and to urge Christians to participate actively in the
construction of the civil society.
Conclusion
I would like to conclude with few proposals that summarize the thesis of this
article.
(i) While it is true that the Church as an institution, as well as the clergy and
religious individually, should not be involved in partisan politics, the Church
cannot shy away from the political implication of the Christian faith.
(ii) Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium offers some solid
proposals for a healthy political theology. The Church in Nigeria can borrow
from it in order to contribute to the social, political and economic transformation
of the country.
38
39
e. JüNgel, “My Theology, A Short Summary”, Theological Essays II, Edinburgh, T&T Clark,
1995, 15.
e. JüNgel, Justification, the Heart of the Christian Faith, Endinbugh, T&T Clark, 2001, 276.
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The Political Theology of Pope Francis and its Significance for the Church
(ii) Borrowing from Pope Francis’ political theology, the Church in Nigeria
should continue to refuse the privatization of faith and the marginalization of
the Church in the political and cultural spheres. Given that the Christian faith
is founded on the incarnation of the Trinitarian God and that the redemption
of the human person has a social significance, the Church will continue to
intervene in the social, political debates where the lives of Nigerian citizens are
at stake.
(iv) The Church can and should help in the training of a Christian elite that is
capable of taking up political responsibilities and influencing economic and
political policies at all the levels of government.
(v) Theologians and pastors can help the Church to understand the value of
Christian worship as a free space where faith critiques unjust institutions. The
celebration of the Lordship of the Trinitarian God contests the absolutization of
all earthly power. Eucharistic celebration promotes catholicity and communion
and critiques all forms of discrimination and violence.
(vi) The Church in Nigeria and Africa can develop the political implications of the
theology of holiness. The causes of beatification/canonization of the sons of
daughters of Africa who lived an exemplary life can underline how these lives
challenge call for a spiritual, cultural and socio-political revolution. Where
those involved have assumed social and political responsibilities, it can show
that political commitment can also be a way to holiness.
(vii) Finally, by respecting the escatological reservation, the Church in Nigeria
will recognize the distance between the present and the future. The reign of
God that we expect and hope for cannot be confused with the socio-political
achievements of this world. Hence the need to avoid the sacralizaton of the
State or even the Church as institutions of the present time.
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EJ 13 (2019) 123-131
THE FAMILY AND THE KINGDOM OF GOD:
UNDERSTANDING THE DYNAMICS OF LUKE 14:25-33
FOR THE CHURCH IN AFRICA
luke emehiele iJezie
Introduction
The family is regarded as the smallest unit of the society, and in it one finds the
essential values that promote personal and social living. It is the most fundamental
institution for the growth of every human person. It becomes very surprising when
the text of Luke (14:25-33) appears to encourage hatred for one’s family. Why does
Jesus encourage his followers to hate their families? What does this text really
mean? What are its implications for the Church and Christianity in the African
context? The text addresses the basic question of the cost of discipleship and what it
really means to become a follower of Jesus and a candidate for the kingdom which
he inaugurates. The text poses great challenges to the average African who is very
much attached to family values.1 Most Africans would definitely choose the family
in a situation of conflict between opting for the family and the Christian demands.
The text of Luke 14:25-33
The text can be read from diverse perspectives, but what appears very
conspicuous is the theme of condition for discipleship. Three basic conditions
are stipulated for following Jesus, which some interpreters describe as three
renunciations, namely, renunciation of family ties, renunciation of personal life, and
renunciation of material possessions. The term renunciation, however, sounds very
problematic with regards to the Lucan text. It connotes the idea of repudiation or
denial, and it is doubtful whether that is what the text intends. That would have
implied not having a family at all, including not marrying, there is no sign that the
disciples of Jesus all renounced marriage. Perhaps, the term renunciation may apply
to the statement on possessions but not on the family and personal life. Jesus, rather,
talks of hating the family and the personal life which connotes a type of emotional
disposition. These could be looked at more in detail.
1
Cf. J. ekei-J. ANosike-J. NwANNA (eds), Church and Family in Africa (Awka: A Fab Educational
Books, 2009); Luke E. Ijezie, Stephen Audu & Agnes Acha (eds), The Family and the New
Evangelization (Port Harcourt: CATHAN Publications, 2016).
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Hatred of One’s Family
The first condition for following Jesus is put in a very radical way. One must
hate all members of one’s family. The very verb “hate” here is very problematic.
One recalls that Jesus preaches love for all in the Gospel, but here he calls for the
hate of family members, which is the opposite of love. This has made this text to
remain a very controversial one. One may even ask: Are the members of the family
not part of the fellow men and women the follower of Jesus is supposed to love? A
point of clarification may be that the statement is within an “if” sentence: “If any
one comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children
and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple” (Lk.
14:26). The statement does not call for absolute hate of one’s family members but
only when one has to make a choice of having to become a disciple of Jesus.
The literal understanding of the text is that the condition for being a disciple
of Jesus is hating of family members: father, mother, brother, sister, wife, children.
The term “hate” is a very emotionally loaded word in every language. The Greek
verb translated as “hate” here is misei, which is a present indicative active of the
verb miseō, meaning “to hate, detest, abhor, hold in contempt”. The evangelist
Luke uses this word also in 1:71 to refer to our enemies, those from whom the
coming saviour would save us. According to this text, those who hate (miseō)
us are our enemies. The Gospel of Mark to which Luke is dependent in many
passages, uses the word only once in Mk. 13:13 to refer to what the enemies of
Jesus would do to the believer: “and you will be hated (miseō) by all because of
my name” (Mk. 13:13).
All these underscore the fact that Luke’s use of the verb “hate” in 14:26 carries
all the emotions associated with the word. This makes the statement even more
radical. As a matter of fact, the fourth commandment of the Decalogue enjoins
that one should honour father and mother (cf. Exod. 20;12; Deut 5:16). Even Jesus
himself endorses this commandment in Luke 20:18. Why then does he call for hatred
of father and mother as condition for discipleship?
This in itself makes the call to discipleship a radical thing. In the call to follow
Jesus, one is expected to get emotionally detached from everything and enter into a
new way of living. This new way is the way of the Kingdom which Jesus inaugurates.
For Luke, discipleship of Jesus entails entry into a new community (koinōnia), the
community of Jesus.2 This community (koinōnia) would later become the Church
2
Cf. J.A. fitzmyer, Luke the Theologian. Aspects of His Teaching (London: Geoffrey Chapman,
1989) 117-140.
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The Family and the Kingdom of God
(ekklēsia) in the Acts of the Apostles.3 It, therefore, means that the old community
which is the family must bow to this new community. This idea is very consistent
in Luke.
One recalls the episode in Luke (8:19-21) where the family of Jesus comes to see
him. It is a particularly interesting passage. Here the passage identifies the family of
Jesus as his mother and his adelphoi (= his brothers and sisters, cf. Mk. 3:32). Luke
adopts this passage from Mark (3:31-35) because it fits perfectly well into his theology.
He redefines his family in these words: “My mother and my brothers are those who
hear the word of God and do it” (8:21). In saying this, Jesus does not necessarily
exclude his mother as a mother but places her in a new perspective. After all her
becoming the mother of Jesus is based on her hearing and accepting the word of God
spoken to her by the angel. In Luke’s Gospel, hearing the word of God and keeping it,
is a way of entering into the kingdom which Jesus preaches. As Teresa Okure puts it,
“When therefore he says that his brethren are those who hear and keep God’s word,
he means that his relatives are those who listen to his teaching about God’s reign and
put it into practice, live by it.”4 In this way, according to what Okure regards as a
hermeneutics of self-inclusion, Luke enlarges the boundaries of membership of the
family of Jesus to include the social outsiders, including Luke himself would not have
been qualified to become a member if blood relationship were to be a criterion.5
Luke makes a similar statement in 11:27-28 when a woman from the crowd
cries out in admiration, “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that
nursed you!” (11:27). Jesus instantly retorts, “Blessed rather are those who hear
the word of God and obey it!” (11:28). It is only Luke that reports this story, as
it is not found in the other Synoptic Gospels and John. It means that the text has
a particular significance for him. What the woman says to Jesus in the text is an
acknowledgement of family values and an endorsement of the fact that a good and
wise son is a pride to his family. The book of Proverbs states this fact in 10:1: “A
wise child makes a glad father, but a foolish child is a mother’s grief.” This is further
elaborated in Prov. 23:24-25: “The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; he
who begets a wise son will be glad in him. Let your father and mother be glad; let
her who bore you rejoice.” The woman’s statement is thus in line with the biblical
attachment of family honour and blessedness to the wise or righteous act of its
members. But the response of Jesus redefines the traditional ethos and shifts the
3
4
5
fitzmyer, Luke the Theologian, 138-140.
t. okure, “Jesus’ Family [Luke 8:19-21] in Lucan and Nigerian Perspectives” in The family in the
Bible (eds. Mary Jerome Obiorah et al; Acts of the Catholic Biblical Association of Nigeria, 7; Port
Harcourt: CABAN, 2016) 137.
Cf. T. okure, “Jesus’ Family,” 143.
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emphasis. Blessedness is now linked to hearing and obeying the word of God. Jesus
is not saying that his mother is not blessed, rather, he gives the correct reason for
her being blessed. It may be recalled that in the episode of the meeting of Elizabeth
and Mary, the inspired Elizabeth says to Mary in Luke (1:45): “Yes, blessed is she
who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.” According
to Fitzmyer, “In Luke (1:45), Elizabeth made it clear that Mary was ‘blessed’ or an
object of praise, not just because she was to be Jesus’ mother, but because she had
believed: what had been told to her was to be fulfilled by the Lord.”6
What has been said so far explains the attitude of Jesus towards family
attachment in the call to discipleship. While Jesus does not negate the values of the
human family, he presents discipleship as an invitation to a new family. The cost of
entrance to this new family is the transference of the love for the old family to the
new one. It is good to note that this condition is not given to a select group of few
disciples but to all who intend to follow Jesus. According to the text, “large crowds
were traveling with him; and he turned and said to them….” Jesus was addressing
the entire multitude of followers. Thus for one to enter the company of Jesus, all
emotional attachments to the human family must bow to the new relationship. This
may sound difficult, but the practical consequence is that the values of the Christian
life must always take precedence over the values of the family cultural life. This is
no doubt a difficult message for the average African who places great premium on
family values. That also explains why the Gospel values are finding great difficulties
in replacing the traditional African values.
Hatred of One’s Life
The addition of hate for one’s life to the conditions for discipleship makes
it clear that Jesus was really not speaking in metaphors. When he talks of hate he
means hate. What is to be hated in this case is designated in the Greek as one’s
psyche, which can mean life or soul in the sense of the person’s very being. In
the present context, it may be understood as referring to life in the sense of one’s
earthly life. It is this personal earthly life that one is called upon to hate or detest.
The disciple is never greater than the Master and in the same way the very life of
the disciple is subordinated to that of the Master. Every form of self-seeking is
excluded. The disciple of Jesus seeks only to become like Jesus and no more. Jesus
promises a new life to those who follow him, and to find this new life, they must
detest the old life. There is a new identity in Christ.
6
J.A. fitzmyer, The Gospel according to Luke X-XXIV. A New Translation with Introduction and
Commentary (AB 28A; New York: Doubleday, 1983) 927.
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The Family and the Kingdom of God
Linked to the hatred of the personal life is the readiness to carry the cross:
“Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple” (14:27).
If the disciple is the one who hears the word and keeps it, the keeping of the word
embraces the life of constantly carrying the cross, which is a life of self-giving and
suffering. Through baptism Christian believers are plunged into the paschal mystery
through which they become fully incorporated into the crucified and risen with
Christ. By this they are said to be born again, that is, born to divine life. In this light,
the apostle Paul interprets the Christian life as a crucified life. “I have been crucified
with Christ. It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now
live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for
me” (Gal. 2:20). What Paul means is that the cross is the basis of the Christian life.
The Christian is one who already died on the Cross with Jesus Christ. This is the
mystery of baptism, and without such death there is no new life. Paul makes it clear
that the condition for following Christ is the crucifixion of the flesh with its vices
and passions (Gal. 5:24). Thus what counts is no longer the personal life but Christ
who lives in the person. All these are implied in the Lucan statement on hating the
personal life in 14:26 which is more clearly expressed in 9:24: “For whoever would
save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake, he will save it.”
Renunciation of Material Possessions
The call for the renunciation of material possessions is again addressed to all
followers of Jesus and not to a select few. It is a necessary condition for discipleship.
Sometimes people think it is meant for some specially called groups within the
Church. The text of Luke (14:33) is blunt: “So therefore, none of you can become
my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.” This injunction needs to be
understood in the light of the earlier ones, that is, the hate of family members and
personal life. It is a call for total self-emptying.
The best way to understand it is to appeal to the Pauline idea of kenosis. The
Greek word kenosis expresses the idea of emptying. It is often used in the form
kenos (empty) and its verbal form kenoō which literally means “to deprive of power
or privileges.”7 When it goes with the reflective pronoun “self”, it has the sense of
one laying aside the proper possession. Paul uses it in Phil 2:7 (heauton ekenōsen –
“he emptied himself”) to express how Christ laid aside the divine honour proper to
him to assume the human condition. This is elaborately stated in Phil. 2:5-8: “Have
7
Cf. W. bAuer-F.W. giNgrich-F.W. dANker, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and
Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago, London: The University of Chicago Press, 1979)
427-428.
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this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed
in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but
emptied himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness
of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming
obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”
The self-emptying or kenotic life of Jesus is fully exemplified on the Cross. This
is what the Lucan Jesus encourages all who follow him to do in Luke (14:25-33). The
injunction to renounce all attachment to possessions is another way of saying that the
disciple must carry the cross daily and follow Jesus. The disciple is a follower of a
Cross-carrying Jesus. This says a lot about what the Church is supposed to be.
The Vatican II Council Document on the Church in the Modern World, Lumen
Gentium, understands the Church as a “pilgrim Church”.8 The idea of a pilgrim
Church, according to the Council, is that of a stranger in a foreign land wading
through persecution but announcing to the world the meaning of the message of
the cross and the resurrection of the Lord. In the light of this idea of a pilgrim
Church, Karl Rahner postulates that the Church of today is a “Church of the
diaspora”, which James Douglass describes as the vision that Christ set before his
followers.9 As he Douglas puts it, “The community of belief foreseen by Christ
is neither triumphant by converting and dominating the world nor sectarian by
withdrawing from it. It is a Christian community living at the very center of the
world in the form of Christ’s decisive confrontation with that world – a cross of
suffering, redemptive love.”10
The Church of the diaspora is a Church which is found in all sectors of the
world but remains a minority in every sector. Such is a pilgrim Church. To use a
more modern terminology, it is a homeless Church. A diaspora Church is a Church
of the cross. Christ ever confronts the world with the logic of the cross. It is a
self-emptying Church. At this point, one can say that poverty with regard to the
believer and the Church does not mean complete rejection of material resources, as
that would make the life and the Church’s mission impossible. The Council Fathers
accept that human resources are needed in carrying out the mission of the Church,
but they stress the point that the Church “is not set up to seek earthly glory, but
to proclaim, and this by her example, humility and self-denial.”11 It means selfemptying motivated by love. This type of love is both liberating and inspiring.
8
9
10
11
Lumen Gentium (LG), 8.
J.W. douglAss, The Non-Violent Cross: A Theology of Revolution and Peace (New York:
Macmillan, 1968) 204-205.
Ibid., 204-205.
LG 8.
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The Family and the Kingdom of God
The Family and God’s Kingdom: Dynamics for the Church in Africa
The discussion so far has explained how the conditions for discipleship pose
serious challenges to one’s commitment to the human family and other human
values. The fact is that the call to become a disciple of Jesus is a call to enter a new
family which is the sphere of God’s reign, otherwise called the Kingdom of God.
This brings to mind the idea of the Church as the family of God. It has become
a favourite theme in the Church in Africa. During the First Special Assembly for
Africa of the Synod of Bishops in 1994, the Synod fathers adopted the theology of
the Church as the family of God. This was the model of the Church presented to the
Church in Africa as a guide in the new era.
While this theology remains stimulating, some factors today pose challenges to
it: first, there are ecumenical factors, which make the following questions imperative:
Which Church is being talked about as the family of God? Is it the Catholic Church
alone? Does the family include all Churches and all Christians? Secondly, there are
questions bordering on interreligious factors: Does the fact of the Church being the
Family of God exclude other religions and their adherents from laying valid claims
to that divine family? Does the idea of the Church as God’s Family exclude the other
idea of creation as the family of God?
But there is often the conflict between seeing the Church as family of God
and seeing her as the Kingdom of God. There arises, thus, the need to make clear
distinctions to avoid conceptual confusion. One recalls that the Fathers of the Second
Vatican Council, in Lumen Gentium, describe the Church as the kingdom of God
now present in mystery.12 The text is formulated as follows: “To carry out the will of
the Father Christ inaugurated the kingdom of heaven on earth and revealed to us his
mystery; by his obedience he brought about our redemption. The Church – that is,
the kingdom of Christ – already present in mystery, grows visibly through the power
of God in the world.”13
This text of Lumen Gentium 8 is open to diverse interpretations and has
continued to provoke discussions. One could misunderstand it by equating the
Church with the Kingdom. This has happened in the past and led to many atrocities
in the Church. It often tended to create the notion of the Church as a super power
ruled by presbyter kings who were superior to the kings of the earthly kingdoms
and powers. It led to the arrogant display of power in the Church and the conception
of ecclesiastical office as the acquisition of absolute power. The conception of the
Church as God’s kingdom on earth led to diverse forms of triumphalism that tended
to see those outside the Church as damned and without hope.
12
13
LG 3.
Ibid., 3.
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luke emehiele iJezie
The point of the Vatican II statement is that the kingdom is established by Christ
himself and not by human beings. It is present in mystery, and grows only by the
power of God. The kingdom is, thus, not a completed phenomenon here on earth but
yet growing and maturing as the mustard seed. Bonaventure Kloppenburg argues
emphatically that the Church is not the kingdom of God and cannot be identified
with the kingdom of God, “but is rather its germ and beginning”.14 This calls for
humility and a spirit of openness to recognize the germ of the kingdom wherever
the presence of God is felt. The idea of the kingdom of God looms very large in
the texts of the New Testament, where it generally refers to the reign of God. The
terminology is most frequently used in the Synoptic Gospels, occurring 38 times in
Matthew, 14 times in Mark and 32 times in Luke.15 The author of Matthew’s Gospel
uses it interchangeably with the term “Kingdom of Heaven”, and both mean the
same thing. The whole gospel is presented as the good news of the kingdom that has
now come in and through Jesus. It is the saving presence of God manifested in the
person of Jesus. The Kingdom is present wherever God’s presence is felt. Because
there is no limit to the presence of God, the Kingdom of God has no borders and
can hardly be confined. For Luke, the kingdom is ever open for new members,
especially the poor and the socially excluded.
This idea of the Kingdom helps one to understand why the gospel of Jesus
insists on re-evaluating all the human entities that incline the follower to remain
in confinement and unable to enter into the borderless regions of God’s new
community. Three of such inhibiting entities are the human family, the personal
life-style and material possessions. Surely, Jesus does not call for the elimination
of these structures, nor does he imply that the Christian believer should not identify
with them. Rather he talks of placing a premium on the new life of faith in him
above all these other structures. One of the main problems in Africa today has to do
with the inability to wriggle out of the confines imposed by the traditional family
structures. It is linked to the force of ethnic consciousness and other primordial
sentiments that tend to exclude others and thus marginalize them. Many conflicts in
Africa today are ethnic-based conflicts and this syndrome has penetrated all levels
of existence, both the temporal and religious spheres. The message of Jesus in Luke
(14:25-33) remains, therefore, a great point of reference in evaluating the quality of
Christian living and mode of being Church in the African context.
Another scourge of the contemporary Church and Christianity in Africa is the
increasing attachment to materialism and worship of mammon. Many new brands of
14
15
b. kloPPeNburg, The Ecclesiology of Vatican II (Chicago, 1974) 33.
Cf. D.C. duliNg, “Kingdom of God, Kingdom of Heaven,” Anchor Bible Dictionary 4 (ed. D. N.
Freedman; New York: Doubleday, 1992) 56-58.
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The Family and the Kingdom of God
Christianity preach prosperity and success and condemn all forms of suffering and
asceticism. Some consider poverty as a curse as God wants his children to be rich
and enjoy life. The ideology is “Serve God and you will become rich.” All you have
to do is to “name it and claim it”. The preoccupation with material reward makes
people to forget that the Christian religion is oriented towards spiritual and heavenly
rewards. There is no doubt that many modern Christian movements, especially
Pentecostalism, have increased the rate of materialism in the society as religion is
exploited for materialistic ends. It becomes pertinent to caution genuine believers
to guard against a form of Christianity that lays little emphasis on spiritual poverty,
suffering and carrying of one’s cross to follow Jesus.
Conclusion
The call to conversion is extended to everyone who intends to follow Jesus
and enter his new community which is the Kingdom. The text of Luke (14:25-33)
offers three conditions for becoming genuine followers of Jesus. This essay has
examined these conditions and found them very relevant to the growth of the Church
and Christian life today and particularly for the true incarnation of the Christian
faith in the African context. The many tensions in the African society are often
caused by an exaggerated attachment to family and ethnic structures as well as the
preoccupation with material possessions. Added to these are the insatiable spirit
of greed, acquisitiveness together with the struggle for limited resources, which
have combined to provoke endless conflicts, misery and deaths. The text calls for
re-evaluation of these structures in the light of the invitation to enter with a spirit of
detachment into a more universal family that has no ethnic boundaries.
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EJ 13 (2019) 133-141
JESUS THE NAZARENE:
THE KING OF THE JEWS
PAchomius okogie, OSB
Introduction
How the Kingdom of God is understood, interpreted and conveyed may differ
from one context to another, precisely because it depends on the many different
backgrounds of the presenters. The underlining factor, the substratum, however,
is the Word of God, which lasts forever because it is always intact. In the final
analysis, Jesus Christ the incarnate Word of God is really the heart of the whole
talk about the kingdom of God. We meet him, hear him, and celebrate with him, as
he offers himself to the Father in the liturgy. We touch him, and take him, and eat
of his body, and drink of his blood in the Holy Eucharist. His message could not
have been louder and clearer, namely, love one another as I have loved you; and
the greatest among you must be your servant; and store up your treasures in heaven
where nothing can devour them. The kingdom of God will be examined here in the
context of the liturgical celebration of Christ the king, in order to draw out some
specific meanings of the solemnity, and see its implications for us.
Jesus and Pilate
Pontius Pilate, whose death occurred around 39 A.D., gave orders to the soldiers
to crucify Jesus (cf. Mt. 27:26). And above his head was placed the charge against
him. It read: “This is Jesus, the Nazarene, the King of the Jews” (Mt. 27:37; Lk.
23:38). The notice was read by many of the Jews, because the place where Jesus was
crucified was near the city, and the writing was in Hebrew, Latin and Greek (cf. Jn.
19:19-20). When the chief priests protested, saying, “You should not write, ‘King of
the Jews’, but that the man said, ‘I am King of the Jews,’” Pilate replied, “What I
have written, I have written” (Jn. 19:21-22). But moments earlier, when Pilate wanted
to set him free, they insisted, arguing vehemently, “If you set him free, you are not
Caesar’s friend; anyone who makes himself king is defying Caesar” (Jn. 19:12).
My Kingdom is not of this World
In the meantime, Jesus made himself crystal clear: “My kingdom is not of
this world” (Jn. 18:36). When he was born, Mary and Joseph laid him in a manger,
because there was no room for him in the inn (cf. Lk. 2:7). When he was only about
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PAchomius okogie, OSB
twelve years old, he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Do you not know
that I must be after my Father’s affairs?” (Lk. 2:49). But they did not understand
it. During his public ministry, some people did not fail to express their satisfaction
in him. Here is an example: When they saw the sign he had done, they said, “This
is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world” (Jn. 6:14). But “since
Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off to make him a king, he
withdrew again to the mountain alone” (Jn. 6:15). And elsewhere, a similar episode
is reported concerning his apostles: It goes as follows: “When the crowds saw what
Paul had done [i.e., that he healed the crippled man, who was lame from birth], they
cried out in Lycaonian, ‘The gods have come down to us in human form.’ They
called Barnabas ‘Zeus’ and Paul ‘Hermes,’ because he was the chief speaker. And
the priest of Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance of the city, brought oxen and
garlands to the gates, because he together with the people intended to offer sacrifice”
(Acts 14:8-10,11-13). “The apostles Barnabas and Paul tore their garments when
they heard this and rushed out into the crowd, shouting: ‘Men, why are you doing
this? We are of the same nature as you, human beings. We proclaim to you good
news that you should turn from these idols to the living God, who made heaven and
earth and sea and all that is in them” (Acts 14:14-15). By their actions, it was quite
evident that the apostles and the great master Jesus Christ were not of this world;
they were operating at a different realm.
A fundamental idea of this essay is that the entire life of Jesus, every moment,
every event of his life was an eloquent expression of the fact that his kingdom was
not of this world. But we will focus here on the empty tomb of his resurrection and
the empty throne of his powerful presence and authority in the world, in order to
demonstrate that he was indeed a person whose driving force, motivation, values
and treasures were not of this world (cf. Jn. 17:16). He said categorically, “Foxes
have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man has nowhere to lay
his head [i.e., he has no place of rest in this world]” (Mt. 8:20).
The Empty Tomb
The angel said to the women, “There is no need for you to be afraid. I know you
are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said
he would. Come and see the place where he lay” (Mt. 28:5-6). The empty tomb of
Jesus means not only that he has risen, but also that he really did not belong to this
world, which, as you know, is passing away, with its enticements (1Jn. 2:17). He
belongs elsewhere. We do not have his remains. His body did not collapse or yield to
the devastating impact of corruption and decay. He died, but he rose again. Not only
did his body not fall apart, his life and his message remained intact. He lives forever,
because he came to do the will of the Father, and not his own (1Jn. 2:17). His
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message too is forever. Consequently, even in the most severe of circumstances, and
in the face of unresolved riddles and hairsplitting enigmas, one knows that it would
be pointless to turn one’s back on Jesus Christ and look for solutions elsewhere: “To
whom, Lord, shall we go? You have the message of eternal life” (Jn. 6:60-67).
The Message of Eternal Life
The teaching of Jesus Christ was both different and of lasting value. He said:
You have heard, … But I say this to you, anyone who is angry with a
brother will answer for it before the court … anyone who calls a brother
‘Fool’ will answer for it … You have heard … but I say this to you, do
not swear at all … You have heard how it was said: Eye for eye, and tooth
for tooth, but I say this to you: offer no resistance to the wicked. On the
contrary, if anyone hits you on the right cheek, offer him the other as well;
if someone wishes to go to court with you to get your tunic, let him have
your cloak as well. And if anyone requires you to go one mile, go two miles
with him. Give to anyone who asks you [for something], and if anyone
wants to borrow, do not turn away (Mt. 5:21-42).
He also told them:
You have heard how it was said, you will love your neighbour and hate your
enemy. But I say this to you, love your enemies and pray for those who
persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven, for he
causes his sun to rise on the bad as well as the good, and sends down his
rain to fall on the upright and the wicked alike. … You must set no bounds
to your love, just as your heavenly Father sets none to his (Mt. 5:43-48).
He made a clarion call, as follows: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures
on earth, where canker and dilapidation destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But
store up treasures in heaven, where neither larva nor contamination destroys, nor
thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be”
(Mt. 6:19-21). The main idea is that “the disciple can serve only one master and
must choose between God and wealth or property (mammon)” (Mt. 6:24).
He also said:
Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like
a sensible man who built his house on rock. Rain came down, floods rose,
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gales blew and hurled themselves against that house, and it did not fall: it
was founded on rock. But everyone who listens to these words of mine and
does not act on them will be like a stupid man who built his house on sand.
Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and struck that house, and it fell:
and what a fall it had! (Mt. 7:24-27)
Jesus is himself the message of eternal life. He is the word of God that lives
forever. And he sits, at the right hand of the Father, with his human body, the same
body of which he said, unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you will not
have life in you (cf. Jn. 6:53). Hence, he is to be looked for not in the tomb, but
rather in the Eucharistic species, in the bread and wine, where he continues to give
life to all those who believe in his name and in the power of his resurrection. In
brief, the tomb where he was buried is empty, but in the liturgy, especially on the
altar of every eucharistic celebration, that is, in the breaking of bread, one continues
to experience the fullness of his humanity and divinity (cf. Lk. 24:13-31,32-53).
It is time now to take a look at some of the prayers of the solemnity of the feast
of Christ the King, in order to see more clearly how indeed his kingdom was not and
is not of this world; and at the same time, we will see that his love and care for this
world did not diminish.
The Post Communion prayer goes as follows: O God, our Father, you have
nourished us with the bread of immortal life, inspire us to obey with joy Lord Jesus
Christ, King of the universe, so that we can live with him the life that is without end,
in his glorious kingdom [in heaven]1. By feeding on the bread of immortal life, we
too by God’s grace will become immortal. In a nutshell, while we can and should
desire to live with Jesus Christ forever in heaven, one should at the same time never
yield to the temptation to look down on this world, nor allow oneself to become an
agent of destruction or enemy of this world, because to the Lord belongs the earth
and its fullness (cf. Ps. 24:1). Before we go any further to talk about other prayers
of the solemnity, let us briefly discuss the empty throne of Jesus Christ, because it is
yet another powerful evidence that he did not belong to this world.
The Empty Throne of Jesus Christ
The empty throne of Jesus Christ, flanked by Saints Peter and Paul, is seen
in Ravenna. And in the Basilica of Sant’Anselmo in Rome, one can see an empty
1
Cf. Missale Romanum ex decreto Sacrosancti Oecumenici Concilii Vaticani II instauratum
auctoritate Pauli PP. VI promulgatum Ioannis Pauli PP. II cura Recognitum, Post Communionem
Domini Nostri Iesu Christi Universorum Regis, Editio Typica Tertia, Typis Vaticanis, Città del
Vaticano 2002, 498.
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throne as part of the budding wood of the Cross, supported by two floating angels.
Besides, one can see two angels on the right and on the left of the empty throne in
the Basilica of Saint Paul outside the Walls in Rome. The empty throne, with or
without symbols of the crucifixion, the power, the victory of Christ over death, and
of the Eucharistic sacrifice, always or for the most part referred to Jesus Christ. The
empty throne in our Churches has come to mean that Jesus Christ is in fact present in
our gatherings, and can be seen as such, but never with the naked eyes. It also means
that Christ our King is coming, and not yet here. And his kingdom is coming, and he
will come (back) in glory to judge the living and the dead.
Thanks to pope St Paul VI’s motu proprio Mysterii Paschalis of 1969, we
realize that Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews, is “Our Lord Jesus Christ, the
King of the Universe” (“Dominus Noster Iesus Christus Universorum Rex”). The
solemnity of this feast, commonly referred to as the feast of Christ the King, or
Christ the King Sunday, which now falls on every last Sunday of Ordinary Time in
the Liturgical Year of the Roman Catholic Church, was instituted by Pope Pius XI
in his encyclical Quas primas of 1925. He was the first Pope of the Vatican City,
which was created as a sovereign state on February 11, 1929. The feast was partly
a response to the secularism and nationalism of the time, and partly an attempt to
respond decisively to the dispute regarding the temporal power of the Popes as
rulers of a civil territory in the context of the Italian unification endeavours.
The fact of being the final Sunday of the liturgical year, followed by the first
Sunday of Advent, makes very clear the eschatological importance of this Sunday of
Christ the King. It anticipates his second coming in glory to judge the living and the
dead. Cyril of Alexandria (c. 376–444) maintains that “Christ [being true God and true
man] has dominion over all creatures, by essence and by nature … The Word of God,
as consubstantial with the Father, has all things in common with him, and therefore has
necessarily supreme and absolute dominion over all things created” (Quas primas, 7).
In other words, “To Christ angels and men are subject. Christ is also King by acquired,
as well as by natural right, for he is our Redeemer … Christ has purchased us ‘with a
great price’; we are no longer owners of ourselves; our very bodies are the members
of Christ” (Quas primas, 13). Moreover, Christ himself has made clear that “all power
in heaven and on earth has been given to me [by my Father in heaven]” (Mt. 28:18).
The Truth
What Pilate and others did not realize was that Jesus was, is, and will forever be
greater, by far, and more powerful than Caesar, precisely because he is the first to rise
from the dead, and he is the prince of the kings of the earth. He loves mankind, and
has suffered all kinds of humiliation, and has allowed himself to be put to death, in
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order to save and redeem mankind: “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground, and
dies, ...” (Jn. 12:24). With his own blood, he has set man free from sin, and he has
made men a kingdom of priests to serve God the Father (cf. Rv. 1:4-6, 10). The vision
that John the apostle had of him was only a glimpse of the greatness of his power:
I heard a voice as loud as a trumpet …I saw in the midst of the gold
lampstands [i.e., the seven churches] one like a son of man … wearing an
ankle-length robe, with a gold sash around his chest. The hair of his head
was white as white wool or as snow, and his eyes were like a fiery flame.
His feet were like polished brass refined in a furnace, and his voice was
like the sound of rushing water. In his right hand he held seven stars [i.e.,
the angels of the seven churches]. A sharp two-edged sword came out of
his mouth, and his face shone like the sun at its brightest (Rv. 1:10-16).
But let no one miss the point: all the grandeur of Jesus Christ was not for
bullying, terrorizing people, or making them tremble with fear. Let us pay attention
to what he did when the apostle John fell at his feet when he saw him in the vision
described above. Gently, he laid his hand on the apostle John, and said: “Do not be
afraid; it is I, the First and the Last; I am the Living One. I was dead and look – I
am alive forever and ever. I hold the keys of death and of Hades” (Rv. 1:17-20).
Whatever door he opens, no one can shut; and when he closes a door, no one can
open it (cf. Rv. 3:7). Jesus Christ has never been a destructive force. On the contrary,
he has come, not to condemn the world, not to destroy it, but rather to save and
redeem it (cf. Jn. 3:17). And he said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it
abundantly” (Jn. 10:10). He also said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me … to make
the lame walk, …to make the blind regain their sight … to grant freedom to those in
prison” (Lk. 4:18). Unambiguously, Saint Peter has also stated the following, “God
had anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and because God was with
him, Jesus went about doing good and curing all who had fallen into the power of the
devil. Now we are witnesses to everything he did … They killed him, but God raised
him to life and allowed him to be seen” (Acts 10:38-39). Such is the compelling
love and beauty, the immeasurable greatness of his power, and the uniqueness of his
personality. Let us take a look now at other prayers of the solemnity.
The first Collect goes as follows: “Almighty and eternal God, who wanted to
renew everything in Christ your Son, King of the universe, grant that every creature,
set free from the slavery to sin, may serve you and give you unending praise.”
Jesus Christ, whose dominion and power over all things has been granted by
the Father, deserves all honor, glory and praise. Loving him and giving him all the
respect in this world is really to one’s advantage, for all the vigor, truth, oneness,
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freshness, the durability of things, originate from him and remain in him. It is only
through him, with him, and in him that one can be liberated from the chains of sin,
from interior rebellion, and from the subtle influence of waywardness. Thus, those
who truly seek his face and desire to do his will are being gradually transformed into
a people of unceasing praise to God the Father.
In the meantime, his disciples are well aware that “the greatest among you must
be your servant” (Mt. 23:11; Lk. 22:26). And “the Son of man has come not to be
served, but to serve” (Mt. 20:28; Mk. 10:45). And he stooped down, and washed
their feet (cf. Jn. 13:1-17). Among the lessons one can learn from all of this is that
Jesus Christ, although his kingdom was not of this world, he did not treat it with
scorn and neglect, let alone seek the destruction of it. He even laid down his life for
this world. And we are the world: he has loved us and has given himself up for us
(cf. Ep. 5:2). Saint Paul writes, “… Christ died for us while we were still sinners
[now, since he did that for us, is there anything he cannot do for us?] (Rm 5:8).” The
Preface of the Solemnity says:
Almighty and eternal God, you have with the oil of gladness consecrated
as eternal Priest and King of the universe your only begotten Son, Jesus
Christ our Lord. He, sacrificing himself, Immaculate victim of peace on
the altar of the Cross, has wrought the mystery of human redemption, and
has subjected to his power all created things, has offered to his infinite
majesty the eternal and universal kingdom: the kingdom of truth and life,
the kingdom of holiness and grace, the kingdom of justice, love and peace2.
As the eternal Priest and King of the universe, Jesus Christ has offered himself to
the Father as a sacrifice without blemish, and has redeemed mankind in the process.
Indefatigable, he continues to offer himself to the Father in his love of and devotion
and commitment to truth and life, holiness and grace, justice, charity and peace
in the lives of his brothers and sisters, in the world. Christians are pilgrims in this
world. Nevertheless, they know that they have to be diligent and hardworking, too.
Like Jesus their master, no Christian is negligent or lazy. They dedicate themselves
to works of charity, truth, justice and peace, holiness and grace. They know that
they have to bear abundant fruit of virtue, as they seek the flourishing of life and
happiness, in this world, for it is not a wasteland, and must not be turned into that. It
2
Cf. Missale Romanum ex decreto Sacrosancti Oecumenici Concilii Vaticani II instauratum
auctoritate Pauli PP. VI promulgatum Ioannis Pauli PP. II cura Recognitum, Prefatio Domini
Nostri Iesu Christi Universorum Regis, Editio Typica Tertia, Typis Vaticanis, Città del Vaticano
2002, 496
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belongs to God. And Christ by his incarnation is united to the world, that is, to every
human being3, and for this world (in spite of and because of all the negativity about
it) he has laid down his life.
Your Kingdom Come
Origen of Alexandria (c.184–c.253) remarks in the Office of Readings of this
Solemnity as follows: “We wish and really desire that the kingdom of God come to
reality in us, in our hearts, in all the dimensions of our existence, so that all that could
otherwise be opposed to Jesus Christ and his presence in us may be put under his feet,
so that God may become all in all (cf. 1Cor. 15:24, 28)”. It means hearing the Word
of God and keeping it. And when that happens, Jesus Christ assures us that he and
his Father in heaven will come and dwell in us (cf. Jn. 14,45). Hence, Jesus Christ,
about whom the angel said, “He is not here [in the tomb]” is nonetheless present in
the proclaimed Word of God and in his disciples, that is, in those who hear the word
of God and keep it (cf. Lk. 11,28). Origen goes further to say that the kingdom of
God, the reign of God, which is in us, is incompatible with the reign of sin, just as
the apostle Paul had written in this letter to the Romans (cf. Rm. 6:12). Therefore, we
have to work tirelessly to overcome the tendencies of sin in us, through acts of selfdenial, self-mortification, self-control, self-discipline, abstinence and continence,
so that little by little the Spirit of incorruptibility and immortality – the fruits of
regeneration and resurrection through Christ, with him, in him, the only begotten Son
of God – can take full possession of us. It is then that the kingdom of God can indeed
dwell in us in its fullness of life and grace (Cap. 25; PG 11, 495-499). Therefore,
Christians are detached from the tendencies and attractions of this world. At the same
time, however, they do not stand aloof. They are passionately involved in the affairs
of this world, and are fully committed to taking care of it and saving it from ruin,
because it belongs to God and to Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God: through
him and for him all things were made and are held together (cf. Col. 1:16-17).
Conclusion
The Kingdom of God has come into this world, in the incarnation of Christ the
light of the world. And by virtue of this his incarnation, Christ is united with all men.
He, the king of the universe, stooped down and washed the feet of his disciples, so
that they may learn from him to love one another. He, the lamb of God who takes
away the sins of the world, is saving and redeeming men, all the time. The kingdom
3
Cf. sAcrosANctum coNcilium oecumeNicum vAticANum ii, «Constitutio Pastoralis de Ecclesia in
Mundo huius temporis Gaudium et Spes (7 decembris 1965) 22», AAS 58 (1966) 1042.
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of God that he preached (and has illustrated by the powerful symbols of his empty
tomb and empty throne), which has no end, continues to speak to every human
being when the Word of God is proclaimed and when the sacraments are celebrated.
And he is constantly speaking the Word of Eternal Life to his chosen people, and to
everyone, and, like a pelican, he is always feeding his own people with his own body
and blood. So great is his love and enduring power. His name is Lord, in heaven and
on earth, the King of all that is visible and invisible. Nonetheless, to come to know
him and love him as such (that is, as the only one who has dominion over everyone
and everything in existence) is not easy. It can be quite a challenge. But it is not a
daunting one, because he comes down to meet us. In fact, he dwells among us; and
he dines with us. He, the eternal Priest of the new and eternal covenant, is always
present in our midst, and feeds us all the time with the Word of God and with his
own body and blood, in order that we may come to know him and love him above
all things, and be fully prepared in the process to live with him and the Father and
all the saints forever in heaven.
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EJ 13 (2019) 143-154
THE KINGSHIP OF CHRIST:
LESSONS FOR AFRICAN PASTORS AND LEADERS
bitrus rAPhAel medugu
Introduction
The Fathers of the First Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops
saw the dire need to apply the gospel message to the concrete life of Africans in their
circumstance when they asked: “How could one proclaim Christ on that immense
continent while forgetting that it is one of the world’s poorest regions? How could
one fail to consider the anguished history of a land where many nations are still in the
grip of famine, war, racial and tribal tensions, political instability and the violation
of human rights?”1 Consequently, the concern of this paper is to establish that the
efficiency of leaders in whatever sphere can only reach its optimum in Christ. Since
the implication of the Kingship of Christ is that he is a governor and the means
of interaction between the King and his subject is government, the paper therefore
seeks to explain the indispensability of the Kingship of Christ in correcting the errors
of governance in all its ramifications.
The Link between the Kingdom of God and Government
The Kingdom of God cannot be defined with precision. It can only be described
because it is an aggregate, an ensemble of many events. It concerns God and quite
inseparable from He who himself cannot be defined. It is rather a union of many
things as such. Therefore, “the indefinability of the concept of Kingdom results from
the fact that it expresses the experience of the apex of the seven-fold transcendental
properties of every reality: specie, genus, familia, ordo, classis, phylum, regnum.”2
The Kingdom of God is where He reigns, and where He reigns, is wherever He is
glorified, and where He is glorified, is wherever his will is done by his creatures
especially his people and only through doing his will is man rendered holy. Thus, the
Kingdom of God is where these three inseparable realities on the part of the subjects
(human beings) of the Kingdom is done (the glorification of God, obedience to
1
2
Cf. JohN PAul II, Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Africa (14 September 1995) 51, in AAS 88
(1996), 1-33.
J. egbulefu, La Chiesa è il Regno di Dio nella Missione in Christo Redentore, in: Catechesi
Missionaria: Riviste semestrale di riflessione ed esperienze, Anno VII, 1, (Gennaio - Giunio 1991,
Istituto di Catechesi Missionaria, Pontificia Università Urbaniana, Roma, 19.
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his will and being Holy ‘resulting from obedience’). The Kingdom of God is both
heavenly and earthly where by, He reigns in heavens, but this reign is already
inaugurated by Jesus here on earth, en route to the heavenly Kingdom.3
Government can be said to be an act of the King within a Kingdom and as
an activity, it presupposes a chain of actions that imply acts, a process through
which the governor and the governed interact. It is a movement, which directs the
application of the rules and regulations stemming from the will of the legislator
(King) and ensures its application in the life of the subjects, who are obliged to obey
for the good of the society. Thus, government is that event as an activity (actioninteraction) of persons (not as occurrence of things), in which the governing persons
(single or collective) and the governed (collective) persons, following the rule of
law and order to arrive at the ‘common good as common good,’ for the happiness,
gladness, joy and jubilation of all. To govern means to preside over those whom
one has authority4 and power;5 whereas the responsibility of the charge and the
vocation to lead and direct them along the right and just way is called law (by
giving command that contains the will and intention for the common good. The
law is to be enacted by the lawmaker and to be observed by all including himself
for the good of all in the human collectiveness-family/community/society/nation)
and in the right and just manner called order (arrangement of steps and values
deriving from one another till the first/primary, as the origin and leading to one
another till unto the last as the ultimate goal), hence to rule over them not only
with justice and rectitude (uprightness, straightforwardness, truth and truthfulness,
honesty righteousness, sincerity, not deceit, trick, dishonesty), but with legality
and orderliness along the way of peace towards happiness. Government is the
totality of this activity.
The traditional understanding explains government as “the organization of
the movement and progress of the people towards their welfare and fulfilled life by
a group of human persons in a small fraction of the universe.”6 Such organization
usually consists of three indispensable organs namely: (i)The Legislative whose
main objective is making laws and ensuring its compliance within the governed
3
4
5
6
Cf. Ibid., 23.
One cannot have authority over another person whom one has not authored, i.e. of whom one is not
the author, the origin, the parent, neither father nor mother.
A situation whereby one cannot have power over another unless one is empowered, i.e. is given the
power to do so, be it by the Creator as the only one authority, only one absolute and all powerful
being who does not depend on nor receive from others his powers, be it by fellow creatures since
the creatures are interdependent.
J. egbulefu, “We are the Government of Tomorrow but with a Renewed Concept and art of
Governing”, in Wisdom Satelite Magazine, June 2018/2019, 16.
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and the governors, (ii) the Executive has the objective of making sure the will of
the legislator contained in the laws of the land is executed and iii) the Judiciary
has the objective of working out modalities which establishes a coherence
between the legislative law-making body and the actions of the legislator on the
one hand, and between the Executive and the governed on the other hand.7 As an
activity, therefore, government concerns the rapport between the governor and
the governed. At times the governor and the governed are those who elect the
government and as such would be a mandate given by the electorate to the King,
whereby, the rules of engagement must be respected based on the constitution
of any given fraction of the universe where a government finds itself. Thus,
government is in the context of a Kingdom and in the Kingdom of God, Christ is
the King and the governor.
The Kingship of Christ
We cannot talk about Kingship without first referring to a Kingdom, but a
Kingdom also presupposes a king. Hence, Kingship can be said to be the relationship
between the King and his subjects. It is a state in which ‘the fact’ (his acts and his
status) of being King manifests. These two realities (actus and status) produce
factum because ‘the fact’ of a King produces his status and his actus. For example,
the King reigns (actus) and he is seated on his throne (status quo: symbol of his
sovereignty). Thus, Kingship is a fact consisting of two dimensions; the vertical
as status and the horizontal as actus i.e. application of the king’s will to perfect the
subjects. This interaction between the King and his kingdom, equals his Kingship
as the status in which he is king, the dignity acquired through his acts of reigning,
for which he is revered because of this status. He cannot have the status without
acts, i.e. the aptitude of the King in the application of his kingly duties over his
subjects. The quality of his acts determines the quality of his status. Therefore,
a governor, a pastor or a leader can be said to be good or bad based on how he
applies the laws to lead people to their goals and perfection. The consequences of
the acts of the king, which he performs for the subjects gives him his status. He
is reigning, therefore he is a governor. Since there is no Kingdom without a king,
there cannot be a King without Kingship (the status and the action are necessary).
By reigning the King puts himself in a state of majesty, his throne is supreme and
he has an overview over his subjects. Thus, that a Kingdom is good depends on
whether the King is good or not; he is good is a conclusion which comes from his
acts and his status.
7
Cf. Ibid., 16-17.
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Since Kingship is the relationship between a King and his Kingdom, it follows
that to have such a status one must be a King. Therefore, the Kingship of Jesus
stems from the fact that he is a King. That Christ is King comes from the fact of his
being the second person of the Trinity, he is the Son of God to whom all authority in
heaven and on earth has been given (cf. Mt. 28:18) and as such, commands authority
over all creation, for there was nothing created that did not come through him (cf.
Jn. 1:3). He is a co-author and since one can have authority only over whom one
has authored, it follows that Christ rightly has authority over creation as its author.
J. Egbulefu argues that as long as Jesus the incarnate Son of the living God, is the
incarnate Word of God in person who is God made flesh without ceasing to be God
(cf. Jn. 1:1-3), he is God. As King his reign has no end and it encompasses the
universe which is full of his glory (cf. Num. 14:21). He is Holy (cf. Is. 5:16; 6:3;
Rev. 4:8), worthy of adoration (cf. Rev. 4:11), worthy to be proclaimed and served
(cf. Mk. 11:9-10; Lk. 19:3) and whose Will is worthy to be desired and done (cf.
Mt. 5:9-10). Thus, Christ is King and the proper Kingdom in which he reigns is the
Kingdom of God.8
In the devotional tradition of the Church (munus orandi), Christ is revered
as a King, especially on the solemnity of Christ the King, instituted in 1925 by
Pope Pius XI. Owing to the difficulties and sufferings of people in his days, the
Pontiff explained the cause as the rejection of the rule of Christ the King of peace.
As a result, he instituted this feast, insisting that “men must look for the peace of
Christ in the Kingdom of Christ … it seemed to us that peace could not be more
effectually restored nor fixed upon a firmer basis than through the restoration of the
Empire of our Lord”9. In this feast, the Church publicly acknowledges the universal
Kingship of Christ, held in high esteem as St. Cyril of Alexandria affirmed: “Christ
has dominion over all creatures, a dominion not ceased by violence or usurped, but
by essence and by nature. His Kingship is founded upon the ineffable hypostatic
union.”10 And he calls for his adoration when he quickly adds, “not only that Christ
is to be adored by angels and humans, but that to him as man, angels and humans are
subject and must recognize his empire: by reason of the hypostatic union Christ has
power over all creatures.”11 Thus, the Kingdom is given an optimum manifestation
and demonstration in a public proclamation in honour of the one Kingdom with
8
9
10
11
Cf. Ibid., 16-17.
Pius XI, Encyclical Letter Quas Primas (11 December 1925) 1.
St. Cyril of Alexandria cited by J. NEUNER, S.J. - J. DUPUIS, S.J. The Christian Faith in the
Doctrinal Documents of the Catholic Church, seventh Revised and Enlarged edition, Alba House,
New York 200, 463.
Ibid.
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The Kingship of Christ
three qualities corresponding to the Trinitarian logic12 – one universal and eternal
Kingdom (One God), a Kingdom of truth and life (Son), of holiness and grace (Holy
Spirit), of justice, love and peace (Father).
Nature and Relevance of the Kingship of Christ
In the incarnation, by way of a functional regnology,13 God sent his Son to
manifest his reign to man. Because all authority in heaven and on earth has been
given to him (cf. Mt. 28:18), Christ is the governor; besides, the government of
the world is on his shoulders (cf. Is. 9:6). The government of God is made visible
in him who proclaims the Kingdom and demonstrates leadership in his praxis.
Since government is the activity of guarding and guiding, protecting and leading,
defending and promoting subjects to their perfection, it follows, that one who is a
King must be seen doing so. The symbolism of the good shepherd (cf. Jn. 10:11)
with which Christ identifies himself is the highest analogy of a good governor
whose main aim is the perfection of his people. As the good shepherd, the light
(cf. Jn. 8:12), the door (cf. Jn. 10:9), the way (cf. Jn. 14:6), the truth (cf. Jn. 14:6)
and the life (cf. Jn. 14:6), the bread (cf. Jn. 6:35), Christ possesses all it takes,
as the ideal governor, to guard and guide, protect and lead, defend and promote,
conserve and transform his subjects to their goal. He has given an example to be
followed and asked humans to learn from his gentility and humility (cf. Jn. 13:14;
Mt. 11:29), made possible in the incarnation, whereby divinity penetrates the
human flesh and the human flesh attaches itself to divinity. In his life and mission,
Jesus was perfected by the divine and had perfect Kingship and government. That
Christ turned water into wine, healed the sick, fed the hungry, expelled demons,
defended people from natural disaster, provided for the financial needs of the
people and raised the dead are all indicators of the promotion of a better life
for the subjects of any Kingdom. Just as the shepherd leads to green pasture,
providing the liquid and solid need, Jesus finally gives his body (solid) and blood
(liquid) to his people now visible in the eucharistic species of bread and wine at
the sacramental level. Such is the Kingship of Christ.
12
13
The Preface reads: “For you anointed your only begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, with the oil
of gladness as eternal Priest and King of all Creation, so that, by offering himself on the altar of
the Cross as a spotless sacrifice to bring us peace, he might accomplish the mysteries of human
redemption and, making all created things subject to his rule, he might present to the immensity
of your majesty an eternal and universal Kingdom, a Kingdom of truth and life, a Kingdom of
holiness and grace, a Kingdom of justice, love and peace” (cf. romAN missAl, 508).
This is term referring to the study of the reign of God.
147
bitrus rAPhAel medugu
Now, if these symbolisms of shepherd, light, door, way truth and life are ideal
for good governance, it follows that African leaders and government have not been
faithful to the ideal. The reality of pastors and leaders in Africa do not seem to produce
good results as evident in the problems earlier listed. It suggests, their ways and deeds
are not straightforward. Our government today is crooked, dishonest, untruthful,
nocturnal etc., and do not lead to a perfect destination as there is strife, hunger, death,
injustice and lack of peace. Citizens are not led on the wings of the truth, the ways of
dishonesty do not lead to an honest destination, nocturnal movements are deceptive
and citizens cannot trace their destinations. Infact, they are exposed to dangers of
the darkness since leaders are not enlightened, have not accepted the light and thus,
cannot lighten the way for its people. The result is that there is no coordination: each
taking his path; no basic life’s necessities, jungle justice that leads to the survival of
the fittest, the weak and the sick are abandoned to die along the way, and the hungry
are starved to death etc.
As the ideal governor, however, Jesus combines in his person, the hypostatization
of the basic elements required to coordinate this journey, by nature, as that true way
that leads to life. Since man is good not by nature but by grace, he always needs
divine assistance to be better. Jesus is God, as God, he is by nature ‘Good’ therefore,
he alone can assist man to be good. It is through the humanity of the Godman,
inseparable from divinity that man participates in the divinity e.g. the Eucharist as
sacrament of the humanity of Christ, is inseparable from his divinity and man gets
into it and eventually participates in the Trinity. Since it is the Spirit that gives life,
the Father’s will is done by the divine Logos, who links man to divine life. Thus,
man needs to take inspiration and bearing from the divine government. The Kingship
of Christ therefore results from his status and his act which is this process called
government. His government is the ideal government, announced in the Kingdom of
God and demonstrated through his teachings, and healing miracles. Since it is only
in him that the fulness of man puts on light, his government becomes the model for
all leaders.
Government as a Salvific Act
To comprehend governance as an act that is salvific, the Jewish understanding of
Yahweh’s image in indispensable. J. Fuellfenbach explains three basic conceptions
of God’s image in the OT. In the first instance, Yahweh was considered as; (i) a
liberating God, not limiting his acts to the spiritual but also to the concrete act of
liberation from slavery in Egypt, (ii) a God whose main preoccupation was justice,
who sought to restore the dignity of the poor, based on the covenantal promises as
148
The Kingship of Christ
evident in the social justice prophets and (iii) a God of mercy and compassion.14
These attributes of liberation, justice and mercy correspond to the providence,
protection and defence, manifested in the acts of the Messiah as indicators of the
Kingdom, God’s divine government. Therefore, in connection with the role and
duties of a King, we can consider government as an activity that is salvific. This
is why; the duties of a King as understood in the Ancient Near East was on a par
with the role of a saviour, who had a responsibility that was triple in nature: (i) the
provision of necessities for the people, (ii) the protection of the people and (iii) the
defence of his people from external aggression and internal challenges.
According to the Catholic Social Teaching, the King “is to be the defender
of the weak and the guarantor of justice for the people. The denunciations
of the prophets focused precisely on the king’s failure to fulfil these functions
(cf. 1Kg. 21; Is. 10:1-4; Am. 2:6-8, 8:4-8; Mic. 3:1-4).”15 Thus, on the one hand,
citizens have a right to enjoy a fair share of the common good, while on the other
hand, it is the duty of political leaders to provide all the necessities for their citizens.
In fact, it is the obligation of pastors and religious leaders to ensure that such
duty is done. Jesus and the political authorities of his time related in such a fashion
that he constructively criticized them and at the same time recognized their authority
as the Church affirms: “we must give to God what is God’s, implicitly condemning
every attempt at making temporal power divine or absolute: God alone can demand
everything from man. At the same time, temporal power has the right to its due: Jesus
does not consider it unjust to pay taxes to Caesar.”16
Rejecting the despotic and the oppressive powers exercised in his epoch, Jesus
insisted on the true nature of leadership rooted in service and thus, scolded his disciples
and exhorted them to eschew from this type of leadership. He taught that oppressive
and despotic leadership as found in the pagan way of life should not be found among
them for in this new dispensation, he who wishes to be great, must be the servant of all
and he who wishes to be first, will be the last (cf. Mt. 10:35-40, 20:20-23). Invariably,
“Christ reveals to human authority, always tempted by the desire to dominate, its
authentic and complete meaning as service. God is the one Father, and Christ is the one
Teacher, of all mankind, and all people are brothers and sisters. Sovereignty belongs
to God.”17 Thus, in the strict sense of the word, politics is not opposed to the Kingdom
14
15
16
17
Cf. J. fuellfeNbAch, The Kingdom of God; The Message of Jesus Today, Wipf and Stock, Oregon
2006, 125.
comPeNdium of the sociAl doctriNe of the church, Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace,
Libreria Edittrice Vaticana, 2004, 377.
Ibid., 379.
Ibid., 383.
149
bitrus rAPhAel medugu
of God, rather the abuse of powers that infringe on the rights of citizens is, and it must
be opposed and denounced in all its ramifications.
Although the reign of God from the biblical notion cannot be tied to any
temporal reign, yet the link between the Kingdom of God, salvation and temporal
human experience cannot be neglected for as the Vatican II Council fathers had
affirmed: “Hence, while earthly progress must be carefully distinguished from the
growth of Christ’s kingdom, to the extent that the former can contribute to the better
ordering of human society, it is of vital concern to the Kingdom of God.”18 Pope
Paul VI refers to the Kingdom of God as the new revealed world to which a new way
of living is expected from all, in accordance with the ethics therein and exhorts the
faithful to adhere to and adopt this new way of life, as “such an adherence, which
cannot remain abstract and unincarnated, reveals itself concretely by a visible entry
into a community of believers.”19
It is a historical fact that during the early centuries of the Church, both spiritual
and political interpretations of the Kingdom of God took place and the two extremes
did not have an acceptable landing, yet, one cannot run away from the dual nature of
such reality in the sense that it is two-sided reality (spiritual and political) in respect
of a political and a spiritual being (man) as subject of the Kingdom. Perhaps there
is a need to make a very clear explanation of what is meant by political here.20 Man
is a political being and lives within a society, where a system of government guides
his everyday life in the present as he journeys to his eternal destiny. In presenting the
Kingdom of God, Jesus did not just emphasize the metaphysical to the detriment of
the physical. On the contrary, most of the signs he used were material and concrete as
he held time and eternity in a tension evident in his healing which were both psychical
and physical. The incarnation already indicates this reality as a theandric union with
a vertical and a horizontal side. While the vertical denotes a spiritual relationship
with God, the horizontal implies a social relationship with fellow humans.
Socio-political Implications of the Kingdom of God
From political and revolutionary lenses, scholars have been able to read Jesus
with respect to his sitz im leben as the incarnational value is very important for any
18
19
20
Gaudium et Spes, 39.
Ibid., 23.
According to Merriam Webster dictionary, “the Greek word polis, meaning ‘city’ or ‘community,’
and the related word polītēs, meaning ‘citizen,’ give us the roots polis and polit. Words from Greek
polis and polītēs have something to do with cities or communities or the citizens who live in them.
A metropolis is the most important city in an area. The police are a group that enforces the law so as
to protect citizens. Politics is the science and art of governing citizens” (cf. https://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/politics, 21/4/19).
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The Kingship of Christ
Christological approach to be relevant in any age. Jesus cannot be continuously
locked up in a single method but must be interpreted in varied ways by way of
discovering his significance in any epoch,21 since his temporal mission revolutionized
both the religious and the socio-political fabric of his time. Respecting the religious
establishment of his days, Christ gave it a new reading, promulgating a unique form
of morality instead of religiosity, and demanding a morality of the heart which
transcended religious legalisms. Thus, he rejected dead religious ritual practices
and replaced them with practical love as the denominator of the testimony of
fidelity. All he wanted was an interior relationship demonstrated in the praxis of
love. He condemned the ‘oppressions’ by religious authority in God’s name ’ which
prevented entry into the Kingdom.22 From the socio-political point of view, Jesus’
citing of Isaiah 61 to inaugurate his mission of the Kingdom of God (cf. Lk. 4:1819), presents him not just as a prophet but somewhat, socio-political missionary
as would be evident in his praxis which satisfied the material needs of his hearers,
consequences of which a new concept of dialectical relationship emerges as I.
Ellacuria opines: “New concept of the dialectical interrelationship between wealth
and poverty as a factor for shaping the Kingdom emerge and therefore again, of the
due relationship of human beings with God.”23 Although Jesus never claimed to be
a revolutionary leader as his message contained nothing of a strategy that could be
tagged ‘political program’ but simply preached the Kingdom of God as basically
religious and pastoral, yet, his message had implications that are political in the
sense that it generated some socio-political effects and changes in his time, today
and for the whole of human history.24 Thus S. Galileia remarks: “Jesus’ proclamation
of the Kingdom of God had consequences for politics and for social change, even
revolutionary change, in his own time as well as wherever the Christian message can
become a leaven in society in the future.”25
Thus, the message of the Kingdom of God and his government, although
neither revolutionary nor political, yet, provides impetus for concentrations which
demand certain attitudinal change in the revelation of the true nature of man and
his vocation which undeniably leads to the subsequent questioning of the civil
authorities. This is because “the gospel itself inasmuch as it contains the principle
of freedom and reveals the true calling of the human being and of the world,
21
22
23
24
25
Cf. I. ellAcuriA, “The Political Nature of Jesus’ Mission”, in J. M. BONINO (ed.), Faces of Jesus;
Latin American Christologies, Orbis Books, Maryknoll, NY 1985, 81.
Cf. Ibid., 81-84.
Ibid., 90-91.
Cf. S. gAlileiA, “Jesus’s Attitude Towards Politics”, in J. M. boNiNo (ed.), Faces of Jesus, 96.
Ibid., 96.
151
bitrus rAPhAel medugu
offers values that can question systems, and consequently generate movements
and conflicts of political liberation.”26 This is the sense in which the socio-political
nature of the Christian message emerges from Christ’s proclamation where the
values of justice and freedom take the centre stage, with the social consequences
of the possibility of sparking political tensions and indicting evil practices in
bad governments. Nevertheless, Galilea maintains that “the proclamation of the
Kingdom constitutes the implantation in history, once and for all, of a principle of
freedom and social critique, both as promise and as a denunciation. As promise
it is the leaven of non-conformism. As denunciation, it demands the removal of
everything in the society that assaults the nature and the destiny of the human
being as revealed at the heart of the gospel.”27 Thus, every government has the
salvation of man as its end and as such must be seen to do everything humanly
possible to bring man to his perfection.
Learning from the Kingship of Christ
African leaders must therefore take their cue from Christ and face leadership
squarely in its fullness, either as (i) political leaders or (ii) religious leaders. In the
first instance, political leaders in governing the African society, need to imitate the
trinitarian formula rooted in the traditional tripod on which every government is
built, as idealized in the divine government, hypostasizing the three branches of
every government, so that they can have as a standard guide, as solution to unlock
the mystery of inefficiency, the key of which is found only in God.
Speculatively therefore, the hypostasization of the traditional gubernatorial
tripod in the divine government is such that the Father is the hypostasization of the
Legislative, the Son is the hypostasization of the Executive, and the Holy Spirit is
the hypostasization of the Judiciary. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are
distinct from one another yet they are equal to one another in majesty and power
based on the commonly shared divine essence “for each of them, only together with
the one divine essence, is God.”28 This one essence can neither be divided nor can
it be split.29 Thus, just as in the divine government, the three persons hypostasizing
the three branches of government work together for a common end as the perfection
of creation, so in African government, the three branches have to learn to work
together. To achieve the end and purpose of leadership, African leaders and pastors,
must copy this trinitarian prototype from which the human government is a type.
26
27
28
29
Ibid.
Ibid.
J. egbulefu, The Trinity, the Incarnate Word and Mary, 297-298.
Ibid.
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The Kingship of Christ
To counter the inefficiency created by injustice is only possible through Christ, in
whom we see the divine government working in harmony with the Father and the
Holy Spirit. As an executor of the Father’s Will, Christ publicly declared that he
sought not his own will but the Will of the Father (cf. Jn. 5:30). He came to do his
Fathers’ will (cf. Jn. 6:38). He acted in consonance with the directives given by the
Father sticking to his commands in obedience (cf. Jn. 12:49). He did exactly what
the Father commands (cf. John 14:31). He does nothing of his own (cf. Jn. 8:28).
This was done through the power of the Holy Spirit which made the incarnation
possible.
A likely critique of this stance is the fact that non-Christians may find it offensive
and unacceptable, since it is coming from the Christian view. Well, I cannot but
argue as a theologian and as far as the theology of government is concerned, the
African government stands in a dire need of evangelization. Since from the depth
of his being, man craves and thirsts for justice, it follows that every man naturally
desires peace which is a fruit of justice. Peace is possible only by doing the will of
God which brings about his Kingdom. Since the merits of the incarnation benefits
every human person with the conclusion that in Jesus Christ, the reality of human
possibilities are brought to bear and find fulfilment (cf. GS 22), it follows that,
unless in the remotest depth of the human heart, even an atheist, space is reserved
for the practice of justice, peace remains enigmatic, illusive and a dream. I therefore
assent to K. Rahner when he says: “No matter how distant a person may be from a
revelation of the explicit formulation of Christianity, it is possible for a person to
have accepted and embraced Christ in his lived existence.”30 Furthermore, despite
the diversity of religious creeds, one humanity is a shared common denominator.
Since anthropologically, man’s identity is relational with respect to the ‘other’, it
follows that to live justly is not just a mere religious injunction but an indispensable
ethical and social need that must be practicable without which chaos and disorder
continues to ravage the African society.31
Conclusion
The relevance of the Kingship of Christ can never be over emphasized because
in the face of the many temporal challenges, the Church believes that only in the
benign Lord rests the key to unlock the mystery of human situation. Christ is “the
30
31
Cf. S. buller, The Theology of Karl Rahner: Kindle Edition 2014, Locations 978-980.
Based on the shared denominator of humanity, this thesis makes all its proposals and suggestions,
rooted in the Christian faith in Christ whom humanity puts on a clearer light (cf. GS 22). Although
I am arguing from such conviction, yet the gospel values do not in any way infringe on the right
and human dignity of anyone irrespective of religious convictions.
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bitrus rAPhAel medugu
focal point and the goal of man, as well as of all human history.”32 As the incarnate
Logos, he is the point where divinity meets humanity. In him as the incarnate Son,
the divine Logos penetrates and permeates the human flesh and inheres in it and
perfects it, while the human flesh adheres to the divine Word and participates in the
divine nature of the Logos 33 and man becomes an instrument of salvation. Only by
learning and imitating the Kingship of Christ can the Pastors and Leaders of Africa
obtain solution to their problems.
Both pastors and leaders must learn from the Kingship of Christ as follows: (i)
Religious leaders on their side must be ready to imitate Jesus in speaking out against
every form of evil government and leadership and like the good shepherd, be ready
to give their lives for the sheep. Political leaders who are responsible for the people
must be charged to deliver their jobs in order to guarantee liberation and development
among the people and ensure their human dignity. (ii) On the one hand, the three
branches of government must effectively as distinct units carry out their functions
independently without fear of intimidation and without crossing their boundaries,
while on the other hand, they ought to perform this duty, complementing the other
branches, united in their distinctiveness for the same goal; with no particular branch
either overlapping, supressing, controlling, dominating or even buying over another.
Thus, the Executive must do their work well, the Legislative must be responsible, the
Judiciary must be allowed to carry out their function without fear or favour. Hence,
every citizen must be treated equally before the law and only then can we be said to
have a just and functional system of leadership in Africa.
32
33
secoNd vAticAN ecumeNicAl couNcil, Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World,
Gaudium et Spes (7 December 1965), 10, AAS 58 (1966), 1025-1120.
J. egbulefu, The Trinity, the Incarnate Word and Mary, 238.
154
EJ 13 (2019) 155-169
RELIGION AND DEVELOPMENT:
THE CASE OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN NIGERIA
PAuliNus chukwudi Nweke
Introduction
Nigeria is a pivotal country in Africa. Among other things, it occupies an
important place in the socio-economic development of the continent. Unfortunately,
the country has not lived up to its bidding. Despite huge resource endowments –
human and natural –, Nigeria performs below expectation in development indices.
With an average life expectancy at birth of 53.9 years, maternal mortality ratio of
814 per 100,000 live births, infant mortality rate of 66.9 per 1,000 live births and
adult literacy (15 years and above) rate of 51.1% (United Nations Development
Programme 2018), the country performs lower than some less endowed African
countries on development indices. This, however, does not mean that there have
not been some improvements on the country’s development profile. Contrary to
overly pessimistic views that portray Nigeria as a colossal failure, the country’s
development trend shows it has witnessed some improvements in her development
profile. These improvements, however, are not strong enough to engender the kind of
growth that leads to a qualitative leap in the living conditions of most of her citizens.
In recent times, the country has witnessed significant growth in her gross domestic
product (GDP), overtaking South Africa to become Africa’s largest economy.
Nevertheless, this GDP growth has failed to translate to improved living conditions
for most of her people. This fact strengthens the argument that economic growth
does not automatically translate to better living conditions for most of the people.
The challenge, therefore, is how to bring about inclusive growth and sustainable
development so that more Nigerians can benefit from the country’s wealth. This is
a complex exercise that requires multi-level and multi-sectoral collaboration. Since
different actors must collaborate in order to realize the objective of inclusive and
sustainable development in Nigeria, this paper focuses on the contribution of the
Catholic Church to the socio-economic development of the country. Theoretically,
the paper is based on the functional theory of religion. The theory argues that
religious ideas, institutions and individuals contribute positively to the socioeconomic development of societies. In contrast to the conflict theory which views
religion as a source of conflict, social inertia and even the subjugation of people,
the functional theory of religion argues that religion is a positive force in society
and a driver of human and social progress. In fact, religion is not only an instrument
155
PAuliNus chukwudi Nweke
of social integration and the maintenance of order but also an agent of positive
social change (Scarvaglieri 2005; Bajzek and Milanesi 2006: 93-97). Hence, the
core argument of the paper is that religion has played – and still plays – positive
roles in the socio-economic development of Nigeria. This is more so the case with
the Catholic Church in Nigeria. In order to demonstrate this, the paper begins by
broadly discussing the interaction/interface between religion and development.
Then it proceeds to discuss the bases of Catholic social action after which it delves
into the major areas of the Catholic Church’s interventions for social development
in Nigeria. Before concluding, the paper identifies some of the challenges to the
efficiency and effectiveness of the development initiatives of the Catholic Church
on the country. Methodologically, the paper is qualitative and data are sourced from
the author’s field experience in the unit of analysis as well as from secondary sources
such as published works related to the topic under discussion.
Religion and development
Religion is an important variable in contemporary development research. This,
however, is a recent development. Between the later part of the nineteenth century
and the early years of the twentieth century, religion was perceived as traditional,
static and a counter-current to social progress. This attitude coincided with the
flourishing of the modernization theory which also happened to be the basis for
the secularization theory of religion. This theory views the modernization process
and the practice of religion as negatively correlated. As such, the more modernized
a society becomes, the less religious people are expected to be and the less the
impact of religion on society. The consequence is that religion would have no
serious role in society as it would be relegated to the realm of private belief. Since
modernization and social progress were seen to be inextricably related, religion was
considered antithetical to social progress. Religious ideas and beliefs were held
suspect for retarding human progress as they were considered non-scientific and,
sometimes, support unjust social structures that constrain progress. The exclusion
of the religious factor from development planning was also sustained by the
economic growth model that was in vogue in the field of development research
and among development organizations. This model of development lays emphasis
on the growth of gross domestic product or gross national product, GDP and GNP,
respectively. The promoters of this model hoped that the accumulation of wealth as
demonstrated by growth in GDP/GNP would eventually trickle down to the poor
(Peet and Hartwick 2009: 6-7). Unfortunately, GDP growth did not easily translate to
improved standard of living for the poor. The basic needs approach to development
also did not consider adequately the role of religion in development programmes,
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Religion and Development
as its objective was simply to provide basic needs like food, shelter, sanitation,
water, etc., for the poor (Payer 1982). This approach can be said to be paternalistic
in character as it concentrates more on providing basic sustenance to the poor while
paying less attention to the development of capabilities (Sen 1999).1
Despite the initial neglect of religion as a key factor in the development
plans and implementation strategies of governments and inter-governmental
institutions, religious groups and individuals have always engaged in different
initiatives aimed at improving the material conditions of people. Emile Durkheim
and Ferdinand Tonnies identify religion as a source of social integration and
stability in societies.2 Religion and religious actors have also been credited with the
development of capitalism and the development of modern economic institutions.
Max Weber identifies some religious beliefs, ethical principles and practices as
the seed of modern capitalism.3 Although the Franciscan Order of the Catholic
Church is known for her emphasis on poverty, some economic historians trace
the development of modern economic institutions to the activities of Fransciscan
Friars. Bruni (2010: 64) argues that the Franciscans were the first to establish a
sort of a bank – i Monti di Pietà – and the modern micro-credit system. More so,
Franciscan thinkers like William of Ockham, Pietro Giovanni Olivi, and Duns
Scotus were among the first to engage in systematic reflections on the value and
prize of goods, money, and the economy in general (Bruni 2010). In addition,
most religions have developed some form of socio-political theology. Hence, the
interaction between religion and social progress has not been always dysfunctional
as the conflict theorists of religion present it.
One of the distinguishing characteristics of religious engagement with
development is that religious initiatives adopt a holistic approach to development,
in the sense that they seek to tackle poverty not only by mere accumulation of
material wealth or the provision of basic needs but also by caring for the spiritual,
psychological, moral, etc., needs of the poor. This approach to development has
been variously called “authentic development” (Gaudium et Spes 1965), “true
development”(Populorum Progressio 1967; Sollicitudo Rei Socialis 1987) or
“integral development” (Caritas in Veritate 2009) by the Catholic Church.
1
2
3
For a discussion of the capability approach see Sen, Amartya. 1999. Development as Freedom.
Oxford: Oxford University Press.
See Durkheim’s discussion of mechanical and organic solidarity in Durkheim, Emile [1893]
1938. The Division of Labour in Society. Glencoe, IL: Free Press and Tonnies’ differentiation
between gemeinschaft and gesellschaft in Tönnies, Ferdinand. [1887] 2001. Community and
Civil Society. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Weber, Max. 2001. The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. Translated by Talcott Parson.
London and New York: Routledge.
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PAuliNus chukwudi Nweke
Given the apparent failure of both the economic growth and basic needs
approaches in combating poverty as quickly as envisaged, beginning from the early
1990s, the World Bank began to conduct Participatory Poverty Assessments (PPA)
aimed at directly discovering the experiences, aspirations, constraints, and coping
mechanisms of the poor and how to help them. This project was vigorously pursued
under the leadership of James D. Wolfensohn and culminated in the publication of
three books on separate world-wide study of poverty entitled “Voices of the Poor”.4
The first study covered fifty countries in which 60,000 people were interviewed
on issues they considered important to their well-being. Among the responses,
religion and spirituality emerged as prominent factors. As a result, James D.
Wolfensohn initiated a process of dialogue and collaboration with religious leaders
on development issues. In fact, one of the enduring marks of James D. Wolfensohns’
tenure as Director of the World Bank is his promotion of the engagement of
religious actors in development projects. Together with then-Anglican Archbishop
of Canterbury, George Carey, Wolfensohn convened the first meeting of world faith
and development leaders at Lambeth Palace in 1998. The group was increasingly
enlarged leading to the establishment of the World Faiths Development Dialogue
(WFDD).5 Wolfensohn’s belief in religion as a partner in development is captured
in the following statement:
Religion is an omnipresent and seamless part of daily life, taking an infinite
variety of forms that are part of the distinctive quality of each community.
Religion could thus not be seen as something apart and personal. It is,
rather, a dimension of life that suffuses whatever people do. Religion has
an effect on many people’s attitudes to everything, including such matters
as savings, investment and a host of economic decisions. It influences area
we had come to see as vital for successful development, like schooling,
gender quality, and approaches to health care. In short, religion could
be an important driver of change, even as it could be a break to progress
(Wolfensohn 2011: xvii).
4
5
The reports include: Naraya, Deepa et al.(eds.) 2000. Voices of the Poor: Can Anyone Hear Us ?
New York: Oxford University Press; Naraya, Deepa et al. (eds.). 2000. Voices of the Poor: Crying
Out for Change. New York: Oxford University Press; Naraya, Deepa and Patti Petesch (eds.).
2002. Voices of the Poor: From Many Lands. Washington D.C.: The World Bank.
For more discussion on the formation of the group and its early meetings, see Marshall, Katherine
and Lucy Keough. 2005. Finding Global Balance: Common Ground Between the Worlds of
Development and Faith. Washington, D.C.: World Bank.
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Wolfensohn’s statement echoes the views of several scholars on the place of
religion in the worldview of the African.6 Mbiti is famous for saying that “Africans
are notoriously religious” (Mbiti 1969: 1), and he explains it thus:
Wherever the African is, there is his religion: he carries it to the fields where
he is sowing seeds or harvesting a new crop; he takes it with him to the
beer party or to attend a funeral ceremony; and if he is educated, he takes
religion with him to the examination room at school or in the university;
if he is a politician he takes it to the house of parliament (Mbiti 1969: 2).
Hence,
It is religion, more than anything else, which colours their understanding of
the universe and their empirical participation in that universe, making life
a profoundly religious phenomenon. To be is to be religious in a religious
universe. That is the philosophical understanding behind African myths,
customs, traditions, beliefs, morals, actions and social relationships (Mbiti
1969: 262).
Since the dialogue between James Wolfensohn and George Carey, there has been
a growing research interest in the intersection between religion and development
(Belshaw et al. 2001; Marshall and Marsh 2003; Marshall and Keough 2004, 2005;
Marshall and Van Saanen 2007; Ter Haar 2011; Tomalin 2015).
From the engagement with religious leaders, the World Bank adopted the human
development approach to development. This approach is multi-dimensional because
it is not based on only income generation and the growth of GDP or GNP but also on
factors that are not directly related to income accumulation like education, health,
physical security, social values, inter-group and inter-personal relationships, respect
for basic freedoms, the environment, and the expansion of human capabilities (Sen
1999; Ruben 2011). The human development model is personalist in nature as it
places the human person at the centre of development programmes and seeks to
address all issues – material, spiritual, relational, psychological, environmental –
that might either impede or help accelerate the well-being of the human person. In
sum, the principal objective of the human development approach is to enlarge the
capacity of people to make choices so that they are increasingly able to shape their
own futures. Since the engagement of religious actors in development programmes,
6
Scholars like Parrinder 1961; Idowu 1962; Mbiti 1970, 1990; Awolalu and Dopamu 1979 argue
that religion suffuses the life of the African.
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religion has become a major factor in development planning and implementation.
However, the Catholic Church’s social engagements are based on several principles
elaborated in a body of teachings known as the Catholic Social Teaching or Thought.
Bases of Catholic Social Action
The social interventions of the Catholic Church are anchored on certain
principles which are meant to promote the well-being of the human person. Some of
these principles include:7
Dignity of the human person: Catholic Social Teaching places the human person
at the centre of development. This entails upholding the equal dignity of human
beings, respecting the sanctity of human life, protecting human rights and ensuring
a worthy standard of living for all peoples (Pope John XXIII, Mater et Magistra,
nos. 11-27).
Universal destination of the goods of the earth: This principle argues that although
the wealth of the earth are not equally distributed among the regions and peoples of
the earth, they are not the exclusive property of the places and people where they are
found. Rather, “God intended the earth with everything contained in it for the use
of all human beings and peoples” (Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Gaudium
et Spes, 69). This principle affirms policies of wealth redistribution and solidarity
between people.
Solidarity: The principle of solidarity promotes the universal brotherhood of
humanity. Human beings have a common creator and should, therefore, care for one
another. As such, the suffering of one person is the suffering of all of humanity. The
principle lays emphasis on the horizontal relationship between peoples. As Pope
Benedict XVI states in Caritas in Veritate 38, “Solidarity is first and foremost a
sense of responsibility on the part of everyone with regard to everyone, and it cannot
therefore be merely delegated to the State.”
Subsidiarity: The principle of subsidiarity is particularly aimed at addressing
inter-institutional relations. The principle supports the devolution of powers and
responsibilities to institutions that are closest to individuals and communities. It
7
For an elaborate discussion of these principles see Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. 2004.
Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church. Vatican: Libreria Editrice Vaticana; Brady,
Bernard V. 2017. Essential Catholic Thought. 2nd edition. New York: Orbis Books.
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argues that larger institutions should not absorb all the powers of decision making.
Rather, priority should be given to institutions that are closest to the people in
decision making and policy implementation. It is only when local institutions do
not have the capacity to drive a policy that institutions at a higher level can stepin, always with the view to the common good. The principle “warns against the
dangers of large institutional efforts to combat problems that are essentially local
and impervious to grand schemes” (Booth 2012: 3).
Respect creation and protection of the ecosystem: This ecological principle is
increasingly gaining attention in Catholic Social Teaching. The principle simply
argues that the earth is the common home of humanity and should not be destroyed
by human activities. As such, it is the responsibility of all to act in a manner that
promotes the ecological stability of the earth (Pope Francis, Laudato Si’).
Common good: This principle argues that the principal objective of individual and
collective actions should not be the pursuit of parochial individual or group interests.
Rather, it is the commitment to the “good of all and of each individual” (Pope John
Paul II, Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, 38). It also entails the creation of conditions that
would permit people “either as groups or as individuals, to reach their fulfillment
more fully and more easily” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1906).
These principles are not mere social principles. Rather, they are deeply rooted
in the Sacred Scripture, the Traditions of the Catholic Church and the magisterial
teachings of the Popes and Episcopal conferences. The Sacred Scripture is replete
with both direct and indirect references to the principles just mentioned above. For
example, one of the statements that reflect the social dimension of the ministry of
Jesus Christ is found in Luke 4: 18-19: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because
he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim
release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor (New Revised Standard Version).
With regard to Tradition, throughout history, the Catholic Church has
distinguished itself in the service to the poor, weak, needy and most vulnerable
members of society. The Catholic Church has produced holy men and women
who dedicated their lives and ministry to education, health care delivery, prison
ministry, running of orphanages, hospices, hostels, and soup kitchens as well as
creating awareness on ecological issues. Some of the prominent Catholic saints
whose ministries were remarkably social in dimension include Ignatius of Loyola,
Aloysius Gonzaga, Francis of Assisi, John of God, John Bosco, Teresa of Calcutta,
and Óscar Arnulfo Romero.
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The teachings of the Catholic Church on social issues are also contained in
a body of teachings collectively referred to as the social magisterium. Before the
evolution of the practice of writing formal encyclicals and pastoral letters, people
like saints Thomas Aquinas (Summa Theologiae) and Augustine of Hippo (City of
God) had written great treatises that discussed social issues, apart from other purely
spiritual matters. However, in recent times, the Popes and Episcopal conferences
have articulated their responses to pressing social problems in formal encyclicals and
pastoral letters. Social issues are complex and these documents try to address them
in a comprehensive manner by adopting both inter-disciplinary and multi-sectoral
approaches.
Some of the major documents of the social magisterium include Rerum
Novarum (1891) – issued by Pope Leo XIII to address some of the questions raised
by industrialization, especially with regard to labour-relations, workers’ rights, the
duties of employers, private property and wealth distribution; Quadragesimo Anno
(1931) – issued by Pope Pius XI in commemoration of the fortieth anniversary of
Rerum Novarum. It addresses issues related to the aftermath of World War I, the
rise of totalitarian governments in Catholic-majority countries like Portugal, Spain,
and Italy as well as the emerging challenges of liberal capitalism; Radio message
of Pope Pius XII (1948) – a Christmas message that was meant to appeal to the
consciences of world leaders on the evil of war; Mater et Magistra (1961) – issued
by Pope John XXIII on the seventieth anniversary of Rerum Novarum. It enjoys the
distinction of being the first encyclical to be addressed to an audience beyond the
Catholic world, “To all People of good will”. The encyclical strongly promotes greater
interdependence among people and international cooperation for the common good
of humanity; Pacem in Terris (1963) – also issued by Pope John XXIII. Although
the encyclical discusses human right, justice and peace in the world, it is mostly
associated with the Pope’s intervention in the Cuban Missile crisis; Gaudium et Spes
(1965) – it is the last document of the Second Vatican Council but it is about the most
famous because of its intervention in various aspects of social life. It is mostly known
for its opening statement: “The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the
men of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the
joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ” 1.
Others include Populorum Progressio (1967) – issued by Pope Paul VI to
address various issues of human development in an atmosphere that was charged
with the tensions of the Cold War. The encyclical is famous for its usage of the term
‘authentic development’; Octogesima Adveniens (1971) – issued by Pope Paul VI in
commemoration of the eightieth anniversary of Rerum Novarum; Justitia in Mundo
(1971) – also issued by Pope Paul VI as a publication of the deliberations of the
Third World Synod of Catholic Bishops held in 1971; Evangelii Nuntiandi (1975)
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– issued by Pope Paul VI as a concluding document of the Fourth World Synod of
Catholic Bishops held in 1974. Although it is more of a theological treatise, it also
discusses the social dimension of the gospel as well as the socio-political obstacles
to the Church’s mission of evangelization;
Pope John Paul II issued Laborem Exercens (1981) to commemorate the ninetieth
anniversary of Rerum Novarum. The encyclical concentrates on the relationship
between labour and capital, people and profit, workers’ rights, just wage, freedom of
association, and questions of global solidarity. Sollicitudo Rei Socialis (1987) was
written by Pope John Paul II to address pressing issues of development, particularly
in the developing world where there was increasing economic dysfunction and
hardship. In 1991, Pope John Paul II issued Centesimus Annus to commemorate
the centenary of Rerum Novarum. The encyclical addresses issues bordering on the
excesses of capitalism and the need for ethical and juridical frameworks that give
pride of place to the human person in economic activities and social policies.
Caritas in Veritate (2009) was issued by Pope Benedict XVI amidst the
2007/2008 global economic crisis. The encyclical calls for greater ethical
consciousness in the financial market as well as the creation of effective institutions
of global governance. Shortly before the 2015 United Nations Climate Change
Conference in Paris, Pope Francis issued Laudato Si’ (2015). The encyclical raises
alarm on the impending ecological disaster the world faces and the need for more
action to combat climate change.8 Catholic Pontiffs have also issued documents
that address issues in specific regions of the world. With regard to Africa, two PostSynodal Exhortations – Ecclessia in Africa (1995) and Africae Munus (2011) – were
issued by Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI, respectively. They address a
vast range of social issues affecting the people of Africa and the Catholic Church’s
evangelizing mission on the continent. The African Enchiridion (2005) is a collection
of statements by various Episcopal Conferences in Africa on social issues.
Several Episcopal Conferences have also issued major documents on social
concerns in their societies. Some of the better known include: Medellin Conclusiones
(1968) by the Latin American Episcopal Conference; “Economic Justice for All”
(1986) by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops; “The Common Good”
(1996) by the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales; Aparecida Document
(2013) by the General Conference of Bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean.
8
For a summary of the history and core elements of the Catholic Social Teaching see Aubert, Roger.
2003. Catholic Social Teaching: An Historical Perspective. Milwaukee: Marquette University
Press; Charles, Rodger. 1998. Christian Social Witness and Teaching, vols. I &II. Herefordshire:
Gracewing; Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. 2004. Compendium of the Social Doctrine of
the Church. Vatican: Libreria Editrice Vaticana.
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Unfortunately, there is no notable document that has been issued by any of the
Episcopal groupings in Africa on the social issues the continent is grappling with.
The Catholic Church’s social engagement is carried out through institutional
mechanisms like the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and its national and
diocesan variants, Cor Unum, Migrantes, Caritas Internationalis and, recently,
the Dicastery for Integral Human Development have been coordinating the social
interventions of the Catholic Church in various parts of the world. Other major
Catholic-inspired organizations with a focus on social development include the
German Catholic Episcopal Conference’s humanitarian agency, MISEREOR; the UKbased Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD); the US-based Catholic
Relief Service (CRS). These organization often partner with Catholic Secretariat of
Nigeria, dioceses and religious congregation in carrying out development projects in
Nigeria.
Catholic-inspired Development Initiatives in Nigeria
One of the major contributions of the Catholic Church to the development of
Nigeria is in the area of human capital development. Beginning from colonial times,
the Catholic Church has played a major role in the provision of education and health
care delivery in Nigeria. Catholic schools and health centres have been among the
first of such initiatives in many communities in Nigeria. In fact, Catholic schools
are the largest group within private, religiously organized education in the country
(WFDD 2018: 90). Catholic schools and hospitals are spread all over Nigeria and
they are, sometimes, not just the only existing educational and health facilities in
communities but they rank among the best in the country. The Catholic Church’s
educational facilities range from kindergarten to universities while their health
facilities range from primary to tertiary health care institutions. Suffice it to note,
however, that the Catholic Church has been a major player in the fight against HIV/
AIDS in Nigeria. Besides the establishment of special centres or programmes in most
Catholic hospitals for the provision of care and treatment for people living with HIV/
AIDS, dioceses and parishes have action committees on HIV/AIDS. Unfortunately,
actual data on the number of Catholic schools and hospitals in Nigeria are hard to
find because they are run by parishes, dioceses, religious congregations/orders and
are in constant evolution.
Natural and man-made disasters are among major causes of poverty and
social insecurity in Nigeria. Apart from threatening the livelihood of people, they
often cause population displacement and deepen poverty. The Catholic Church
in Nigeria has, however, been a leader in the provision of immediate relief and
other humanitarian interventions after communal conflicts, natural disasters and
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the protracted Boko Haram terrorist activities, especially in the north-eastern part
of the country. Catholic-inspired organizations like Caritas Internationalis, Justice
and Peace, MISEREOR, CRS, CAFOD and their local partners – particularly the
Justice Development and Peace Commisions/Caritas (JDPC) of the various Catholic
dioceses - have been involved in the provision of short-term relief materials as well
long-term rehabilitation programmes to disaster-hit communities in Nigeria.
As part of efforts to mitigate man-made disasters like violent conflicts, Catholic
actors are engaged in various peacebuilding activities like preventive diplomacy,
Interreligious Dialogue, peace education, peace accords, transitional justice and
post-conflict reconstruction. Regarding peacebuilding, most of the interventions are
carried out by locally-based Catholic-inspired organizations, eventhough they are
often funded by international partners. Some of the prominent Catholic-inspired
peacebuilding initiatives in Nigeria include the Dialogue, Peace and Reconciliation
Centre in Jos, the Kukah Centre for faith, leadership and public policy in Abuja
and the Cardinal Onaiyekan Foundation for Peace in Abuja. Recently, the Romebased Community of Sant’Egidio is beginning to establish presence in the Federal
Capital Territory, Abuja as well as in Lagos, Niger, Nassarawa and Plateau States
(World Faiths Development Dialogue (WFDD) 2018: 114). It is not clear the type of
interventions the Community of Sant’Egidio is presently carrying out in these states
but the group is internationally known to have either facilitated or supported peace
processes in various part of the world including African countries like Mozambique,
Liberia, Algeria, Burundi, Uganda and South Sudan.
Even as individuals, Catholic clerics have been in the fore front of peacebuilding
in the country. The Archbishop of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, is the founder of the
Cardinal Onaiyekan Foundation for Peace. He is a member of the Nigeria Interreligious
Council as well as a member of the National Peace Committtee. Archbishop Ignatius
Ayau Kaigama is a strong voice of peace in conflict-prone Plateau State. Archbishop
Kaigama is the founder of the Dialogue, Reconciliation and Peace Centre in Jos as well
as the former co-Chairman of the Plateau State Interreligious Council on Peace and
Harmony. Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah is one of the most famous Catholic clerics
in the country because of his contributions to public debate and national development.
Bishop Kukah is currently the Chairman of the Ogoni-Shell Reconciliation process,
the founder of the Kukah Centre for faith, leadership and public policy in Abuja and
convener of the National Peace Committee. He was also a member of the Human
Rights Violations Investigation Commission popularly known as the “Oputa Panel” as
well as a member of the National Political Reform Conference.
The Catholic Church has also been directly involved in the economic
empowerment of Nigerians. Catholic-inspired organization have been involved in
providing seed funding for business start-ups, giving microcredit loans to traders,
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agricultural extension service, training people in various vocational skills and
helping trainees to set-up economic activities. These interventions are driven by
Catholic-inspired organizations like the procredit micro finance banks owned by a
number of Catholic dioceses in Nigeria, the JDPC of the various Catholic dioceses,
and the numerous vocational schools run by Catholic organizations. Apart from
empowering people to start their own economic activities, the Catholic Church is
one of the major direct employers of labour in Nigeria, outside the government.
Closely related to economic empowerment is the Catholic Church’s
interventions in the provision of basic facilities to help improve the living conditions
of individuals and communities. In this vein, through its various organs, the Catholic
Church has been involved in the digging of wells and boreholes for communities9,
provision of improved agricultural inputs and better farming equipment to rural
farmers. An interesting case is the Nwanne Di Na Mba Social Housing Estate built
by the Umuchinemere Procredit Micro Finance Bank of Enugu Diocese. The project
aims to provide affordable housing to low income earners.
Finally, the Catholic Church has distinguished itself as both the voice of the poor
and a human rights advocate in Nigeria. Apart from its policy of always standing
with the poor, the Catholic Church has been a strong advocate of good governance
in Nigeria. It believes that good governance will translate to a better management
of resources and, ultimately, improvement in the general well-being of the Nigerian
people. Hence, it is one of the strongest advocates of democratic governance, anticorruption and the building of strong institutions in the country. Catholic agencies
like the JDPC of the various Dioceses are involved in voter education, election
monitoring and peace education. Individual Catholics like the emeritus Archbishop
of Lagos, Anthony Cardinal Okogie, and Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah were
prominent pro-democracy advocates during the military era of 1983 to 1999.
Challenges
The preceding section has amply demonstrated that the Catholic Church is
making immense contributions to the socio-economic development of Nigeria.
This, however, is not without challenges. Although the challenges are many and
vary according to social contexts, we identify some of the broadly shared ones.
The first challenge to faith-inspired interventions in the socio-economic
development of Nigeria are arbitrary government policies and interventions in
9
For example, the Catholic Rural and Urban Development Programme (CARUDEP) of the
Archdiocese of Jos has been partnering with communities in the digging of wells and the
provision of potable water.
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their activities. Immediately after the Nigerian Civil War, also known as the Biafra
War (1967-1970), the Nigerian government nationalized all faith-based schools.
Unfortunately, most of them were owned by the Catholic Church. The official reason
given by the government for nationalizing these schools was to foster national
integration after a war that nearly led to the division of the country. However, popular
feeling from Catholic quarters is that it was a way of punishing the Catholic Church
for its alleged support to the Biafran separatist movement. The nationalization of
these schools was a huge setback to the Catholic Church’s contribution to human
development. Nevertheless, suffice it to note that some of those schools have been
returned to their original owners, after years of mismanagement and bastardization.
Secondly, the fear of Christian proselytism by Muslim-majority societies has
led some state governments in northern Nigeria to adopt covert restrictions on
Christian-inspired initiatives, both social and pastoral. For example, the adoption
of the Sharia legal system by twelve states in northern Nigeria has been a huge
obstacle to Christian activities in those states. In addition, since 2010, there have
been attempts in Nigeria’s National Assembly to pass bills that seek to tightly control
the activities of non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The first bill titled “Nongovernmental Organizations Regulation and Co-ordination Bill 2010 was introduced
in the Nigerian Senate in 2010 by Senator Dahiru Awaisu Kuta while the second bill
titled “Bill for an Act to Provide for the Establishment of the Non-Governmental
Organizations Regulatory Commission for the Supervision, Co-ordination and
Monitoring of Non-Governmental Organisations, Civil Society Organisations etc.,
in Nigeria and for Related Matters” was sponsored in the House of Representatives
by Honorable Umar Buba Jibril in 2016. Both bills aim to place heavy restrictions
and excessive government interference and control on the activities of NGOs.10
However, at the time of writing this paper, none of the bills has been passed into
law because of widespread opposition. Christian groups are particularly opposed
to them because, firstly, religious groups are categorized as NGOs or Civil Society
Organizations. Secondly, since Christian groups account for most of the faith-based
NGOs in the country, Christians view such bills as an attempt to curb their activities
(WFDD 2018: 51). The religious card is also being played in the opposition the bills
because the both sponsors of the bills are Muslim legislators.
10
See “Non-governmental Organizations Regulation and Co-ordination Bill, 2010” accessed
08.04.2019 (http://nass.gov.ng/document/download/1321) and “Bill for an Act to Provide for the
Establishment of the Non-Governmental Organizations Regulatory Commission for the Supervision,
Co-ordination and Monitoring of Non-Governmental Organisations, Civil Society Organisations
etc., in Nigeria and for Related Matters” accessed on 08.04.2019 (http://placbillstrack.org/upload/
HB585.pdf) for the full content of both bills.
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Apart from perceived threats and actual constraints from government policies,
Catholic-inspired development initiatives in Nigeria also face the internal challenge
of poor information sharing, collaboration, and coordination between them. Every
group seems to be working on their own without reference to others. They do not
seem to be sharing information on good practices or partnering with one another for
more efficient service delivery. Sometimes, they even give the impression of being in
competition with one another by the way they unnecessarily duplicate interventions
and services in the same communities. The director of a prominent Catholic-inspired
peace initiative narrated how two organizations in the same Diocese were working
against each other, duplicating their activities and seemingly in competition for
funding from the same donors.11 There are several instances of Catholic-inspired
initiatives in different parts of the country that carry out similar activities without
collaborating with one another or reference to each other. Obviously, the lack of
information sharing and collaboration between Catholic-inspired development
initiatives lead to the duplication of interventions, waste of resources, and repetition
of mistakes.
Another challenge facing Catholic-inspired development initiatives is the
problem of accessibility to the very poor. Although the principal target of Catholicinspired development initiatives is the poor and needy, some of the services rendered
by these institutions like in the areas of health care delivery and education are too
expensive and unaffordable to the very poor. Some Catholic parents interviewed
by the author expressed sadness about their inability to access some Catholic
educational and health facilities due their high cost.12 There is real danger that high
quality Catholic schools and hospitals in Nigeria are becoming elite institutions.
While it must be acknowledged that it is very costly to provide quality service at
a cheap rate in a country that lacks basic infrastructure like electricity, Catholicbased initiatives must seek for ways of balancing between cost and quality service
delivery, if they must remain accessible to the poor. This notwithstanding, suffice
it to note that Catholic schools and hospitals are among the cheapest of such faithbased initiatives in Nigeria.
The final challenge is that of sustainability. In fact, sustainability is the greatest
challenge of Catholic-inspired development initiatives in Nigeria. A lot of Catholicinspired development initiatives are either entirely funded or heavily subsidized by
foreign donors. The aid-dependency syndrome is a major concern for the sustainability
of projects. Once project funding period is over, projects either end automatically
or find it difficult to survive. Another reason why Catholic-inspired development
11
12
Author’s interview on 20.03.2019.
Author’s interviews with some Catholic parents in Jos, Enugu, and Abuja in March 2019.
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initiatives find it difficult to survive is because they record a lot of indebtedness
by their poor beneficiaries who are often not able to pay for the full cost of the
services rendered to them.13 The challenge of sustainability, however, must be seen
as a wake-up call for Catholic-inspired development initiatives in Nigeria to explore
new ways of raising local funding for their projects. Among other measures, they
must work to increase the culture of the local ownership of projects, otherwise many
projects would remain ad-hoc and unsustainable. Closely related to the challenge of
sustainability is the poor institutionalization of some Catholic-inspired initiatives.
Some of these initiatives depend on the charismatic ability, fame and connection of
their founders. They are hardly institutionalized and their survival, to a large extent,
depends on their affiliation with their charismatic founders.
Conclusion
This paper demonstrates that religion is a veritable agent of integral human
development. This is, more so, the case with the Catholic Church in Nigeria. As a
matter of fact, the role of the Catholic Church in either poverty alleviation or the
general development of Nigeria cannot be over-emphasized, as Catholic-inspired
initiatives have played key roles in the development of communities in Nigeria.
Catholic-inspired initiatives are, sometimes, the sole providers of social services in
communities, other times they fill the gap where there is a short-fall in governmentprovided services or they complement the government through partnerships aimed
at improving service delivery. As such, Catholic-inspired social initiatives cannot
be overlooked in the planning and implementation of development programmes
in Nigeria. Nevertheless, although Catholic-inspired development initiatives play
vital roles in the development of Nigeria, they face major challenges which must be
addressed urgently, if they are to maintain their leading role as one of the largest – if
not the largest – non-state actor in the socio-economic development of Nigeria.
13
While discussing the challenges of sustainability to Catholic health centres in Africa, the Medical
Missionaries of Mary Sister Mary Teresa Reilly argues that, in the case of the Kitovu Hospital
in Uganda, while all patients would like to pay their bills, “only 30% can pay 100%; 45% pay
a portion and 25% are unable to pay anything” (see Reilly 1995: 116). Obviously, this situation
makes it almost impossible to run the hospital without external aid or to assure quality service
delivery at prices that are affordable to the poor.
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EJ 13 (2019) 171-187
JULIUS NYERERE, THE CHURCH AND CONTEMPORARY
CATHOLIC POLITICIANS IN NIGERIA:
TOWARDS BUILDING THE KINGDOM OF GOD
AdolPhus ekedimmA AmAefule, SDV
Introduction
In 1995, Pope John Paul II came out with the Post-Synodal Apostolic
Exhortation, Ecclesia in Africa. Therein, he had fervently prayed, following the
Synod Fathers, that “there would arise in Africa holy politicians - both men and
women - and that there would be saintly Heads of State, who profoundly love their
own people and wish to serve rather than be served.”1 Eleven years later in 2006,
that prayer would appear to have been answered. Reason: The Diocese of Musoma
in Tanzania commenced the canonization process of Julius Kambarage Nyerere,
the former president of Tanzania. Born in 1922 in Butiama village, he began his
primary education in 1934. From there, he moved to Tabora Boys Secondary
School. In 1943, he proceeded to Makerere University in Uganda for his diploma
in Education. Back home, he became a Mwalimu, a teacher, at St Mary’s Catholic
Secondary School, Tabora. Three years after, in 1949, he left for the University
of Edinburgh, Scotland, where, in 1952, he bagged a Master of Arts. Returning
home, he went back to what he had always liked doing: Teaching. This time, he
taught at St. Francis’ College, Pugu, near Dar es Salaam. He would be there for
only two years before he joined the Tanganyika National Union (TANU) in 1954.
Seven years after in 1961, Tanganyika got independence and he became the Prime
minister. But following the amalgamation of Tanganyika and Zanzibar to form what
is known today as Tanzania in 1964, he became the president. He would be there
for over the next two decades until he resigned voluntarily in 1985. Fourteen years
after the said resignation, he died of Leukemia at a London hospital. But by this
time, he had become not only Tanzania’s Baba Ya Taifa – Father of the Nation, but
also “one of the most respected – and loved – of all African first presidents” 2 who
endeavoured, in their little ways, to build the Kingdom of God in Africa through
good leadership and true patriotism.
1
2
JohN PAul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation, Ecclesia in Africa (Yaoundé, Cameroon, 14
September, 1995), 111.
r. dowdeN, Africa: Altered States, Ordinary Miracles (London: Portobello Books, 2009), 66.
171
AdolPhus ekedimmA AmAefule, SDV
The preoccupation of this paper is to look at what politicians in Nigeria, today,
can learn from the actions and inactions of this Nyerere. But because the Church in
Tanzania helped to make Nyerere what he became and vice versa, the paper equally
considers what the Church in Nigeria can learn thereof in her relationship with her
own sons and daughters in public office.
On the Choice of Tanzania’s Julius Nyerere
As a country, Nigeria has often looked “like a Big Man with the spindly legs of
a child.”3 This is because of those who have been at the helm of her affairs ever since
she got independence from Britain in 1960. Yes, “the unwillingness or inability of
its leaders to rise to the responsibility, to the challenge of personal example which
are the hallmarks of true leadership.”4 In saying this, however, we are not oblivious
of at least two realities. One, that it takes two to tango. That is, for every leadership,
there is always a followership and often, a people gets the kind of leadership it
deserves. Two, that there are many factors that aggregate into making a leader, good
or bad.5 But the attribution of culpability to leadership here is hinged on the headbody analogy. It is generally believed that if the head is good, the body will also
be good. But if the body is good, and the head is not, nothing much can positively
be achieved. Hence, the OK-ness of the body is dependent on that of the head. No
wonder, Achebe says that one shining act of bold, selfless leadership at the top has
a way of radiating powerful sensations of well-being and pride through every nerve
and artery of national life.6 It is along this line, therefore, that one can understand
the significance of a Nyerere and what he can say to politicians in Nigeria, today.
Of course, questions like these may come up: What has Tanzania got to do
with Nigeria? Or, more particularly, What has a Tanzanian politician got to tell
contemporary politicians in Nigeria who, obviously, live in a world, clime and time
different from his? Admittedly, Tanzania, with its peculiarities, is different from
Nigeria. In the time of Nyerere, for instance, while it ran a one-party system, Nigeria
ran a multi-party system. But there are also some things they have in common.
One, both of them got their independence from Britain in the 1960s. Two, both can
boast of three major religions: African Traditional Religion, Christianity and Islam,
with the last two being the most prominent. Talking about Nyerere here, there will
be no attempt to apotheosize him. Nyerere was not perfect. Of course, no one is
3
4
5
6
c.N. Adichie, Purple Hibiscus (Lagos: Farafina, 2004), 11.
c. Achebe, The Trouble with Nigeria (Oxford: Heinemann, 1983), 1.
i.i. Azozu, Effective Leadership and the Ambivalence of Human Interest: The Nigerian Paradox in
Complementary Perspective (Calabar: University of Calabar Press, 2003), 43.
C. Achebe, The Trouble with Nigeria, 17.
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Julius Nyerere, the Church and Contemporary Catholic Politicians in Nigeria
either. Perfection belongs to God. Man only has a vocation and an invitation to the
same perfection (Matt.5:48). He, Nyerere, made mistakes. He recorded failures.
Some have come to see him as a possessor of the notorious ITK (I-Too-Know)
mentality that made him talk authoritatively as if he was the only person that had
all the answers and thus made him pay deaf ears to some of his critics.7 Others
have accused him of having held many more political prisoners than South Africa
did in its apartheid years.8 Still, others have simply dismissed him as a tyrant.9 It is
necessary that all these are pointed out, here. Reason: we so much agree with St.
Frances De Sales that, “There is no harm done to the saints if their faults are shown
as well as their virtues. But great harm is done to everybody by those hagiographers
who slur over the faults, be it for the purpose of honouring the saints...or through
fear of diminishing our reverence for their holiness.”10 But the fact remains that
in the midst of all these, or better, in spite of them, he, Nyerere, was able to rise
head and shoulder over his contemporaries.to become an African colossus.11 This
also may have informed our use of him here as an inspiration and motivation for
politicians in Nigeria, today.
Julius Nyerere and the Contemporary Politicians in Nigeria
Among many others, the motivation that Nyerere can give to politicians in
Nigeria today can be located in the following:
Overcoming of Tribalism
Nigeria is a country of many tribes. This is even recognized by a line in the
former national anthem: Though tribe and tongue may differ. As a matter of fact,
there are well over 250 tribes in Nigeria. Over the years, many politicians in Nigeria
have perfected the art of setting one tribe against the other for their selfish interests.
When they want power, they demonize other tribes and whip up sentiments among
their own people. When they lose elections, they say it is because of the tribe they
come from. When they are persecuted for embezzlement and corruption, they say it
is for reasons of their tribe. Tribe, then, becomes the refuge to which a majority of
7
8
9
10
11
F.o.c. NJoku, Essays in African Philosophy, Thought and Theology (Enugu: Snaap Press, 2002),
66.
d. lAmb, The Africans (New York: Vintage Books, 1987), xiv.
l.s. mwiJAge, Julius K Nyerere: Servant of God Or Untarnished Tyrant?(Wisdom House
Publications Limited, 2010).
A. butler, Lives of the Saints, Vol. 1 (New York: Kenedy, 1956), vii.
Cf. A. mAzrui, “Nyerere and I,” Daily Nation, Sunday, December 26, 1999. https://www.nation.co.
Accessed 25\02\2019.
173
AdolPhus ekedimmA AmAefule, SDV
Nigerian politicians run whenever it pleases them. Although not of the same number
of tribes as Nigeria, Tanzania still has many. In fact, it can boast of over 120 tribes.
But it is to the credit of Nyerere that he did not set his tribe, Zanaki, for instance,
against others, or join it with others and then set them against other groups – all for
his selfish gain. Instead, he appeared to have realized better than many politicians in
Nigeria the import of the line that immediately follows the aforesaid Though-tribeand-tongue-may-differ line of the old national anthem: “In brotherhood we stand!”
Yes, he made his compatriots to always look beyond their tribes and see Tanzania
as their own. “Our recognition of the family to which we all belong,” he once said,
“must be extended yet further –beyond the tribe.”12 That seed he sowed then, despite
the vagaries of time, has really flourished today. In fact, while the evil of tribalism
continues to wreak havoc in many countries in Africa, Tanzania remains, as it were,
the exception.13
Against Playing the Religion Card
Related to what is said above is the issue of religion. As previously pointed out,
Tanzania in the time of Nyerere had three religions: African Traditional Religion,
Christianity and Islam. Nyerere was a Catholic Christian. But he still did not play
the religion card in order to win elections. He did not incite the Christians against
the Muslims. He simply refused to identify the nation with any religious group.
While Tanzanians, individually, had their religions and were free, within the law, to
believe and worship as they wished, Tanzania, as nation, had no religion: it was a
secular state.14 He did play his politics so well that when he stepped down from the
presidency, he handed over not to a Christian, but to a Muslim: Ali Hassan Mwingi.
Neither did he find it strange as well to help out the Muslims in his village as they
constructed their mosque nor to ask Christian missionary schools to admit Muslims
in their schools so as to bridge what could be a future imbalance in that area. While
he received many criticisms as he did all these and more, he was able, however,
to keep alive what Brueggemann, talking about the prophet’s task, had called the
“ministry of imagination” and the ability to propose, “alternative solutions and
futures not yet conceived.”15 The “not yet future” of those days for Tanzania has
12
13
14
15
J.k. Nyerere, “Ujamma – The Basis of African Socialism,” The Journal of Pan African Studies 1.1
(1987), 11.
k.b. richburg, Out of America: A Black Man Confronts Africa (New York: Basic Books, 2009),
240-241.
l. mAgesA, African Religion in the Dialogue Debate: From Intolerance to Coexistence, (Berlin:
Lit Verlag, 2010), 151-152.
w. bueggemANN, Prophetic Imagination (London: SCM Press, 1992), 45.
174
Julius Nyerere, the Church and Contemporary Catholic Politicians in Nigeria
become the reality of today in which, as a country, despite as well, some problems
here and there, it leads many others in Africa in both political unity and religious
tolerance,16 and many people today have come to appreciate what he was up to those
days. Hence, a confirmation of the observation by Irenaeus that, “No prophecy is
fully understood until after the fulfilment of it.”17
In a way, therefore, it could be said that Nyerere’s was an Interreligious
Dialogue in practice and not just in theory – and it is something needed so much in
Nigeria today. This is why many politicians in Nigeria have, as well, a leaf to borrow
from him, here. While it is true that Section 10 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution
has expressly stated that: “The Government of the federation or of a State shall not
adopt any religion as State religion,” many politicians know how to overlook it and
do what they want – all for their personal gains. Yes, going through the annals of
violence in the country, it will be discovered that a good number of them had been
instigated by politicians. Even, most of the violence termed “religious” have always
had political colouration. Politicians who lost elections, always tended to play the
religion card. Loss of lives and property had been on the trail of such episodes.
Is it any wonder then that Meredith concluded that Nigerian politics, by nature,
tends to be not only mercenary but also violent?18 But this is not how it should be.
Politicians in Nigeria should help in the building of a Nigeria where the followers of
the two major religions thereof, Christianity and Islam, will live more, in tolerance
and peace, than they do at present.
Beyond Materialism
One of the characteristics of politicians anywhere in the world is the fact that
they are usually in love with words. Yes, most politicians eat words, drink words and
sleep over words. They are merchants of words. Indeed, words-made-flesh! But the
problem is in marrying the words with actions. Only a few of them could be called
doers of what they say. Nyerere was one of them. For instance, he once said that,
“there are more important things in life than the amassing of riches.”19 But those
16
17
18
19
J.m. kikwete, “Managing Religious Diversity in a Democratic Environment: The Tanzania
Experience.” Speech at Boston University (U.S.A.), September 25, 2006. Cited in Angolwisye
Isakwisa Malambugi, “Nyerere, Julius Kambarage,” Dictionary of African Christian Biography,
https://dacb.org/stories Accessed 25\02\2019.
Cited in William Barclay, Gospel of John, vol. 1 (Bangalore: Theological Publications in India,
2009), 134.
m. meredith, The State of Africa: A History of the Continent Since Independence (London: Simon
and Schuster, 2005). https://books.google.com.ng. Accessed 24\02\2019.
J.k. Nyerere, Freedom and Socialism/Uhuru na Ujamaa (New York: Oxford University Press,
1968), 316.
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AdolPhus ekedimmA AmAefule, SDV
were not empty phrases. He believed them. When he died, it was discovered that
truly there had been “more important things in [his] life than the amassing of riches.”
For one, he never had foreign bank accounts. He never had any eye-popping stateof-the-art cars in his garages. Neither did he have mansions scattered here and there
in his country and elsewhere. He had one old house in his village. The government
and the army, it is said, had to build one for him. Even when he retired, he did not
have a pension to live on: the Tanzanian Parliament had to vote to create one for
him. This happened even as he was, while in office, the least paid of the world’s
heads of state.20 This is another thing that many politicians in Nigeria should take
note of. Nigeria, as a country, has not been blessed with many leaders who show a
similar Nyerere-like attitude towards wealth. Instead, she’s got a plethora of leaders
who seemed to have considered the amassing of wealth as the most important thing
in their lives. At the end of the day, they would often have amassed so much wealth
that one could not but wonder whether they would have as many as a thousand
and one lives to be able to finish all they looted. In fact, not only do they own
houses and property here and there, have foreign bank accounts, they also engage in
money laundering. Little wonder, the former chairman of Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission (EFCC), Farida Waziri, had to hazard the possibility that a
good number of these leader-looters might be suffering from “‘madness’ or some
form of obsessive-compulsive psychiatric disorder.”21
Lesson in Simplicity
Very close to what has just been said above is Nyerere’s legendary simplicity.
He never allowed the pecks and paraphernalia of his office to turn him into a
god. He simply had his feet on the ground. In his autobiography, Long Walk To
Freedom, Mandela has this to say about Nyerere in the early part of his presidency:
“We arrived in Dar es Salaam the next day and I met Julius Nyerere, the newly
independent country’s first president. We talked at his house, which was not at
all grand, and I recall that he drove himself in a simple car, a little Austin. This
impressed me for it suggested that he was a man of the people.”22 When he,
Nyerere, became older, “he moved around Dar es Salaam in an old car with just his
20
21
22
g. mwAkikAgile, Life Under Nyerere (Dar es Salaam: New Africa Press, 2006), 82.
Farida Waziri, “The Role of Anti-corruption Agencies,” A Keynote Address at a Workshop on
Transparency and Accountability in the Public Service, Kaduna, Kaduna State (September 28,
2009), 3.
N. mANdelA, Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela (New York: Little
Brown, 1994), 290.
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Julius Nyerere, the Church and Contemporary Catholic Politicians in Nigeria
driver, who stopped for red lights.”23 Also, it is recounted that while in office, he
had attended Mass at Kampala, in Uganda. The crowd was much. An arrangement
was made for him to have a special seat in front. But he did not want any of that.
Instead, he chose to sit among the people. During Holy Communion, he simply got
in line, against the intentions of many who wanted him to jump the queue.24 This is
unlike the situation in Nigeria, where almost every Tom, Dick and Harry in office
would like to let others know that he or she has “arrived.” How often has it been
reported that this “big man” or “big woman” in office has given orders to his\her
escort to forcefully remove, or, at the worst, beat up, a “stubborn” road user for
daring to “block” the road as his\her “excellency” was passing by! This, of course,
would be accompanied by the blaring of sirens strong enough to wake the dead
from their prolonged sleep! May be, many Nigerian politicians can have one or two
things to learn from him in this sense.
Again, it was Freeman who had noted that, “With their luxury air travel, fivestar hotel rooms and vast entourage of hangers-on, the life of a Nigerian politician
has long been more akin to that of a rap star than a public servant[…]. Nigerian
ministers could act like a state-funded version of Sean ‘P Diddy’ Combs, travelling
the world in private jets.”25 As hard as that sounds, there is a tinge of truth in it. Many
politicians in Nigeria today have this penchant for travelling the world over. In these
days, this is done mostly for vacations. Going on vacations overseas has become the
in-thing. It has become a status symbol. Dubai, the United States of America, many
countries in Europe, as well as some in the Caribbean, are the preferred places.
For them, doing vacations within the country is infra dig. It is something for the
hoi polloi. As the Mwalimu, the teacher, that he was, Nyerere can teach many of
these politicians in Nigeria something here as well. It is reported that while he was
in office, he spent most of his vacations in his home town of Butiama, “working
in his fields with his own hands, raising cattle or planting trees.”26 In doing this,
even without his knowing, he, being as he was then, the most intellectual of all
23
24
25
26
m.t. kAufmAN, “Julius Nyerere of Tanzania Dies; Preached African Socialism to the World,” The
New York Times, October 5, 1999. http://www.nytimes.com Accessed 21\02\2019. See also Cf.
Trevor Huddleston, “The Person Nyerere” in Colin Legum, and Geoffrey Mmari (eds.), Mwalimu:
The Influence of Nyerere (London: James Currey, 2003), 3-4.
m. serumAgA, “Tanzania: The Venerable Julius Nyerere of Butiama, Teacher and Leader,”
AfricaFiles 30 July, 2015. http://www.africafiles.org Accessed 21\02\2019.
c. freemAN, “High Life Over for Nigeria’s ‘Big Men’ as Crackdown Looms on Big Entourages
and VIP Travel,” The Telegraph, 28 December, 2015. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/Accessed
21\02\2019.
l. mAgesA, “The Hidden Face of Julius Nyerere.” http://pascalbcdeng.over-blog.com/Accessed
20\02\2019.
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AdolPhus ekedimmA AmAefule, SDV
English-speaking heads of state in Africa,27 helped to demolish the fallacy rife in
many quarters in Africa, even today, that, “anything to do with the cultivation of the
soil is fit only for the poor and uneducated rustic.”28
Not Trading in Blames
Apart from being the above-mentioned merchants of words, a good number of
politicians in Nigeria, are often merchants of another thing: blames! No sooner does
a policy, programme or enterprise go wrong – in fact, fails – than it is considered
the “handiwork of detractors,” the “evil machinations of the opposition party” or the
“product of the jealousy of some disgruntled party members,” etc. But rarely do they
blame themselves or accept the fact that for good or bad, the buck stops at their table
and see how they could make amends. Here, Nyerere can have something to teach
the politicians in Nigeria, still. As it is well known, one of his signatures in office
is the philosophy of Ujamma, an African socialism, built, as it were, on the African
extended family system.29 But theory is usually different from practice. His Ujamma
programme did not entirely pan out as he had wished. It was almost a disaster,
especially, on the economic front. It simply could not, as Mazrui observed, “deliver
the goods of development.”30 But when that happened, Nyerere did not start playing
the blame game. In a farewell speech of November 5, 1985, he publicly stated: “I
failed. Let’s admit it.”31
At Home with Positive Contribution
Most politicians in Nigeria, when they retire from active politics – if ever they
do – become “godfathers” and “godmothers.” In fact, they become “deities.” They
soon receive the “spirit of anointing” and anybody who wishes to become politically
relevant or wishes to vie for any office would surely fall under their anointing! Such
aspirants must always bow down and worship them. And when they win elections and
assume their positions, something else happens! They would bring to the godfathers
and godmothers the allocations meant, as the case may be, for the entire country,
state, ministry, constituency, local Government Area, etc. This is to enable them to
cut the size they want. Others bring the lists of appointments to various positions
27
28
29
30
31
A.A. mAzrui, Political Values and the Educated Class in Africa (Berkeley and Los Angeles:
University of California Press, 1978), 230.
s. ANdreski, The African Predicament (New York: Atherton Press,1969), 204.
Nyerere, “Ujamma – The Basis of African Socialism,” 10.
A. mAzrui, “Nyerere and I.”
Cf. g. mwAkikAgile, Tanzania Under Mwalimu Nyerere: Reflections on an African Statesman (Dar
es Salaam: New Africa Press, 2006), 67.
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Julius Nyerere, the Church and Contemporary Catholic Politicians in Nigeria
so that they would choose the choicest and plum ones for their “boys” and “girls.”
When these are not forthcoming, they simply make the place ungovernable for the
person in power. But Nyerere was different. When he relinquished his presidency in
1985 - though this is not the main issue, here, it remains a milestone in a continent
in which people would rather die than give up power - he had become the chairman
of his party, Chama Cha Mapinduzi, until 1990. While it is said that ever since
the aforesaid relinquishing of his presidency, his “endorsement was to be a vital
component for any Tanzanian politician for, in truth, he never ceased to be Tanzanian
leader,”32 it is obvious that his kind of endorsement or “anointing” had nothing to do
with that of the typical Nigerian political godfather or godmother as captured above.
His endorsement had no strings attached to it. His interest was in the emergence of a
corruption-free candidate who had the best of intentions for the people. But that, as
well, is not even the main issue, here. The main issue here is what he became when
he eventually retired from active politics: The Catechist of his village parish!33 Yes,
the Mwalimu in him could not die! He continued to teach and enlighten others. This
is still something that the average Nigerian politician can emulate.
Always in Solidarity
Writing about the education system in his country, Tanzania, Nyerere had said
that, “It has to prepare our young people to play a dynamic and constructive part in
the development of a society in which all members share fairly in the good or bad
fortune of the group.”34 He incarnated, so to say, the aforementioned as he shared
fairly in the good or bad fortune of his people. He was practically always there for
them. His was a government of solidarity. There is a great deal of lesson that many
politicians and public servants in Nigeria can take hereof. As it has often happened,
many a time a good number of them have left those they govern in their bad fortunes;
for example, when terrorists struck, when herdsmen attacked or when they were
visited by one natural calamity or the other. Instead, in such instances, some of them
junketed all over the world, attending one “useless” conference or another, when they
would have delegated such to others so as be with their people. Others have been
known to have used the time of such misfortune, to move to other side of the country
32
33
34
d. mArtiN, “Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere: Obituary,” South African Research and
Documentation Centre(SARDC), cited in Godfrey Mwakikagile, Nyerere and Africa: End of an
Era (Dar es Salaam: New Africa Press, 2010), 572.
g. okoro, “Tribute to the Great Mwalimu: Julius Karambage Nyerere,” The Catholic Ambassador
(October/November 2017), 20-21, 21.
J. Nyerere, “Education for Self-Reliance,” March 1967. http://www.swaraj.org/Accessed
19\02\2019.
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AdolPhus ekedimmA AmAefule, SDV
and be campaigning for re-elections, surrounded by myriads of sycophants, court
jesters and praise singers. Or, even, some have used the same to play host to other
hangers-on who had come to “urge” them to go in for a re-election in the face of crass
incompetence, nepotism, selfishness and lack of solidarity.
With a Spirit of Selflessness
It was Abraham Lincoln who, in his famous letter to his son’s teacher, had
urged the latter to teach his son, “that for every selfish politician, there is a dedicated
leader.”35 Indeed, Africa has been blessed with many selfish politicians and few
dedicated leaders. Nyerere, as could have been obvious from the foregoing, was one
of the dedicated and unselfish few. His was not a world of Me, Mine, Myself and I.
Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar had said: “What touches us ourself shall be last served.”36
This could have been said by another Julius: Julius Nyerere! His motto could have
been: “That which touches me, should be served last.” He would have kept to it.
Only somebody with such unselfish mentality would fail to convert the national
purse into his private use. For instance, it is reported that while still the president of
his country in the 1960s, he, after paying the school fees of his children, had to beg
his bank to give him a few months’ grace on the repayment of the mortgage on his
personal house.37 For many African leaders of his time and a good number of them
today for whom there was and still no difference between the national coffers and
their private ones, that was a most foolish act. But that was vintage Nyerere! Again,
only somebody with the aforementioned unselfish mentality would have the courage
not to cut corners for himself, friends, family members or even village people. It is
said that during his time in office, he had given, or better, imposed a leadership code
that forbade government officials from involvement in a private business. This was
to discourage corruption. But his wife ran a poultry business and was as well the
head of the country’s major women’s organization, the United Women of Tanzania.
Nyerere did not bend the rules to favour her. He was convinced that faced with the
two options, the wife had a choice to make. A choice she did make.38 Similarly, it
is said that there had been, during his life, plans to construct a tarmac road to his
village, Butiama. But he had refused. Reason: He believed that it was not proper for
35
36
37
38
Cf. http://englishbookgeorgia.com.But it is good to point out immediately that there are doubts
today as to whether Lincoln actually wrote this letter. See Thomas F. Schwartz, “Lincoln Never
Said That,” For the People: A Newsletter of the Abraham Lincoln Association 3.4(Winter 2001), 5.
w. shAkesPeAre, Julius Caesar, 3.1 (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1984), 158.
Achebe, The Trouble with Nigeria, 17.
kAufmAN, “Julius Nyerere of Tanzania Dies.” See also Achebe, The Trouble with Nigeria, 17.
180
Julius Nyerere, the Church and Contemporary Catholic Politicians in Nigeria
his village to enjoy the privilege alone, while other villages could not.39 No wonder,
we could not but elsewhere call him, the “master of political altruism.”40
As a Man of Principle
Writing in the Young India newspaper of October 22, 1925, Gandhi had listed,
“Politics without principles,” as one of the Seven Social Sins.41 From all that have
been said above, it is obvious that Nyerere never committed this social sin, of politics
without principle. His, indeed, was a politics in and of principle. He always knew
what he wanted and went for it. His actions were never motivated by pecuniary
gains, but always by the common good. Is it any surprise that when he died, the
Newsweek exclaimed: “The world has lost a man of principle.”42 Many politicians
in Nigeria can learn from him: How to be men and women of principle in politics.
For many, unfortunately, are not. Instead, they are “Spineless aspirants of office\
Harbingers of powerless will power\Possessors of void principle\Purveyors of
porous promises.”43 Yes, they are often men and women who, like nails, are attracted
to where the magnet of money is and for whom the stomach seems to be the main
motivation for joining political parties.44
The Church in Tanzania and Julius Nyerere
In his apostolate of public service, Nyerere was supported by the Church in
Tanzania. As pointed out above, he, Nyerere, is well known for espousing a system
of philosophy called Ujamma socialism. While his socialism was built on the
traditional African extended family, it was also built, in line with the teachings of
the Church. Although it is true that at the initial stages of his Ujamma, Church
leaders did not, a kind of, support it wholeheartedly for fear that it had communist
undertone,45 support became much better later.
In Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus, there is the character, Papa (Eugene Achike), the
father of the narrator of the novel, Kambili. He was, so to say, a man of the Church. He
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
l. mAgesA “The Hidden Face of Julius Nyerere.”
A.e. AmAefule, Icons of Valour: Courageous Saints and Heroes for Courageous Living (Ibadan:
Daily Graphics, 2005), 327.
Cited in Anil Dutta Mishra, Mahatma Gandhi On Ethics (New Delhi: Concept Publishing,
2010), 39.
mwAkikAgile, Life Under Nyerere, 82.
A.E. AmAefule, Songs of an African Bard (Calabar: Print House, 2016), 35.
Cf. o. P’bitek, Song of Lawino and Song of Ocol (London: Heinemann, 1966), 208.
Castor M. Goliama, Where are you Africa?: Church and Society in the Mobile Phone Age
(Bamenda: Langaa RPCIG, 2011), 212.
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AdolPhus ekedimmA AmAefule, SDV
frequented the Church and received the Eucharist. In his parish at St Agnes, Enugu, his
expatriate parish priest, Father Benedict, often used him, the Pope and Jesus, during his
sermons, to illustrate the gospels. Reason: After the coup, he, Papa, used his newspaper,
the Standard, to speak the truth as well as to speak for freedom.46 But when this Papa,
so praised in the Church, left the same Church for his house, he became something
else: A religious tyrant! He could not become the Eucharist he had received. Like
Papa, Nyerere was also a man of the Church. He frequented the Church. It is said that
he attended, wherever he was, the morning Mass almost every day. This was to enable
him, as he said, to “ask God’s blessing on the day’s work.”47 At such Masses, he did
receive the Eucharist as well. But unlike Papa, he allowed the Eucharist he received
to take flesh in him and be manifested in the things he did. Balasuriya had once said
that, “The Eucharist is the spiritual food in so far as it leads to greater love, self-unity
and communion among persons and groups. Today this requires love among persons
and an effective action for justice.”48 Yes, the Eucharist Nyerere received did lead him
to foster greater love, unity, communion, justice and peace among the various tribes
and religions in Tanzania. This is acknowledged, in a way, by the prayer composed
for asking graces through his intercession: “We thank you, O God our Creator, for
the gift of your servant, Julius Kambarage Nyerere […] who […] gave himself up
completely for your people with love that knew no boundaries, building tirelessly
unity and solidarity among all Children of God. He cared for the poor. He uplifted the
downtrodden. He consoled orphans. He welcomed and fed refugees.[…] He defended
justice and fought relentlessly against oppression and discrimination of any kind.”49
Furthermore, the Church in Tanzania supported Nyerere by giving him the
opportunity to serve, as already pointed out, as a catechist and also to translate
the four gospels and the book of Acts of the Apostles in the style and genre of
popular Swahili poetry.50 All of which, of course, helped in the enrichment of
the same Tanzanian Church. But then, if one side of the coin is the fact that the
Church in Tanzania supported Nyerere, the other side of the coin that should not be
downplayed is the fact that the same Nyerere, through his criticisms and challenges
46
47
48
49
50
Adichie, Purple Hibiscus, 4-5.
huddlestoN, “The Person Nyerere,” 6.
t. bAlAsuriyA The Eucharist and Human Liberation (Eugene, Oregon: Wipf and Stock Publishers,
2004), 22.
Cf. mAgesA “The Hidden Face of Julius Nyerere.”
A. moJolA, “Postcolonial Translation Theory and the Swahili Bible,” in Musa W. Dube and R.S.
Wafula (eds.), Postcoloniality, Translation, and the Bible in Africa (Eugene, Oregon: Pickwick
Publications, 2017), 26-56, 49. It is good to point out here that even before now Nyerere had
translated Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar and the Merchant of Venice into the same Swahili. He also
did some translations into his native language, Kizanaki.
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Julius Nyerere, the Church and Contemporary Catholic Politicians in Nigeria
that he knew how best to put them at the doorsteps of the Church, helped the Church
in Tanzania to become what he ought to be: A more prophetic Church! For one, he
had challenged the Church and its workers to fight against everything that “prevents
a man from living in dignity and decency,” reminding it that even as “saints may be
found in slums,” the slums cannot be preserved, “in order to make them breeding
grounds for saints,” since there is “nothing saintly in imposed poverty.” 51 In doing
this, however, he pointed out that the Church should not see it as an abnegation
of her duty to evangelize and a consequent identification with particular political
ideologies. Instead, it should be seen as her own way of pursuing social justice.52
Julius Nyerere, the Church and Catholic Politicians in Nigeria
In view of the aforesaid relationship that existed between the Church in
Tanzania and Julius Nyerere, the Church in Nigeria today will be challenged at least
on three scores:
To Wake Up From Slumber
It was Ezeogu who noted that, “As far as Nigerian politics is concerned, the
Nigerian Catholic Church can be called a sleeping giant. It has not always played the
leadership role and responsibility that she is supposed to and is capable of playing.”53
Hence, the first challenge facing the Church in Nigeria in this context is for her to
wake up from the aforesaid slumber and take up all the more her responsibility in the
area of politics. Doing this, however, should not be seen as an unnecessary intrusion
of hers into the temporal sphere as against her spiritual jurisdiction. Neither should
it be regarded as an extra added to her mission of evangelization. Instead, it is part
and parcel of it since the same temporal order, says Paul VI, “is the activity of
men, and all that concerns men concerns the Church.”54 Undoubtedly, many sons
and daughters of the Church in Nigeria are already in the amphitheater of politics
and public service. This is something encouraging since theirs, according to the
bishops of Africa in their message to the people of God, is an apostolate to “promote
the common good and God’s kingdom of justice, love and peace, in line with the
51
52
53
54
J. Nyerere, “The Church and Society.” A Speech to the Maryknoll Sisters’ Conference, New York,
16 October, 1970, in Julius K. Nyerere, Man and Development (London: Oxford University Press,
1974), 82-101, 91.
Ibid., 95.
m. ezeogu, Bible and Politics: Can Nigerian Catholics Baptise the ‘Dirty Game’ of Politics?
(Enugu: Snaap Press, 2007), viii.
Cited in J.o. odey, The Eleventh Commandment: You Shall Not Keep Silent in the Face of Injustice
(Enugu: Snaap Press, 2007), 35.
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AdolPhus ekedimmA AmAefule, SDV
teachings of the Church.”55 But many more of her sons and daughters could have
been there. Many factors have mitigated against this. Among this is the notion still
rife that politics is a “dirty game” that committed Catholics should have nothing
to do with or, at the worst, should touch with the proverbial long stick. Hence, the
need for adequate catechesis so that a good number of the lay faithful may come to
look beyond the apparent “dirtiness” of politics and thus see it as a mission field to
which they have been called. It is a call that would eventuate, to borrow the title of
Lehmann’s book, into the transfiguration of [the same dirty] politics!56
To Bring Closer Her Members in Public Offices
The Church in Nigeria will also be challenged on yet another score; this
time, in relation to the aforementioned sons and daughters of hers already in the
“amphitheater of politics and public service.” She is asked to bring them closer
which would see them sometimes being given responsibilities in the Church, or
more precisely, in both their local parishes and the parishes where they reside. These
responsibilities may include being extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist, lectors,
marriage instructors, part-time catechists, parish councilors, etc. The Church must
not wait till when they would retire like Nyerere before this may happen. Their
assuming such responsibilities and more in the Church would have at least two
implications. One, it will be, in practical terms, an inspiration to others, in and outside
the Church. Reason: That being a politician or in public service, as hinted above,
does not preclude one from practising one’s faith. In fact, being an active politician
and a practising Catholic are not mutually exclusive. Two, to the politicians or those
in public service themselves, it will raise the consciousness in them that they are
not just there alone, on their own. Instead, that they are representing the Church and
that their actions and inactions can bring disgrace to the same Church. Hence, they
have to sit up. And the same “bringing them closer” will also see these sons and
daughters of the Church in politics being encouraged to attend Masses, make use of
the sacraments and then assess the ecclesial resources, ever ready and available, in
the form of advice, enlightenment on the social teachings of the Church and even
spiritual direction. In this way, the Church in Nigeria would help all the more to
“form consciences in political life and to stimulate greater insight into the authentic
requirements of justice as well as greater readiness to act accordingly, even when
this might involve conflict with situations of personal interest.”57
55
56
57
Bishops of Africa, Message to the People of God, 18th General Congregation of the Second Special
Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops, Friday, 23 October, 2005, 23.
P. lehmANN, The Transfiguration of Politics (London: SCM Press, 1975).
beNedict Xvi, Encyclical, Deus Caritas Est (Rome, 25 December, 2005), 28.
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Julius Nyerere, the Church and Contemporary Catholic Politicians in Nigeria
However, in this “bringing them closer,” the Church should be mindful of at
least the following points. One, that she should always try to put her own house in
order. As a matter of fact, some “holy” politics, tribalism, ethnocentrism, etc. are
observable sometimes in her scheme of things, at all levels. These are too heavy
a burden for her to bear and still have the freedom to offer advice to her sons and
daughters in politics or to speak out against such evils in the larger context of the
nation. Two, as the bishops rightly observed in the same Message to the People
of Africa, “[m]any Catholics in high office have fallen woefully short in their
performance in office.”58 But such “many Catholics” are still the children of the
Church. The Church, being the mother she is, must welcome them. In welcoming
them, however, she should have the courage to tell them that they have not done well
and that they are “giving the Catholic Church a bad name.”59 Hence, they should
turn over a new leaf. She should not keep silence or be seen as condoning their evils
for reasons of privileges or financial gains.
However, to help improve the performance of her sons and daughter in public
office, the Church in Nigeria should do the following:.
(i) Constitute a committee made up of committed faithful who would be charged
with the responsibilities of monitoring their performance in office. The
committee, existing at the national level, would be replicated in every state and
Local Government Area in the country, or better, in every province and diocese
in the country. The committee should not be seen as usurping the functions of
the Justice, Development and Peace Commission (JDPC) which, admittedly,
has been doing a great job. This, especially, in the area of the enlightenment
they carry out before elections (even as more needs to be done) and in the
monitoring of the elections proper. But what it has not been doing and which
is the vacuum the committee would fill up is in the area of monitoring the
performance of those elected. The committee will incorporate some members
of the JDPC into its fold in view of their ontological relatedness. Those Catholic
politicians found to be doing well should be recommended to the Church
hierarchy in the country for the presentation of award and those found not to be
doing well, a means should be devised to “punish” them.
(ii) According to Gaudium et Spes, “The Church, by reason of her role and
competence, is not identified in any way with the political community nor bound
to any political system. She is at once a sign and a safeguard of the transcendent
character of the human person.”60 Taking a cue from this and going straight to
58
59
60
bishoPs of AfricA, Message to the People of God, 23.
Ibid., 23.
vAticAN couNcil ii, Constitution, Gaudium et Spes (December 7, 1965) 76.
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AdolPhus ekedimmA AmAefule, SDV
what is the interest of the paper here, the Church, it could be said, should not be
identified with and bound to the candidate of a particular party. This, however,
has not been the case as far as the Church in Nigeria is concerned. Sometimes,
some bishops and priests, by their actions and inactions have “endorsed” some
candidates. Such candidates often know how to make the best of the situation.
They would never leave the Church or any of her functions or activities. They
would simply become “Church rats.” And the bishops and priests, taken in by
their seemingly show of piety and humility, would cement the endorsement and
they would be elected. But soon after, their true colours will come out. In his
book, African Religions and Philosophy, Mbiti had observed that, “Wherever
you see an African, you’ll see his religion.[…] if he is a politician he takes it
to the house of parliament.”61 But some of these hitherto-endorsed-but-nowelected Catholic politicians do not take their Catholic faith anywhere to their
elected offices. All the Masses and Church functions they attended would
simply be forgotten. By their actions and inactions - mostly, contrary to the
teachings of the Church – they would each be telling the same Church leaders:
“I have arrived. You can now go to blazes.” It is the same actions and inactions
of theirs in office that people often see and are thus forced, with a tincture
of unbelief, to exclaim: “Look at Catholics! Is this what Catholicism is all
about?” Hence, Rahner says: “The number one cause of atheism is Christians.
Those who proclaim God with their mouths and deny Him with their lifestyles
are what an unbelieving world finds simply unbelievable.”62 Therefore, the
leadership of the Church in Nigeria should always tread with caution in their
endorsement of candidates for elected offices. Let them allow such candidates
prove themselves by their actions and inactions. Hasty endorsement often bring
hasty regrets!
(iii) To Timothy in his first letter, Paul had advised: “I urge that petitions, prayers,
intercessions and thanksgiving be made for everyone, for rulers of states and
all in authority.”(2:1-2) It is undeniable that the Church in Nigeria has been, for
a long time, in this business of offering prayers for “rulers of states and all in
authority” and, especially, for her own sons and daughters. But since there can
never be an overdose as far as this manner of prayer is concerned, more will
still be needed from her. This is because the temptations strewn in their ways
are many, so that they may overcome them and come, as Paul observed in the
same letter, to “enjoy a quiet and peaceful life in goodliness and respect.”(2:2)
61
62
J.s. mbiti, African Religions and Philosophy (Oxford: Heinemann, 1969), 2.
Cited in A.P boers, Lord, Teach Us to Pray: A New Look at the Lord’s Prayer (Eugene, Oregon:
Wipf and Stock, 2008), 64.
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Julius Nyerere, the Church and Contemporary Catholic Politicians in Nigeria
To Help Such Sons and Daughters See their Being in Politics as a Means
of Sanctification
It is a fact that “among the saints, the Church venerates many men and women
who served God through their generous commitment to politics and government.”63
The implication of this is quite simple: That it is possible, as well, to work out
one’s salvation, even today, through a “generous commitment to politics and
government.” This is where one can locate another challenge of the foregoing for
the sons and daughters of the Church in Nigeria who are in politics. They are asked
to see their being in politics and government – just as Nyerere did - as a means to
their sanctification. In fact, they are urged to see it as a call, a vocation, for them to
become saints and then, sanctifiers!
Conclusion
The preoccupation of this paper has been to look at the life of Julius Nyerere,
the former president of Tanzania. Nyerere’s life, as revealed in the paper, was one
of simplicity, humility, selflessness, love, tolerance, solidarity, honesty, etc. The
paper looked at what the politicians in Nigeria, today, can learn from him as they
endeavour to build the Kingdom of God in the country, and thus help make the
same country, as the national anthem urges, a “nation bound in freedom, peace and
unity.” Nyerere was a committed Catholic Christian. The paper also did consider
how the Church in Tanzania influenced him and helped him to become what we
know of him today. It equally looked at what that has to say to the Church in Nigeria
in her relationship with her sons and daughters. It was discovered, among other
things, that it challenges her, the Church in Nigeria, to, first of all, wake up from
her slumber so as to assume the responsibility expected of her as far as the nation’s
political landscape is concerned. Secondly, it urges her to bring the aforementioned
children of hers closer to herself by way of prayer, spiritual direction, availability,
enlightenment, creation of room for their greater participation in Church’s life and
well as helping to monitor how they perform in office, etc. And just as in the case of
Nyerere, the sons and daughters of the Church in Nigeria also have the responsibility
to criticize, in love and truth, the same Church and never to relent in challenging her
to become what she ought to be: The vanguard of good governance,64 the conscience
of the society and a much more prophetic agent of the Kingdom of God!
63
64
coNgregAtioN for the doctriNe of fAith, Doctrinal Note on Some Questions Regarding The
Participation of Catholics in Political Life (Rome, November 24, 2002), 1.
Cf. cAtholic bishoPs’ coNfereNce of NigeriA (CBCN), Communiqué, “Governance in Nigeria and
the Common Good,” Resource Centre, Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN), Durumi, Abuja, 10
- 16 March 2019, 4.
187
188
EJ 13 (2019) 189-200
DOES GOD’S KINGDOM HAVE SPACE FOR
MUSLIMS?
emmANuel uNAmbA
Preamble
On February 4, 2019, Pope Francis and Sheikh Al-Azhar1 (Ahmad Tayyib)
jointly signed “A Document on Human Fraternity for world Peace and Living
Together” in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates). It was on the occasion of the first
visit of a Pope to the Arabian Peninsula. At this, some Catholics wondered why
is he going to Saudi Arabia and signing encyclical with Muslims. Of course, this
comment is borne out of poor knowledge and some elements of prejudice.
The Pope did not sign an encyclical with the Sheikh. It was only a joint
declaration to work together for the elimination of religious extremism. This gesture
of the pope and the Sheikh is also an effort at a joint establishment of the kingdom
of God on earth by both Christians and Muslims. The Church cannot do it alone.
While Christians are taught to pray and work for the coming of God’s kingdom (cf.
Mt. 6:10), a similar demand is also made on the Muslims.
ْ ُكنتُ ْم َخ ْي َر أُ َّم ٍة أُ ْخ ِر َج
ُوف َوتَ ْنهَوْ نَ ع َِن ْال ُمن َك ِر َوتُ ْؤ ِمنُونَ بِاللَّـ ِه
ِ اس تَأْ ُمرُونَ بِ ْال َم ْعر
ِ َّت لِلن
“Ye are the best community that hath been raised up for mankind. Ye enjoin right
conduct and forbid indecency; and ye believe in Allah.” Ᾱl ‘Imrān (Q. 3:110).2
In the face of this obvious common objective, can we say that the Muslims have
some space in the “already” and “not yet” of the kingdom of God? But before we
examine that, we will first see if the kingdom of Allah has a place for the Christians.
Do Christians have a Place in the Kingdom of Allah?
This sub-title was chosen on purpose. It represents an error that keeps Christians
and Muslims divided. It suggests that the kingdom of Allah is for the Muslims and
1
2
The Sheikh Al-Azhar is the highest ranking Sunni authority in the world of Islam, although with
contestation. He is the head of the oldest and most orthodox Islamic university in the world located
at Cairo Egypt. Since the Muslims do not have a hierarchy as the Church, he is seen as the voice of
Islam in today’s world.
All English interpretation of the Quran is taken from Pickthall Marmaduke.
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emmANuel uNAmbA
the kingdom of God is for the Christians. When Allah is mentioned most people
think of the Islamic God. At one of the Wednesday Papal audiences, the Arabic
interpreter in translating the words of the Holy Father mentioned the phrase Allahu
Akbar. Many people were taken aback. “Why is this Muslim thing being mentioned
here?” Little did they know that it was not just said by the Pope but written in
several places in the Bible. Allahu Akbar is just the Arabic translation of “God is
great” which is seen in Ps. 70:4, 95:3, 147:5, among other places in the Bible.
There exist millions of Arab Christians who have no other term for God but
Allah. They celebrate the Mass in Arabic, calling the name of Allah. Besides, the
term Allah was used by the Arabs before the advent of Islam. With the coming of
Islam and her influence in various parts of the world, Allah is used by both Christians
and Muslims as God’s name in many languages.
The place of Christians in Islam is much more than what the Islamic
fundamentalists present it to be. The Quran refers to the Christians, Jews and
Serbians as Ahl al-Kitāb - people of the book/scripture (Q. 4:159, 5:19). They are
so called because they possess a testament from God. In many instances in the
Quran, the prophet of Islam Muhammad (Pbuh) was directed to ask the people of
the book before him (example Q. 10:94). He himself repeatedly said that he has not
come to bring a new thing but to purify and confirm previous religions (Q. 2:29)
prophets (Q. 4:163). The Christians in particular are referred to as Al-Nasār (the
Nazarenes); those who follow Jesus of Nazareth (Q. 5:51, 57: 27). The Muslims
should collaborate with them (Q. 3:64) since they are the nearest to Muslims.
ًاس َعدَا َوةً لِّلَّ ِذينَ آ َمنُوا ْاليَهُو َد َوالَّ ِذينَ أَ ْش َر ُكوا َولَت َِجد ََّن أَ ْق َربَهُم َّم َو َّدة
ِ َّلَت َِجد ََّن أَ َش َّد الن
ٰ
َ
َ
ُ
ْ
ْ
َّ
َّ
َ
َِّيسينَ َو ُر ْهبَانًا َوأنهُ ْم َل يَ ْستَكبِرُون
َ ِصا َر ٰى ذل
َ َلِّلَّ ِذينَ آ َمنُوا الَّ ِذينَ قَالوا إِنا ن
ِ ك بِأ َّن ِمنهُ ْم قِس
“Thou wilt find the most vehement of mankind in hostility to those who believe (to
be) the Jews and the idolaters. And thou wilt find the nearest of them in affection
to those who believe (to be) those who say: Lo! We are Christians. That is because
there are among them priests and monks, and because they are not proud.”
Al-Maida (Q. 5:82).
Islamic theology developed from this through the hadith and made a space
for the Christians in the Islamic community. In 631 AD, a Christian delegation
from Najaran met with Muḥammad (Pbuh) in Medina. He treated them well and
even gave them his mosque for their prayer. “Whoever hurts them” he said, “will
answer for it on the last day” (Abu Dawud 3052). He also respected their religious
processions including that of burial (cf. Al-Buḫari, Bk 23, 667). Thus in Dar alIslam (Household of Islam) there is a provision for the people of the book which
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Does God’s Kingdom have Space for Muslims?
includes the Christians. They are referred to as Ahl Dzimma- protected people. But
those outside the household (Dar al-Harb- Domain of war) can be fought against.
The main grudge the Quran has for Christians is that they take Jesus (Isa) and
even his mother Maryam as gods. But on the last day Jesus himself will witness
against them for this crime (Q. 5:116-118) which may probably prevent them from
getting into heaven the kingdom of Allah (Al-Janna). The Islamic creed testifies that
there is no other god but Allah. That notwithstanding the Quran still talks of all who
do good, whether Muslims or Christians as being capable of entering the kingdom
of Allah on the last day (Q. 2:62). Probably they will be forgiven since many of them
did that in ignorance.
Notwithstanding the above-mentioned sources that are favourable to the
Christians, there are numerous others that seem to exclude the Christians from the
kingdom of Allah both on earth and in heaven.
I kill you for the sake of Allah’s Kingdom
Notwithstanding the quranic and orthodox understanding of the Christians
within the kingdom of Allah, there exist some Muslims who practice what is referred
to as Takfir (a declaration of a person as an unbeliever). This group of Muslims
deny that Christians belong to Dar al-Islam (househould of Islam). Even though
Islamic tradition allows Muslims to eat the food and meat prepared by the Christians
as halel (allowed), these Muslims, consider such a practice as haram (forbidden).
They reject not only the Christians but also Muslims who they feel that are not good
enough. Their claims according to them are founded on the Quran:
ِّ قَاتِلُوا الَّ ِذينَ َل ي ُْؤ ِمنُونَ بِاللَّـ ِه َو َل بِ ْاليَوْ ِم ْال ِخ ِر َو َل يُ َحرِّ ُمونَ َما َح َّر َم اللَّـهُ َو َرسُولُهُ َو َل يَ ِدينُونَ ِدينَ ْال َح
ق
َصا ِغرُون
َ َاب َحتَّ ٰى يُ ْعطُوا ْال ِج ْزيَةَ عَن يَ ٍد َوهُ ْم
َ ِمنَ الَّ ِذينَ أُوتُوا ْال ِكت
Fight against such of those who have been given the Scripture as believe not in Allah
nor the Last Day, and forbid not that which Allah hath forbidden by His messenger,
and follow not the Religion of Truth, until they pay the tribute readily, being brought
low.” Al-Tūba (Q. 9:29)
To further consolidate their position, they allude to the verse that says that the
earlier covenant made with the Christians have been voided because of their disbelief.
(Q. 5:14). In other words, all the good things earlier said about the Christians and the
need to incorporate them into Dar al-Islam is no longer valid. Muslims are no longer
to befriend them (cf. Q. 5:51). The Quran in other place talks of some Christians as
worst of created beings (cf. Q. 98:6). Therefore the need for them to be eliminated
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emmANuel uNAmbA
becomes paramount. When confronted they would say like the apostles of Jesus (cf.
Acts 5:29) “Obedience to God comes before obedience to man. God’s right takes
precedence over human right.”
It would be nice to acknowledge the piety and zeal of these extremists before
we proceed. We remember that the righteous anger of Mattathias made him to kill
the officers who came to enforce the law of sacrifice in Modein (cf. 1Mac. 2:24-25).
Zeal can sometimes be misplaced and uncontrollable especially when it pertains to
religious issues. The extremists are convinced for sure that what they are doing is
the right thing for the establishment of the kingdom of God. It does not stop there;
it is for the sake of gaining admittance into the heavenly kingdom of Allah that they
are carrying out these activities with a sincere but erroneous conscience. It reminds
us of the words of Jesus: “Indeed the time is coming when anyone who kills you will
think he is doing a holy service to God” (Jn.16:2).
But we know that a sincere and even certain conscience can still be wrong.
Issues should be looked at holistically. It is the same chapter of the Quran which
said that Christians should not be close to Muslims (cf. Q. 5:51) that also says that
he who kills a soul is as if he has killed the entire humanity (cf. Q.5:32). It is also
the same Quran that says in various passages that if Allah had willed, he would
have created the entire humanity as one people and one religion (cf. Q. 5:48, 10:99,
11:118). And if Allah chose not to do that, why would mere mortals fight for it?
Every verse of a sacred scripture must be read within its context. It was Hans
Kung who made an important remark in this regard. “Islam is not in itself to blame,
nor is a particular paradigm, as long as it is appropriate to the times; what is to
blame is the perpetuation of a paradigm beyond the period which is appropriate for
it.”3 The Tunisian Muḥammad Talbi (b.1921) is a strong promoter of Interreligious
Dialogue. For him the verses that call for confrontation should be understood as
limited to its time and was only to be used as a last resort. Majority of Muslims do
not subscribe to this extremist view of exclusion but the problem is that the voice
of the extremists is too loud that it overshadows that of the Muslim majority. And
since they are violent even to fellow Muslims, many would prefer to keep quiet for
the sake of their lives.
I die for the sake of God’s kingdom
On the extreme side of those who kill for the sake of the kingdom of heaven are
those who long to die for the same course. In the early Church history, martyrdom
3
h. kuNg: Islam: Past, Present and Future, John Bowden trans., The American University in Cairo
Press, Cairo 2007, 393.
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Does God’s Kingdom have Space for Muslims?
appeared to be the crown of all virtues. It then became fashionable to seek to die for
the sake of the kingdom of God. There is nothing wrong with a faithful that is willing
to die for his belief but it is out of place to seek death for the sake of the kingdom
of God. Surely some verses of the bible can be cited to support their view, but again
like the case of those who kill for the kingdom of God, a holistic understanding is
needed. Martyrdom is not the only gateway to the kingdom of God. Jesus himself
told his disciples while he was sending them out: “When they persecute you in one
town flee to the next” (Mt. 10:23).
Building on this, the Church upholds self-defense as a legitimate right of every
human being which is recognized by every law. Peaceful resistance to governments’
misrule, asylum seeking, appeal of cases, are all elements of self-preservation. No
one has a right to take the life of another, worse still, unjustly or illegally. A man of
faith must resist rather than give in to it for the sake of the kingdom of God. That is
not piety but a misunderstanding.
But we Both were Created by the Same God
Knowing that we were created by the same God should stop one man from
killing the other. Both scientific and religious evidence show that the entire humanity
has a common origin. While scientists refer to it as evolution, religion refers to it
as creation. The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin published in 1859, gives a
scientific argument toward the origin of all men from a common stock. It is migration,
dispersion and habitat that have created the obvious differences we have today.
Speaking before the council of Areopagus, St Paul asserts that from one man,
God made all the peoples of the earth (cf. Acts 17:26). By this he reiterates the story
of creation in Genesis where Adam was created from the earth and Eve out of his
rib. From the couple came all the peoples of the world (cf. Gen. 1:27-28). The Quran
also affirms the same truth in several passages. One of which says:
ٌ اح َد ٍة فَ ُم ْستَقَرٌّ َو ُم ْستَوْ َد
َت لِقَوْ ٍم يَ ْفقَهُون
ِ ع قَ ْد فَص َّْلنَا ْاليَا
ِ س َو
ٍ َوهُ َو الَّ ِذي أَن َشأ َ ُكم ِّمن نَّ ْف
And He it is Who hath produced you from a single being, and (hath given you) a
habitation and a repository. We have detailed our revelations for a people who have
understanding. Al-Anʽām (Q. 6:98)
Furthermore, Christianity and Islam (and of course Judaism) are referred to as
Abrahamic Religions because they all proceed from his progeny. It is then plainly
contradictory when two brothers fight themselves for the sake of religion. A saying
among the Igbo people of Nigeria has it that fraternal anger does not permeate the
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bone (Iwe nwanne anaghi eru n’okpukpu). It is ungodly for people who profess belief
in the same father, to turn against themselves with the sword. They can be angry with
one another quite alright but it should not pass the limit of brotherly anger.
In the face of obvious strife in the world today between Christians and Muslims,
we cannot but raise the question: “But are we serving the same God?” Surprisingly,
the Quran gives an answer to that:
ُ
ُ
نز َل
ِ َو َل تُ َجا ِدلُوا أَ ْه َل ْال ِكتَا
ِ نز َل إِلَ ْينَا َوأ
ِ ب إِ َّل بِالَّتِي ِه َي أَحْ َسنُ إِ َّل الَّ ِذينَ ظَلَ ُموا ِم ْنهُ ْم َوقُولُوا آ َمنَّا بِالَّ ِذي أ
َاح ٌد َونَحْ نُ لَهُ ُم ْسلِ ُمون
ِ إِلَ ْي ُك ْم َوإِلَ ٰـهُنَا َوإِلَ ٰـهُ ُك ْم َو
“And argue not with the People of the Scripture unless it be in (a way) that is better,
save with such of them as do wrong; and say: We believe in that which hath been
revealed unto us and revealed unto you; our Allah and your Allah is One, and unto
Him we surrender.” Al-‘Ankabūt (Q. 29:46)
What then is dividing us? Surely it is our different understanding of the same
God. For this, dialogue is of the essence.
And We are Returning to the Same God
Those who are familiar with Muslim obituaries will most times notice the
Quranic verse: Innā lillahi wa innā ilayhi rājiaun – We are indeed from Allah and
unto him we return (Q. 2:156). This is no difference from the Christian eschatology.
It is by the spirit of God that we came into being and when he takes his spirit we
return (cf. Eccl. 12: 7, Ps. 146:4). St Augustine of Hippo puts it well in his famous
quote: “You have made us for yourself O God and our hearts are restless until they
rest in you.”4
Nostra Aetate 1 restates our common origin and destination in urging us on to
interreligious cooperation: “One is the community of all peoples, one their origin,
for God made the whole human race to live over the face of the earth. One also is
their final goal, God.” Pope Paul VI refers to this as ‘Dialogue of Salvation’ (cf.
Ecclesiam Suam, 70). When two pilgrims on a journey begin to fight each other
instead of supporting each other, the journey becomes longer, dangerous and surely
irreligious.
Heaven or Janna which Christianity and Islam refers to as the eternal resting
place for the just, is the Kingdom of God. It is one and there is no other because God
is one and has only one kingdom. He cannot create two kingdoms: one for Muslims
4
Cf. AugustiNe: Confessions, R.S. Pine-Coffin trans., Penguine Books, London 1961. Bk. I,I.
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Does God’s Kingdom have Space for Muslims?
and the other for Christians. An Egyptian Christian protagonist of interreligious
harmony Samil Khalil Samil, thus critiques even the separation of Christian cemetery
from that of the Muslims. For him, if we have lived our entire life together in one
society why separate us when we die? And worst still, why separate us when we are
heading to the same destination?
So Why not Journey Together?
Following from our common origin and destination, our common humanity
and spirituality, the most sensible thing to do is to walk and work together and not
to kill ourselves. Nostra Aetate 2 thus asks the faithful to enter into dialogue and
cooperation with people of other faith. In other words to be truly religious in the
contemporary world of pluralism is to be interreligious. During his earthly life, the
prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) was accused severally by Jews and Christians of having
copied the Quran from their sacred books (cf. Q. 16:103). The Quran strongly
refuted this claim by establishing that he was not literate so as to do that (Q. 29:48).
Our point of interest here is not the claims and counter claims but the point of the
similarity between these three religions even in their sacred books.
The recognition of this made 38 Muslim scholars to send an Open Letter to
the Pope, on 13th October 2006, expressing the true teachings of Islam in a spirit
of mutual intellectual exchange and understanding. This gesture marked a high
point in the history of Interreligious Dialogue which before then had been seen as
a Christian enterprise. It was the first time Muslim scholars and authorities from all
denominations and schools of thought all over the world spoke with one voice to the
Pope; an act referred to in Islam as Ijm‛a (consensus).
Exactly one year after that letter, on October 13th 2007, 138 Muslim scholars,
clerics, intellectuals and authorities (including the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu
Sa’ad Ababakar III), sent an open letter titled: A Common Word Between Us and
You, to Pope Benedict XVI and other world Christian leaders. They desired that
there should be a common agreement between them and the Christians; an act that
finds its root in Qur’ān Q. 3:64. In response to this, the Catholic-Muslim Forum
was formed by the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and a delegation
of the 138 Muslim signatories of the document. The first meeting was held in Rome
November 4 – 6, 2008 with the theme “Love of God and Love of Neighbour”. From
here a common platform for world Christian Muslim dialogue in the contemporary
time was formed. Successive meetings have continued since then.
Apart from this dialogue on the high level which is mainly of theological
exchange, there are other forms of dialogue. We have Dialogue of Life which is at the
basis of all Interreligious Dialogue. Christians and Muslims living in a community
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are exchanging their lives even without saying anything about their religion. In the
Dialogue of Engagement Christians and Muslims partake in enterprises that pertain
to their common humanity. The engagement of Pope Francis and Sheikh al-Azhar
is an example of this. In a community, the witch bites both Christians and Muslims.
And so, coming together to cure this spiritual problem will lead to a Spiritual
dialogue5 between Christians and Muslims.
In as much as we identify these four levels of dialogue, we must note that they
are not mutually exclusive; one leads to another and the other is imbedded in the
one. Too much concentration should not be laid on dialogue of theological exchange
because if not well handled by competent hands, it can even lead to more conflicts.
Learning to journey together is thus the only wise thing to do in our contemporary
situation.
The Place of the Muslims in the Church
Since Christianity predates Islam, we cannot find a discourse on the Muslims
in the Bible as the Quran has for the Christians. We then rely on Tradition to
demonstrate the place of Muslims in the Church. But for the sake of time and space
we shall take a big leap into the middle ages when the expression attributed to St.
Cyprian of Carthage: Extra ecclesiam nulla salus- Outside the Church there is no
salvation, pervaded the atmosphere. This is a truth of the Church but taken out of
its context. No wonder the 1992 Catechism of the Church 846-848 had to establish
the proper understanding as the Church of Christ being a necessary instrument of
salvation.6
The Second Vatican Council gave a new orientation to this by defining the
Church in an inclusive way as the family of God. Consequently, no one is to be
excluded. “But the plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the
Creator. In the first place amongst these there are the Muslims, who, professing to
hold the faith of Abraham, along with us adore the one and merciful God, who on
the last day will judge mankind” (Lumen Gentium, 16). It went further to say that
those who through no fault of their own do not know the Gospel of Christ or His
Church, yet sincerely seek God and moved by grace strive by their deeds to do His
will as it is known to them through the dictates of conscience can also attain to
5
6
Spiritual Dialogue is an attempt at sharing the common spirituality between Christians and Muslim.
This discourse is articulated by the declaration ‘On the Unicity and Salvific Universality of Jesus
Christ and the Church’ Dominus Iesus, issued in the year 2000 by the Congregation for the Doctrine
of faith especially nos. 20-22.
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Does God’s Kingdom have Space for Muslims?
salvation (cf. Lumen Gentium, 16). This is restated at the fourth Eucharistic Prayer
of the Mass when the Church prays for those who seek God with a sincere heart.
The ‘Declaration on the Relation of the Church to non-Christian Religions’
states: “The Church regards with esteem also the Moslems” (Nostra Aetate, 3). It
then went on to state our various bonds of unity with them. It ends with the following
exhortation: “We cannot truly pray to God the father of all if we treat any people in
other than brotherly fashion for all men are created in God’s image” (Nostra Aetate,
5). This exhortation is again reiterated by the Declaration on Religious Freedom;
Dignitatis Humanae of the same Council. The first encyclical of Pope John Paul II,
Redemptor Hominis (1979) again reiterates this position of the Church. Christ is the
redeemer of the entire mankind and not only the Christians. Therefore we do not
have the right to exclude people from the kingdom of God.
The Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue was established by Pope
Paul VI in 1964 to further this goal of Vatican II. It was named Secretariat for
non-Christians until June 28, 1988 when it was upgraded to a Pontifical Council,
by Pope John Paul II. Through this council, the Church has continued to draw the
Muslims closer to herself because we can no longer treat them as having no place
in the kingdom of God. Local Churches are also replicating this. If Christ himself
did not rebuff the repentant thief on the cross but rather welcomed him into his
kingdom (cf. Lk. 23:43), why should we exclude. When John the apostle told Jesus
of their encounter with the man casting out demons in his name and how they tried
to stop him because he was not one of them, Jesus replied: “Don’t stop him, because
whoever is not against you is for you” (Lk. 9:49-50).
It is God Himself who Owns the kingdom
The theme of this publication clearly shows that we are talking about the
kingdom of God. It is God’s kingdom and not a human institution. It is God himself
who administers it. As for the kingdom of God on earth, it is God who determines
its members. And for the kingdom of God in heaven, it is also He alone who dictates
those who can enter it. Jesus said: “When I am lifted up from the earth, I shall draw
all men to myself” (Jn.12:32). He intends to draw all and not some. It is the will of
God that all men should be saved (cf. 1Tim. 2:4). If therefore God welcomes you
into his kingdom, do not bother to shut the door after you in order to prevent others
from coming in. It is not your business.
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Establishing the Reign of God’s Kingdom among Christians and
Muslims in Nigeria
In the continent of Asia, the Muslims are more dominant than the Christians.
In Europe and America, the Christians are more. In Africa, the population is evenly
distributed. Nigeria is a West African country where Christians and Muslims are of
equal strength. For this reason, it is a perfect test for interreligious relationship. The
occasional clashes between the two major religions in Nigeria call us to seek more
earnestly the coming of the kingdom of God where peace and justice shall reign. We
should pray for and work for the realization of this kingdom.
The Nigerian Interreligious council (NIREC) came into being on September 11,
1999 to serve as a platform for high-level dialogue between the leaders of Christians
and Muslims in Nigeria. It helps to promote mutual understanding and peaceful
coexistence between Christians and Muslims. The Council is co-chaired by the
president-general of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (The Sultan
of Sokoto), and the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN). In the
larger continent of Africa there also exists African Council of Religious Leaders that
works for the same objective.
The fruit of this body has not penetrated very well to the grassroots because
of some obstacles. Among them, ignorance is paramount. The scripture says: “My
people perish for lack of knowledge” (Hos. 4:6). Many Christians need to drop their
prejudice of the Muslims because of the extremists. And the Muslim extremist who
is struggling to kill all non-Muslims should realize that the Quran has declared that
there is no compulsion in religion:
ت َوي ُْؤ ِمن بِاللَّـ ِه فَقَ ِد
ِ َي فَ َمن يَ ْكفُرْ بِالطَّا ُغو
ِّ ِّين قَد تَّبَيَّنَ الرُّ ْش ُد ِمنَ ْالغ
ِ َل إِ ْك َراهَ فِي الد
ْ
ْ
َّ
صا َم لَهَا َواللـهُ َس ِمي ٌع َعلِي ٌم
َ ا ْستَ ْم َس
َ ِك بِ ْالعُرْ َو ِة ال ُوثقَ ٰى َل انف
“There is no compulsion in religion. The right direction is henceforth distinct from
error. And he who rejecteth false deities and believeth in Allah hath grasped a firm
handhold which will never break. Allah is Hearer, Knower.” Al-Baqara (Q. 2:256).
Christians and Muslims in Nigeria must jointly establish the earthly kingdom
of God while they await the heavenly one. Ecclesia in Africa (1995) and Africae
Munus (2011) of Pope John Paul II and Benedict XVI respectively, eulogizes the
richness of Africa in all ramifications and calls for Africa to take her proper place
as the life spring of the world especially in terms of religiosity. We cannot allow the
riches in our country to be destroyed by our own hands.
In the face of current state of insecurity in the nation, Christians and Muslims
are putting heads together to create the kingdom of God by appealing for peace
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Does God’s Kingdom have Space for Muslims?
and calling on the government to be responsible in her duties to the people. Bad
governance, religious extremism, corruption and injustice all create poverty
and unemployment thus breeding violence. The government therefore has an
indispensable role to play in establishing the kingdom of God on earth. After all
it is made up of Christians and Muslims. John Cardinal Onaiyekan laments the
politicization of religion in Nigeria.7 Politicians do sometimes exploit the religious
sensitivities of adherents in a bid to win power. All hands must therefore be on deck.
God is love and he who lives in love lives in God (cf. 1Jn. 4:16). Pope Benedict
XVI amplifies this in his encyclical Deus Caritas est (2005). Nigerian Muslims and
Christians will establish the kingdom of God in the nation when they learn to love
one another. Where love and charity abide there God is found.
But where is God while Muslims are killing us
While this article was being written, on Easter Sunday April 21, 2019, Muslim
extremist bombed three Churches and some hotels in Colombo, Negombo and
Batticaloa in Sir Lanka. As of the last count, 359 people died and scores were
injured. On April 24, 2018 while celebrating Mass in a cool village of Mbalom
in Benue state, two priests and 17 parishioners were killed by the Muslim Fulani
herdsmen in Nigeria. On Christmas day December 25, 2011, 37 people were
killed and 57 injured by Boko Haram at St. Theresa Catholic Church Madalla,
Niger State. These three incidents are just but to mention a few.
There is no way a discourse of this nature will be complete without raising
the question of “The Silence of God”. But to give an answer to this question
of where God is while all these things are happening is not my intention here
because no one living or dead has ever been able to do that. It is one of the
mysteries of our religion that God seems to sit back and watch while evil men are
having a field day. He also sat back and watched while the Jews killed his only
begotten son Jesus Christ.
It is my sincere desire that an answer to this question comes handy sooner
than later. Meanwhile, the Lord assures his children that he is close to the broken
hearted; those whose spirit is crushed, he will save (cf. Ps. 34:18). God’s ways
are not our ways and his thoughts not our thoughts (cf. Is. 55:8-9).
Epilogue
It is a religious anomaly that Christianity and Islam came into a peaceful
world and set it on fire on account of the kingdom of God. The adherents of
7
J.o. oNAiyekAN, Seeking Common Grounds: Interreligious Dialogue in Africa, Paulines, Nairobi
2013, 172-173.
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African Traditional religions were living peacefully with each other in Nigeria
before the coming of Islam and Christianity. The two religions came in, converted
them and set them against one another. The earlier we begin to rebuild our mess,
the better it would be for us. The time for trying to eliminate one faith for the
other in Nigeria is over. Anyone having such dreams should be properly termed
a dreamer. The two faiths have come to stay in Nigeria. The way of violence
cannot create the kingdom of God in the country. Dialogue is the only way out.
The bible calls for it; the Quran calls for it and humanity longs for it. In the
various document of the Church already examined, it has been reiterated.
Since Christians and Muslims constitute over 50% of the world population,
there can never be peace in the world if there is no peace between the two
religions. This is no time for blame game. All have sinned and fallen short of the
grace of God (cf. Rom. 3:23). God reconciled the world to himself through Christ
and has given us the ministry of reconciliation (cf. 2Cor. 5:18; Col. 1:19-20). We
cannot afford to fail him. Dialogue is a veritable way of doing this. Praying for
the coming of the kingdom of God should be accompanied by working for it.
For as the scripture says: Faith without good works is dead indeed (cf. Jas. 2:17).
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EJ 13 (2019) 201-211
BUILDING THE KINGDOM OF GOD THROUGH
CATHOLIC EDUCATION:
THE ROLE OF CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
celestiNe AriNze okAfor
Introduction
The Church exists only for one purpose: to further the kingdom of God, to
establish God’s reign on earth. Whatever evangelizing mission she engages in is
channelled to this meta-purpose. To understand the nuances of the Kingdom of
God, one needs to look at the Hebrew scripture, the life and ministry of Jesus, and
contemporary theology.1 The construct of the Kingdom of God in contemporary
theology develops from the former two. For the Israelites, the kingdom of God
signifies a time of favour, peace and justice. It represents a time of deliverance
through God’s active reign in history. It is begun already in the person of Jesus
Christ and will be completed at a future time. Although contemporary theologians
are still debating on the full import of the Kingdom of God, there is a consensus
that the central theme in the preaching and life of Jesus was the Kingdom of God.2
In fidelity to Christ the head, the Church continues His work on earth: praying and
working that His Kingdom may come. Hence, the kingdom of God is central to the
Church’s ministry. It is the focal point of the kerygma, expressed in her doctrines
and celebrated in her sacraments.
This ministry of furthering the Kingdom of God has many faces; there is the
parish apostolate, the family, and the Catholic school. The Church relies on these
institutions to accomplish its mission. “The Catholic school participates in this mission
like a true ecclesial subject, with its educational service that is enlivened by the truth
of the Gospel.”3 Catholic schools are places of evangelization, they promote the reign
of God through an environment of community and communion, and by the way they
interpret the state curriculum: imbuing it with the spirit of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
1
2
3
Cf. T. groome, Christian Religious Education. Sharing Our Story and Vision, San Francisco,
Jossey Bass, 1980, 35-48.
Cf. H. kuNg, On Being A Christian, Garden City, N.Y. DoubleDay, 1976, 214; E. SCHILLEBEECKX,
Jesus, New York, Seabury Press 1979, 140; J. SOBRINO Christology at the Crossroads, MaryKnoll,
N. Y., Orbis Books , 1978, 41; T GROOME, Christian Religious Education, 53.
coNgregAtioN for cAtholic educAtioN, Educating Together in Catholic Schools: Shared Mission
Between Consecrated Persons and the Lay Faithful, 8 September 2007, 3.
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This critical role of the Catholic school is epitomised in the Nigerian context where
schools were used by the missionaries as a veritable tool of evangelization.4
This article highlights the role of the Catholic school in the Church’s mission
of promoting the kingdom of God. It traces the implication of the term, Adveniat
Regnum Tuum, for Catholic education and schooling.
The Kingdom of God in Jewish Scripture and the Preaching of Christ
In the Jewish scripture, the vision of God’s kingdom is presented as God’s own
vision and intention for all people and creation. “The symbol of God’s kingdom is
rooted deeply in Hebrew consciousness. It means both the actual rule and sovereignty
of God in the world as its creator and sustainer, and the universal goal of that divine
rule at the completion of history.”5 Furthermore, Jewish understanding of the
Kingdom of God does not mean a territory ruled over by God, it is a symbol which
refers to the concrete activity of God in history. Such activity is often described as
the “reign of God.”
Norman Perrin writes that in Jewish biblical tradition, the Kingdom of God is
a symbol. As a symbol, it points to God’s everlasting and complete dominion over
all creation (cf. Ex. 15:18; Ps. 145:13). There are two perspectives in the Israelites’
understanding of the Kingdom of God: one is that the Kingdom is already concrete and
realised; the other is futuristic and still hoped for. As Rudolf Schnackenburg puts it:
For the Israelites the kingdom of God is already a reality in that it is Yahweh who
rules all things and people. And yet the final completion of the kingdom is still to
come. It is promised and God is active on its behalf. Therefore it is already being
realised and will be realized completely. But it is not an authoritarian rule by a
capricious God. It is instead a caring and trustworthy God intervening in history
to transform the present order and bring creation to fullness and completion.
In the triumph of God’s vision for creation, Nature is wholly and wondrously
transformed, the serenity of paradise is renewed.6
The life and preaching of Christ is consistent with this Hebrew understanding of
the coming of God’s kingdom – God’s will being done and all creation being brought
to wholeness and completion. Hence, for Jesus too, “the kingdom of God is a dynamic
4
5
6
Cf. K. B.C. oNwubiko, The Catholic Church and the Development of Education in Eastern Nigeria,
in C. A. OBI et al. (Eds.), Hundred Years of the Catholic Church in Eastern Nigeria, 1885-1985,
Onitsha, Africana- Fep, 1985, 225-232.
T. groome, Christian Religious Education, 36.
R. schNAckeNburg, God’s Rule and Kingdom, New York, Herder and Herder, 1963, 35.
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Building the Kingdom of God through Catholic Education
and concrete reality, pointing to God’s saving action in the midst of history.”7 A look
at the synoptic gospels renders it obvious that the central message in the preaching
of Christ is the kingdom of God. He frequently speaks about the Kingdom. Mark’s
gospel begins with this central message. After John was arrested, Jesus appeared in
Galilee proclaiming the good news: “The kingdom of God is close at hand! Repent
and believe the gospel” (Mk. 1:14-15). From then onwards, the kingdom was Jesus’
constant reference and central theme. Thomas Groome notes that He not only
preached the kingdom, He tied its coming to his own person and ministry.8 Jesus also
speaks about the Kingdom of God as both in the present and the future. Pointing to its
already-ness, he said in the gospel of St. Luke: “but if it is by the finger of God that I
cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Lk. 11:20). On the
other hand, he talks of the Kingdom of God in the future and asked his disciples to
pray for its coming (Mt. 6:10; Lk. 11:20). Jesus did not only proclaim the kingdom of
God, he lived his own life in response to it. The kingdom of God therefore calls for
a response. Jesus calls his disciples to respond to the kingdom. The Church equally
presents the kingdom as an invitation to respond to God’s plan and activity.
The Kingdom of God in Contemporary Theology
In contemporary theology, there is a renewed awareness of the centrality
of the Kingdom of God or the Reign of God in Christian faith and practice.
Theologians are bringing back the Kingdom to the centre of Jesus’ preaching and
making it the main issue in Christian theology. “Over the past twenty five years,
the ‘hope’ and ‘political’ theologians have been most influential in bringing the
symbol of the Kingdom of God back into the central focus, and have built their
theological constructs around the symbol.”9 These theologians, bolstered by their
colleagues of the liberation movement, insist that Christian theology must arise out
of the context of active participation in society as a way of building the kingdom
of God therein. Moreover, apart from the aforementioned, many contemporary
theologians, especially those who espouse a ‘Christology from below’ are placing
central emphasis on the Kingdom of God.10 “In fact, the whole broad-spectrum of
7
8
9
10
Ibid., 39.
groome, Christian Religious Education, 40; G.AULÉN, Jesus in Contemporary Historical
Research, Philadelphia, Fortress Press, 1976, 101.
groome, Christian Religious Education, 43.
“Christology from below” emphasizes the humanity of Christ and his activities as human and
among humans, in other words, it is a Christology that begins by analysing the historical Jesus. The
opposite which is Christology from above is typical of John’s gospel. It begins with Christ’s divinity
downwards to his incarnation. See E. L. KRASEVAC, ‘Christology from above’ and ‘Christology
from Below’ in “The Thomist: A Speculative Quarterly Review”, 51 (1987) 2, 299-306.
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critical theology within which most ‘middle of the road theologians’ today can be
placed, is informed by a new awareness of the centrality of the kingdom of God
to Christian faith and to the meaning of being Christian.”11 When reflection on
the identity of Christ and of what it means to be Christians begins with “the life,
work, and preaching of the historical Jesus, then the centrality of the Kingdom in
his ministry becomes obvious and calls us clearly to make it central in preaching
what he preached.”12
A holistic Christology must take account of both the humanity and divinity
of Christ and desist from ascribing primacy to one over the other. My view is that
the kingdom of God is being worked out by God with human cooperation through
history. It should not be understood as a purely otherworldly realm where God
reigns. The Kingdom of God has come and will come as God works through men
and women who give positive response to it. Such men and women become cocreators and co-builders of the kingdom on earth. When they pray, “thy Kingdom
come,” they offer themselves for God to use in realizing its coming.
Implications of the kingdom of God for Catholic schools
The Catholic school is an Ecclesial subject. This means that it is a genuine
instrument of the Church in building the Kingdom of God on earth. The Catholic
school participates in the evangelizing mission of the Church and is the privileged
environment in which Christian education is carried out.13 Thus, the raison d’être of
Catholic school is to further the mission of its parent institution, namely, the Church.
It is right to say, therefore, that the Catholic school goes where the Church goes. The
Church’s project of furthering the kingdom of God calls Catholic schools to become
authentic places of evangelization. This reminder becomes even more urgent when
one sees many Catholic schools relegating their mission to the margins as they
struggle to survive a market-driven education system. The struggles to be relevant,
accepted, and survive in the midst of competition leads many Catholic schools into
the trap of a secular academic success culture.14 It will be necessary for the Catholic
school to assume a missionary orientation proper to the Church’s mission.15 This is
without prejudice to its role as a school in the secular sense.
The implication of these submissions is that the Catholic school should be
explicitly “Catholic” in its programmes and structure. The religious dimension
11
12
13
14
15
groome, Christian Religious Education, 43.
Ibid., 43.
Cf. CCE, The Catholic Church on the Threshold of the Third Millennium, 11.
J. M. miller, The Holy See’s Teaching on Catholic Schools, Atlanta, Sophia Institute Press, 2006, 3.
Alberick-vAllAbArAJ, Communicating a Faith that Transforms, 48.
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Building the Kingdom of God through Catholic Education
should not be some sort of appendix to its programmes; it should be the motivating
factor and its inspiration. This is what Vatican II means when it says that Catholic
schools orient the whole of human culture to the message of salvation, so that the
knowledge which the pupils acquire about science is illumined by faith.16 Failure
in this is a failure of the Catholic school project, even if they were excellent in
academic performance or by any other criteria of success bandied around by those
who reduce education to a mere cognitive activity. Such criteria should not be
used to judge the performance of Catholic schools. If the Church exists for the
reign of God, then the Catholic school exist for the same purpose: in the service
of the Kingdom of God.
Challenges Encountered by the Catholic School in Promoting the
Kingdom of God
Catholic schools, in trying to be true ecclesial subjects must overcome certain
obstacles that militate against this mission. Awareness of these challenges is critical
so that they do not obstruct the realization of the school’s mission. Among them
is ignorance or loss of the Catholic identity of the school. Insufficient information
concerning the identity and mission of the Catholic school distorts the ecclesial
face of the school. Many Catholic schools in Nigeria are staffed by managers and
teachers who received little or no preparation on Catholic education. They have
no clear idea about what makes Catholic schools uniquely Catholic. They pursue
excellence and good performance – according to state indices of success – at the
cost of the core values of Catholic education.17
Secondly, there is the generic religious education curriculum operative in
Nigeria’s secondary schools. The CRS (Christian Religious Studies) curriculum has
no specific faith appeal, so the Catholic school must make up for this lack. There
is also inadequate pastoral presence in many Catholic schools across Nigeria. The
presence of priests and religious supports in the school environment helps in creating
that ecclesial climate so recommended by the CCE.18 Inadequate pastoral presence
compromises the pastoral care of students which is a special responsibility of the
Catholic School19. Often, parochial schools are left in the hands of incompetent
16
17
18
19
vAticAN iI, Gravissimum Educationis, 8.
Cf. Archdiocese of oNitshA, Evangelization in Onitsha Archdiocese Today: Synod Acta, Enugu,
Snaap Press, 2006, 406; OGUH, Religious Education, 27.
The ecclesial nature of the catholic school is written in the very heart of its identity. Cf. SCCE,
Catholic School on the Threshold of the Third Millennium, 11.
Cf. CBCN, The Catholic Church Policy on Education in Nigeria, Lagos, Catholic Secretariat,
2005, 10-11.
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parish priests who, though may be wonderful pastors, are not adept school leaders.
Added to this, most of them are busy with parish activities.
Then there is the challenge of teacher formation, especially in-service formation.
Inadequate spiritual formation for Catholic teachers is the major challenge to the
ability of many Catholic schools to promote the kingdom of God in the school.
Majority of teachers do not receive formation from Catholic institutions where
solid spiritual formation is expected to be part of teacher formation program. State
institutions where most of them were prepared have no provision for the religious
dimension or activities that may enhance the spiritual formation of prospective
teachers. A recent study conducted in the South Eastern part of Nigeria supports
the foregoing argument. The survey conducted on a sample of 300 teachers selected
from different Catholic schools in the region suggests that teachers feel inadequate
to function as pastoral agents.20 As the CCE rightly notes in Educating Together in
Catholic Schools, for teachers to transmit the Christian message, it is presumed that
they have a mastery of the knowledge of the truths of the faith, and of the principles
of spiritual life.21 Where they are not prepared for this, they may not contribute
much to the mission of the Catholic school.
Furthermore, some teachers in Catholic Schools are not Catholics, and they
normally enter the Catholic school with their own religious-cultural orientation.
Without proper induction and orientation, they cannot educate according to the mind
of the Church. More so, there is a certain lack of awareness of the effects of this
phenomenon, which explains why policy statements about non-Catholic teachers have
not been made by relevant authorities. Unknown to Catholic school administrators, a
subtle sub-culture could ferment the Catholic educational community.
One may also worry about the educational rapport between the Catholic school
and parents.22 Presently, the existing rapport is limited to the Parents Teachers
Dialogue (PTD) meetings. The PTD meetings held a few times a year do not signify
quality relationship between parents and the school. At best, it has become a forum
for updating parents on new policy decisions, new regime of school regulations, a
hike in school fees and things of the sort.
There are also administrative problems which involves human management,
relational and organizational competence. The lack of these administrative
competences portend danger to the mission of the Catholic school. The Catholic
school as an ambient of evangelization should have strong collaboration with the
20
21
22
A. okAfor, Formation of Teachers as Pastoral Agents: Building Teacher Capacity for Pastoral
Agency, Mauritius, OmniScriptum Publishing Group, 2018, 109-116.
SCCE, Educating Together in Catholic Schools, 26.
Cf. AriNze, Our Bishop, 68.
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Building the Kingdom of God through Catholic Education
parish to which it is attached. Even if it is not a parochial school, there is always
a parish of reference nearby. Between the school and the parish of reference,
sometimes, there seemed to be weak interchange of pastoral initiatives. Some parish
priests quarrel with religious sisters who manage the school; such power tussle often
escalates into scandals which injure the schools’ pastoral mission. In cases where
the Catholic school belongs to a religious congregation, some of them complain
that the parish does not give enough pastoral services to the school.23 These things
happen when the parish of reference fails to see the school as part of her ministry.
The diffusion of ignorance concerning the principles and ethos of the Catholic
school plays a damaging role. Many understand very little of what prophetic role
they ought to play in the Catholic school attached to their parish.
The Catholic schools in the Service of the Kingdom of God
In the first place, we must acknowledge that schools are places where learning
is transmitted in a critical and systematic manner. Like other schools, the Catholic
school promotes human culture and civilization; otherwise it would not be a school
at all. And if it is not a school in the first place, it cannot be a Catholic school.24 The
question now is how the Catholic school could genuinely promote the reign of God
without betraying its formal role? The answer lies in the synthesis of faith, culture
and life. Rossano Sala puts it succinctly thus:
A School configured and structured according to the Gospel principles
should be a place that proposes a living and realizable synthesis between
faith, religion and culture; instituting, through its practices, the possibility
that every individual and every society could live their vocation as
children of God, both as a personal conviction and as a shared community
orientation/practice.25
The Catholic school will not become an instrument in the service of the
Kingdom until it achieves a living synthesis of faith, the disciplines taught in the
school, and all extra-curricular programmes. By so doing, it provides opportunities
for pupils and teachers to respond to their vocation as children of God. A lot could
23
24
25
Some religion teachers complained of poor spiritual assistance from the parish priests. There is
also a general lack of interest (obviously caused by ignorance) on the part of the parish community
to the religious life of the school. Cf. OGUH, Religious Education, 102.
Cf. The Catholic School, 26.
r. sAlA, La presenza della chiesa nell’ambito educativo: la scuola, in A. Bozzolo - R. Carelli,
Evangelizzazione e Educazione, Roma, LAS, 2011, 157.
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be said on the ways in which the Catholic school can promote the kingdom of God in
practical terms, but for want of space, we just limit our recommendation to: (1) the
structure of school governance and administration; (2), synthesis of faith, religion
and academic disciplines.
Structure of School Governance and Administration
There is no doubt that learning is socially constructed. The way a society or
organization is structured is critical for the orientation of its members. If an institution
is overly bureaucratic, it kills spontaneity and the creativity of its members. In the
Social Cognitive Learning Theory propounded by Albert Bandura, an Observer
learns from a Model – significant personalities who are attractive to them. Learners
acquire new behaviour or skill by observing such Models.
In the Catholic school, teachers are the models while students are the observers.
How the school community is structured can affect the type of teachers found in
such a school. Bandura argues that “the way in which a society is socially organized
largely determines the types of models to which its members have easy access.”26
In order words, in the school context, the school culture and environment determine
the kind of models that teachers become.
This means that in-service development of teachers should go beyond
cognitive interventions. In-service development programmes in many Catholic
schools often target only the cognitive aspect with seminars, conferences and
workshops. But the complexity of the determinants of teacher effectiveness
requires deeper layers of intervention. A holistic teacher care programme is
important if the Catholic school hopes to involve teachers in its mission of building
the Kingdom of God. Ultimately, the teachers are the foot soldiers who determine
what the students become. They are responsible for creating a Christian climate
in the Catholic school community. Hence, no effort should be spared in building
teacher capacity for pastoral agency.
Research suggests that when teachers’ psychological and economic needs are
neglected, they are demotivated at other levels of functioning.27 Therefore in order to
26
27
A. bANdurA, Social Foundations of Thought and Action: A Social Cognitive Theory, New Jersey,
Prentice-Hall, 1986, 55.
Louise Moore discovered that staff development programmes fail when teachers’ emotional needs
are not met. In one of such programmes, “teachers felt a sense of isolation and uncertainty”. He
notes that unless there is a positive sense of community, a caring community that meets teachers’
needs at various levels including paying good salaries; it would be difficult to generate intrinsic
motivation. “Such manner of professional development will be the caring response [to teachers
needs] of a caring community.” See, L. MOORE, Staff Development in the Catholic School: The
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Building the Kingdom of God through Catholic Education
promote intrinsic motivation, school administrators need to attend to the emotional
wellbeing of teachers as individuals and as a team. They need to ensure quality
relationships that are marked by mutual respect between staff and management. The
care shown by the school administrators has a modelling effect on teacher attitude
and perception of the Catholic school as an institution for the human person. There
is no better formation programme than the lived experience of staff and students.
Teachers must first experience the Christian anthropology that they are supposed to
promote, otherwise they cannot operate with such anthropology in their relationship
with students.
Synthesis of Faith, Religion and Academic Disciplines
For the Catholic school to synthesize faith and culture within its community
means that all the dimensions and aspects of the school life and learning should
be permeated by the spirit of the Gospel – lived, preached, celebrated and taught.
Education in the Christian sense is holistic in that it leaves no aspect of the pupil’s
life unattended. No discipline or moment of the school life is empty of human and
supernatural values. By teaching the different disciplines in the spirit of the Gospel,
by direct religious instruction and by the witness of life of the staff and management
of the school, pupils perceive and catch the faith. Thomas Groome aptly notes that
“Faith is caught, not taught.”28 If one does not live it, one cannot teach it.
The Synthesis of faith and academic disciplines means that the Catholic school
should not compromise excellence in academic pursuits. Yet it does not make
academic pursuit the Summum bonum of its efforts. The highest goal of the Catholic
school is the integral formation of pupils (intellectual, human and religious/spiritual
formation). Catholic schools understand the role of the intellectual development
even for the faith. The promotion of the reign of God does not preclude excellence in
the intellectual domain. Hence, no effort should be spared in continually developing
teachers in the pedagogical and technical aspects of their duty. They should be
competent professionals with a mastery of their subject content; they should also
possess the method and skill to teach same effectively.
Similarly, the religious life of the school should distinguish the Catholic school
from other schools. Prayers, Masses and celebration of the sacraments are strong
cultural contents that tell the Christian story. They are also symbols of the Catholic
culture of the school. Equal attention should also be given to human formation and
28
Caring Response of a Community, in T.C. Hunt-T.E. Oldenski-T.J. Wallace, Catholic School
Leadership. An Invitation to Lead, London RoutledgeFalmer, 2000, 93-104.
t. groome, Christian Religious Education, 68; J. Fowler-S. Keen, Life Maps: Journey of
Conversations on the Journey of Faith, Waco-Texas, Word Books, 1978, 18.
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mentoring pupils on emotional intelligence. This creates balanced personalities with
the capacity to deal with the daily frustrations that life throws at individuals. Human
formation, apart from other types of intervention is mostly achieved through the
example of teachers and their relationship with pupils. Teachers teach respect and
responsibility by the way they deal with students and dedicate themselves to their
classroom and school-wide practices. As active and intelligent observers, students
would learn from such teachers to respect others and to be conscientious in carrying
out duties assigned to them. If they fully internalized such comportments, they
would be reliable members of the society in the future – extending the reign of God
in civil life via witnessing.
The Catholic school can therefore help in building the kingdom of God by
the kind of formation they give to their pupils. Students must experience the active
reign of God in the school community where they absorb the ability to become its
promoters in civil life, even after many years of leaving the school.
In sum, Catholic schools contribute to the reign of God by making their school
programme effectively pastoral. This is achieved not by turning the school into
a parish or sacrificing the formal nature of school education, but by giving equal
attention to all the dimensions of the human person; ensuring that the student who
graduates from the Catholic school is fully human, an honest citizen, and a good
Christian.
Conclusion
In this contribution, I have examined the implication of the Kingdom of God
for Catholic schools in Nigeria, beginning from the theological understanding of the
term “Kingdom of God”. The latter signifies the active presence of God in history
with His overarching influence on human culture. Adveniat regnum tuum is not only
a prayer of the Church but its mission in which the Catholic school shares. The
Catholic school advances the kingdom of God by imbuing its entire educational
programme with the spirit of the gospel. In doing this, it must overcome obstacles
such as ignorance of the mission of the Catholic school, a market-driven education
environment, generic religious education curriculum, management problems, and
poor teacher capacity for pastoral agency, etc. Overcoming these obstacles begins
with an awareness of their existence in the first place and the damage they are capable
of doing to the mission of the Catholic school. There is no doubt that awareness is
the key.
Tackling these challenges will require the support of the local church and the
local ordinary in particular, problems of funding for instance may need the latter’s
direct intervention and negotiation with government to attract grants to Catholic
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schools. Catholic school leaders will require ongoing formation in Catholic school
leadership. They should equally be in position to organize periodic ongoing
formation for their staff, bearing in mind that teachers are the foot-soldiers of the
Catholic educational project.
Of the many recommendations that one could find in magisterial and curial
documents on Catholic schooling, I have emphasized the structure of school
governance, and the synthesis of faith and other aspects of the school life. These,
we have argued, will ensure that the Catholic school becomes a veritable tool of
evangelization without compromising its role as a formal educational institution.
My central argument remains that, given the right environment and administration,
the Catholic school can promote the reign of God in line with the mission of its
parent institution – the Church. The role of the Catholic school in promoting the
kingdom of God goes beyond the school community. It extends to the wider world
because of the many alumni that would eventually ferment the fabric of society with
the values and orientation they have received from the Catholic school. Indeed, in
this way, the Catholic school could change the world, make it a better place and
realize the prayer and mission of adveniat regnum tuum.
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EJ 13 (2019) 213-221
THE PLACE OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE
DIALOGUE BETWEEN CHRISTIANS AND MUSLIMS
IN AFRICA TODAY
ANNe fAlolA, OLA
Introduction
The hope of heaven for the Christians and the belief in Jannah by the Muslims
make the followers of both Christianity and Islam focus a great deal on the afterlife
as a final destination, while this earthly dwelling is considered transitory. For both
religions, the present state in which we live is considered a pilgrim journey where
we prepare for our final home in heaven. For Catholics, the Kingdom of God also
referred to as the Kingdom of heaven, is not a remote or an abstract concept, rather is
a new life lived according to the Gospel. The mission of Christ is to bring into reality
here on earth the Kingdom of God: “I was sent for this purpose” (Lk. 4:43). He was
sent to announce this Kingdom, to bring men and women to believe in his Gospel,
and to unite all the faithful in this Kingdom. Jesus passed on this mission to the
Church and over two thousand years of her existence, the Church has continued to
preach the Good News of the Kingdom. Repentance and faith in Jesus are essential
elements for those who want to belong to the Kingdom (cf. Mk. 1:15). Therefore, it
is valid to ask if those who do not believe in the Gospel of the Lord Jesus are part of
the Kingdom. What implication does this hold in our efforts to engage in dialogue
with our Muslim brothers and sisters? Can we together with them collectively build
a kingdom of justice, peace and love on earth? These are some of the issues this
essay would try to address.
The Interface between the Kingdom of God and Interreligious
Dialogue
In the Lord’s Prayer, Christians pray “thy kingdom come” (Mt. 6:10). In order to
understand this petition of the Lord’s Prayer, it is necessary to understand something
of the biblical concept of the “Kingdom of God.” Pious Jews at the time of Christ
were waiting for the kingdom of God to come (cf. Mk. 15:43), but what gave rise
to this hope? The first chapters of Genesis make it clear that God’s plan from the
beginning has been to establish His kingdom on earth. Tragically, with the original
sin, Satan became an usurper and established a reign of sin on earth (cf. Jn. 12:31,
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14:30; 2Cor. 4:4). God, however, did not abandon His original plan. The remainder
of Scripture is the history of God’s work of restoring that which had been corrupted
by sin or the history of redemption.
We can understand the New Testament teaching regarding the Kingdom
more clearly when we grasp the fact that for the New Testament authors, the term
“kingdom” (Greek: basileia) refers most often to the royal reign of God rather than
to the specific territory over which He rules. It is also important to realize that for
the New Testament authors, the coming of the Kingdom, or the reign of God, does
not occur at a single moment in time. Instead, the coming of the kingdom involves a
series of events that occur over a period of time (cf. Lk. 21:31). The coming of Christ
is the manifestation of the Kingdom, but its completion is in the future, in heaven.
However with our baptism, we already belong to the Kingdom and our mission is
to sustain the values of this Kingdom even in our present and often chaotic, unjust,
sinful, violent and divided world, until the final fulfillment. The visible sign of “The
kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit”(cf. Rom. 14:17),1
therefore the Church’s mission is to make these values a reality in our world, by
extending the reign of God and its righteousness to all humanity, gathering together
the scattered children of God.
Historically, the Church has not always played the role of building universal
communion. In the past, the Church has been guilty of arrogance, triumphalism and
superiority complex in her relationship with other religions. The Council of Florence
in 1442 had assumed a narrow understanding of outside the Church, there is no
salvation. The Council of Trent, a century later, affirmed in its teaching on “baptism
of desire” the possibility of Salvation for those who were outside the Church; all
these still remain vague with diverse theological positions. However, Vatican II
(1962-65) marked a new beginning in the Catholic Church’s understanding of her
role in relation with other religions. Since that time, a significant shift has occurred
from an attitude of tolerance at best and dialectical opposition at worst, to an attitude
of positive commitment to dialogue and mutual enrichment.
There is also a level of ambivalence among theologians about the task of the
Church to evangelize and to engage in dialogue. For some Christians, evangelization
is the main if not the only task of the Church, which is the exclusive depository of
divine revelation. According to them, evangelization means preaching the Gospel
of the Kingdom of God to the heathens and hence, Interreligious Dialogue is to be
rejected since it erroneously implies that the Church does not already possess the
fullness of truth and therefore still needs to learn from other religions. On the other
side of the theological spectrum are those who hold that mission directed toward
1
Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), 2818.
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The Place of the Kingdom of God in the Dialogue between Christians and Muslims
converting non-Christians is no longer appropriate in our age of religious pluralism
in which all religions are to be considered simply as alternative and equally valid
ways that lead to God and salvation. For them, only Interreligious Dialogue, in
which people of different faiths share their religious experiences and doctrines as
equals, is theologically justified.
Between these two extremes there are some who maintain that evangelization
remains the Church’s primary mission but also acknowledge that dialogue with
people of different faiths is useful and even necessary. In addition, a number of
theologians maintain that both evangelization and Interreligious Dialogue are
constitutive and irreplaceable, yet distinct elements of the Church’s mission. This
argument expresses some of the issues which the Document on Dialogue and
Proclamation2 has tried to resolve. This article affirms that Interreligious Dialogue
is part of the Church’s mission and a way of building the Kingdom of God in our
religiously divided and violently damaged world.
There are a number of definitions for Interreligious Dialogue, but for the
purpose of this paper, I shall adopt the one given by Bevan and Schroeder which has
been developed from the document Dialogue and Proclamation, in which dialogue
is understood as “the practice of openness to, fairness and frankness with, respect
for, sincerity toward and appreciation of people of other Christian churches, or other
religious ways, those who hold to a particular ideology, those who have no faith
at all.”3 This definition embraces ecumenical, interreligious and cultural dialogue,
I believe this includes the Muslims. Through Interreligious Dialogue, the Church
seeks to be an instrument of communion within the human community, to effect
justice, peace and the common good as a sign of the Kingdom of God already in
our midst. In a pluralistic society like Nigeria, dialogue is an indispensable tool
for the Church to engage the citizens across the country to work together towards
a transformation which makes Nigeria a secure and happy home for every citizen,
irrespective of ethnic identity, religious background or socio-political affiliation.
The importance being given to dialogue as part of mission of evangelization today
undoubtedly affect the way in which mission is carried out today. According to David
2
3
There are two documents which addresses the issues of the relationship between Interreligious
Dialogue and Proclamation: The first is Dialogue and Proclamation, by the Pontifical Council
for Interreligious Dialogue - Reflection and Orientations on Interreligious Dialogue and the
Proclamation Of The Gospel Of Jesus Christ.
The Second is Dialogue and Mission - Joint Document of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious
Dialogue and the Congregation for Evangelization of Peoples, Rome, 1991, - Published in to mark
25 years after "Nostra Aetate".
s.b. bevANs-R.P. schroeder, Prophetic Dialogue – Reflections on Christian Mission Today; Orbit
Books, Maryknoll, New York 2011, 29.
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Tracy, there is a shift from understanding or imagining mission as “expansion” to
understanding and imagining mission as a genuine and deep encounter. Mission
today envisions people we encounter not as objects for conversion, but as genuine
others4. Subsequently, dialogue requires respect, openness, willingness to learn,
attentiveness, vulnerability, hospitality, humility and frankness.
The Desire for the Kingdom and the Mission of Dialogue
One big danger for the eschatological emphasis of the Kingdom of God is the
tendency to suspend our commitment to building the Kingdom of God here and
now, while we focus all our energies on the world that is to come. It is a constant
challenge to balance both the immanent and transcendental dimensions of the
Kingdom of God in our missionary outlook and commitment. The mission handed
on by Christ to the Apostles and consequently to the Church is to bring the Kingdom
of God into the reality of our day to day life while still on this pilgrim journey
towards our final home. The exigencies of the Kingdom are expressed very clearly
in the Sermon on the Mount (cf. Mt. 5-7), where Jesus established a new law of the
Kingdom, namely, repentance, love, forgiveness, selflessness. The kingdom which
Christ came to establish is one where the little ones are given a pride of place, a
Kingdom where revenge has no place, where vainglory is unthinkable and perfection
of the children of the Kingdom is based on purity of heart, ability to endure wrong
patiently, determination to be a peacemaker, an untiring thirst for justice and the
blessedness of those who mourn and are afflicted (cf. Mt. 5:1-7, 29).
The Beatitudes are the acme of the Sermon on the Mount in which the
transformative agenda of Christ’s Kingdom is clearly spelt out. The Beatitudes
challenge the believer to live in and engage the world in a radically different way.
This newness is the call to discipleship which affects the manner the follower of
Christ relates with others. This is the reason the Beatitudes are the guidelines for
all those who engage in any form of Dialogue with people of other faiths especially
the Muslims. We can review our Christian life based on the Beatitudes: are we
peacemakers? Do we thirst for justice? Do we rejoice when we are persecuted
on the cause of right? Are we merciful? A true lover of dialogue incarnates these
virtues in his or her life and thus becomes a light to the nations, Africa is in dire
need of men and women who would incarnate these values to counter intolerance
and violent conflict.
4
T. dAvid, Dialogue with the Other: The Interreligious Dialogue, Louvain and Rapids, 1990.
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The Place of the Kingdom of God in the Dialogue between Christians and Muslims
Why Interreligious Dialogue with Muslims?
Within the seven years I worked with the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of
Nigeria (CBCN) as Secretary for Mission in the department of Mission and Dialogue
of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, apart from my duties for mission animation
and formation within our local Church and activities to promote missio ad gentes,
we upheld Interreligious Dialogue as a way of doing mission today in the concrete
reality of our country Nigeria. However, we discovered that for many Catholics,
dialogue with Muslims is not positively viewed. Many people erroneously believe
that dialogue means we convert Muslims to become Christians, by convincing our
dialogue partners that we are right and they are wrong. For some others, there are
too many prejudices against Islam and Muslims, they are adjudged violent and with
a hidden agenda to Islamize the society. But the fundamental question is: why do we
engage in Interreligious Dialogue?
It is pertinent to note here, that among the groups recommended for dialogue,
Muslims top the list: “The plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the
Creator, in the first place amongst whom are the Muslims; these profess to hold the
faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, mankind’s
judge on the last day.”5 Our approach to dialogue is rooted in our understanding of
Church. The word “Church” (Latin ecclesia, from the Greek ek-ka-lein, to “call out
of”) means ‘convocation’ or an ‘assembly’. It designates the assembly of people,
usually for a religious purpose (Cf. Acts 19:39). Ekklesia is used frequently in the
Greek Old Testament for the assembly of the Chosen People before God, above
all for their assembly on Mount Sinai where Israel received the Law and was
established by God as his holy people (cf. Ex. 19). By calling itself Church, the
first community of Christian believers recognized itself as heir to that assembly. In
the Church, God is “calling together” his people from all the ends of the earth. The
‘Church’ is ‘mission’, because it is itself a gathering, one which has the duty to bring
into communion fellowship of all God’s scattered children.6 Consequently, dialogue
is a means by which the Church gathers together the sheep which are not of this fold
(Jn. 10:16).
There are many socio-cultural, political and even economic justifications to
engage in dialogue which is even more urgent today. There is not just one purpose
of dialogue but rather a number of aims. There is first the aim of helping people
of different religions to live together in peace and harmony. This is a task which
5
6
CCC. 330.
t. okure, Mission as Gathering In: Biblical and African Perspective – Paper delivered to a
Gathering of Missionaries in Maynooth, Ireland and circulated privately as a booklet by the Irish
Missionary Union, 1994.
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is ever more urgent in a world becoming increasingly multicultural and multireligious. It is a task which implies, as we know, overcoming prejudices, battling
against indifference, and creating understanding. When Interreligious Dialogue
reaches a deeper level, it does not merely aim at mutual understanding and friendly
relations, but it also facilitates openness to the Holy Spirit: where exchange and
sharing consist of a mutual witness to one’s belief and a common exploration
of one’s respective religious convictions and spiritual experiences which is the
work of the spirit in each soul. Through dialogue, we may come to discover the
presence of God in others.
Interreligious Dialogue is a pathway to true conversion to God, because sincere
dialogue implies, on the one hand, mutual acceptance of differences, and on the
other, respect for the free decision of persons taken according to the dictates of
one’s conscience. When appropriate atmosphere of trust is built, we are able to
express our own faith without fear of intimidation. While working as the Executive
Director of Women Interfaith Council in Kaduna, we encouraged all the members to
observe their prayer routine, the Muslim women observed their prayer times, while
Christians did the same. For example, the Catholics are given the space to say the
Angelus and other prayers, and so the Pentecostals etc.
Challenges to Interreligious Dialogue in Nigeria
The actual practice of Interreligious Dialogue with Muslims in Nigeria is
plagued with numerous challenges:
Lack of Trust due to Recurrent Conflicts
Christians do not trust Muslims and Muslims do not trust Christians. The
mutual distrust makes dialogue between Muslims and Christians quite difficult.
Most cities in Northern Nigeria are divided along religious lines, whereby Muslims
are concentrated in one part of the city and Christians on the other. This makes the
first level of dialogue – Dialogue of Life more difficult, because more than ever
before, Muslims and Christians are physically separated, deliberately avoiding one
another, shunning transactions and thereby increasing prejudices. For this reason,
we have to create inter-faith forums to provide safe spaces for interaction. This is
the mission of the Interfaith Forum of Muslim and Christian Women Associations
founded in Kaduna in 2010 by the Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles to bring women
of faith (Muslims and Christians) together for peace building, dialogue and working
together to solve women common concerns.
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The Place of the Kingdom of God in the Dialogue between Christians and Muslims
Politicization of Religion and Religionization of Politics
Most of the conflicts experienced in Nigeria are indeed political and sometimes
economical. Religion is only used as a cover to perpetrate division and violence for
political interests. Religion is today an important part of International politics and
Africa is often at the centre of this power tussle between the big powers of the West
and East.
Bad Governance and Weak Judicial System
Interreligious activities are often made complicated though political propaganda
and government interference. It is rather unfortunate that the political leaders benefit
from the divisions and they are not held accountable for their corrupt practices and
misuse of office. The poor masses are set up one against the other, so they are not
united as citizens to demand for their rights.
Poverty and Economic Factors
Working in Interreligious Dialogue is indeed very complicated in situations of
extreme poverty and illiteracy, where people demand for immediate gratification to
satisfy their basic needs for food, shelter and welfare.
Insecurity and Risky Environment
In many cases, working for Interreligious Dialogue is like working in a war
zone. People are afraid and the risk to life and attack is real.
NGO mentality – Money Centered and Little Volunteering Spirit
My experience of working in Interreligious Dialogue in Northern Nigeria
has made me realize how opportunists make use of the tension and conflict to
acquire money through foreign NGOs and even government. This mentality has
made it difficult to get community volunteers who collaborate on dialogue and
peace-building, it has become an expensive venture, because even the local chiefs
and religious leaders all demand for ‘sitting allowances, transport fare, hotel
accommodation, etc.
Interreligious Dialogue is a New Ministry in the Church
There are very few pastoral workers skilled for this kind of apostolate even
though the Church has always interacted with many religious and have worked
closely with Muslims for centuries.
219
ANNe fAlolA, OLA
Learning the Local Language/Culture
Even within a country like Nigeria, the Islam practiced in the south west in
different from that of the North, to my surprise, I realized that the Islam as practiced
in Kano is quite different from that of Maiduguri or Sokoto. There is a lot of cultural
influences which affect the way Islam or Christianity are practiced. It is essential to
learn not only the language, but also cultural peculiarities and idiosyncrasies.
Fears and Prejudices
For those who engage in dialogue, it is often a very lonely ministry. Many
Catholics project their fears and prejudices about Islam to those who engage in
dialogue. For this reason, anyone who engages in dialogue must be a man or woman
of strong faith conviction and prayerful with the ability to endure patiently. The
Lineamenta for the African Synod, 35 stated as follows: “No nation can prosper
in an atmosphere of insecurity. No meaningful development is sustainable in a
society replete with mutual rancour, bitterness and hate. Mutual prejudices hinder
cooperation and exchange, and rob a people of a hope of a great nation.”
Religious Fundamentalism (Extremism)
We often think that fundamentalism and extremism are Islamic problems,
but the recent happenings in the world have proved otherwise. The post-synodal
exhortation, Africae Munus, tells us that “If all of us who believe in God desire to
promote reconciliation, justice and peace, we must work together to banish every
form of discrimination, intolerance and religious fundamentalism” (AM 94).
Funding
Many dioceses and parishes have little or no budget allocation for dialogue;
oftentimes, it is not recognized as part of evangelization. As a result, a lot of
initiatives are unapproved and unexecuted.
Lack of Constituted Authorities (to engage with)
Many sects in Islam have no structured and point of reference, many pastors,
imams and sheiks are independent religious peddlers who gather and indoctrinate
their followers and especially the young without a serious theological background.
Communion
As an African, I believe communion is what is greatly lacking in our continent
today where there is so much ethnic and religious rivalry leading to violence,
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The Place of the Kingdom of God in the Dialogue between Christians and Muslims
poverty and marginalization. It is through a deeper knowledge and love of God,
who is Communion, that we will gradually move towards communion in our nation,
and in Africa.
Conclusion
Christian-Muslim dialogue requires an urgent response to build the Kingdom
of God. The Kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering
fish of every kind (cf. Mt. 13:47-52); therefore, for the Church to truly be a sign of
the kingdom, she must be ready to gather all these diversities of peoples. This is
even more important in Africa where the diversity is often a source of conflict and
division. Can the Church in Africa, through dialogue become a space of dialogue
and an instrument of reconciliation, where all feel safe and at home? Dialogue is a
risk, it is stepping into the garden of the ‘other’; Dialogue often involves stepping
into the unknown, it requires taking the risk of letting go of oneself and may entail
being rejected. Interreligious Dialogue strips the Christian message of superfluous
adornment and challenges it to constantly get to the essential, the heart of the Good
News: Koinonia – communion, which makes her humble through Diakonia – service,
and the two together lead to martyrion – witness and model. This is the mission of
Christ and the mission of the followers of Christ. Through dialogue, Christians today
can rekindle those fundamental values of the Kingdom: compassion, gentleness,
justice, peace, and love, even when persecuted.
As a missionary, I have come to appreciate that both Christians and Muslims,
men and women, are called to open to one another as gifts within and through which
the mystery of God, God’s Word, and the mystery of humanity, is continuously
revealed. It will also lead us to discover more authentically the presence of Christ
and the message of God’s Kingdom in other religions and will help us to collaborate
more authentically with people of other religions in incarnating God’s Word in our
today’s world.
221
222
EJ 13 (2019) 223-230
THE NEW RATIO FUNDAMENTALIS IN
THE FORMATION OF PRIESTS AND RELIGIOUS
IN AFRICA
JosePh PillA
Introduction
The process of building or preparing priests and religious for the service of
God and humanity is called priestly or religious formation. The Church through the
Congregation for Clergy finds it fitting that priestly formation be taken seriously,
revamped, renewed and restored according to historical, socio-cultural and
ecclesiastical conditions. The opening line of the Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis
Sacerdotalis (RFIS) reads: “The gift of the priestly vocation, placed by God in the
hearts of some men, obliges the Church to propose to them a serious journey of
formation.”1 The Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis in other words, “The
Gift of Priestly Vocation” was promulgated January 6, 1970 to provide guidelines
for the formation of priests and religious. It was amended March 19, 1985 by the
Congregation for Catholic Education in the light of the promulgation of the Code
of Canon Law (25 January 1983). The new RFIS prepared by the congregation for
Clergy was published on December 8, 2016 considering the ecclesiastical and sociocultural changes
In preparing the new RFIS, inspiration was drawn from Pope Francis’
teachings in the area of spirituality touching on temptations connected to money,
the authoritarian use of power, rigid legalism and vainglory. The new RFIS has a lot
to offer in the field of building pastors and evangelisers for the Church. There is the
ever-increasing need for the Church in Africa to adequately prepare her priests and
religious in response to the emerging challenges of evangelisation today. Formation
in Africa must be integrally grounded in community and missionary spirit.2 In this
paper, we shall review the new RFIS and its implication in the formation of Priests
and Religious in Africa.
1
2
Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis (RFIS), Introduction, 1.
RFIS, Introduction, 3.
223
JosePh PillA
The new Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis
The RFIS finds its origin in the first article of the conciliar decree Optatam
Totius. It establishes general norms that will subsequently be applied to different
cultural contests, according to the reality of each country. The focus is on the
dialogue between the universal view of the Holy See and the specific perspective of
the conferences of Bishops. The raison d’ètre for this dialogue lies in the conciliar
determination that envisages priestly formation with a pastoral objective. The
document is intended to set forth those fundamental principles, the implementation
of which would be determined by respective Episcopal Conferences. The RFIS is
spread into eight parts. After the introductory section, the part one provides the
general norms in the organisation of formation3. The part two of the document
deals with priestly vocations through the minor seminaries and other forms of
accompaniment for adolescents. The third part of the RFIS treats priestly identity
as the basis and purpose of formation and the configuration to Christ as its end. The
part four touches on the aspects of initial and ongoing formation. The fifth part of
the document discusses the human, the spiritual, the intellectual and the pastoral
dimensions of formation. The part six outlines the agents of formation The seventh
part sets out an organisational structure of studies. The eight and last part of the
RFIS talks about criteria and norms of admission and dismissal from the seminary.
This part also touches on seminarians coming from other seminaries or institutes of
formation, discourages the admission of people with homosexual tendencies and
encourages the protection of minors and the accompaniment of abuse victims.
The Agents of Formation
The major agent of formation is the Most Holy Trinity. The diocesan
community where the bishop is the head shares in the responsibility of the formation
of the candidate. The presbyterate, the seminary formators who give spiritual
and pedagogical formation, the professors who provide the intellectual succour
and guarantee integral formation, the administrative workers, the specialists and
professionals are all invited by the RFIS not to forget their very important roles
in nurturing vocations and formation.4 The RFIS therefore encourages the bishop
to maintain frequent personal contact with the seminary formators, support them
3
4
These general norms address the need for the Ratio Nationalis, pointing out the right and duty
of the conference of bishops to prepare their Ratio Nationalis in accordance with the RFIS. The
Ratio Nationalis is to be reviewed from time to time based on changing times and accumulated
experiences.
RFIS 127.
224
The New Ratio Fundamentalis in the Formation of Priests and Religious in Africa
and ensure that the spirit of full harmony is fostered among them. Unity among the
formators and a life of example are necessary since the mission of priestly formation
is a delicate one. The formator is one that “offers a coherent and eloquent witness to
the values that belong to priestly ministry.”5 Each formator should be possessed of
human, spiritual, pastoral and professional abilities and resources, so as to provide
the right kind of accompaniment that is balanced and respectful of the freedom and
the conscience of the other person, and that will help him in his human and spiritual
growth.6 Formators in fact need to be attentive to their duty.
Initial Formation
The document of the Bishops’ conference of Nigeria, Called to Love
acknowledges that: “Seminaries and houses of formation are of great importance
for the initial formation of seminarians and religious in the chaste, celibate living.”7
Formation generally has the initial and ongoing aspects. Initial formation comprises
of four stages:
The Propaedeutic Stage
One of the remarkable innovations of the new RFIS is the propaedeutic period
of not less than one year and not more than two years, meant to validate the vocation
of the candidate. The propaedeutic stage undertaken within community life is the
first part of the initial formation and is important as a time of vocational discernment
which leads to a careful selection of candidates for the senior seminary.
The Stage of Philosophical Studies
The stage of philosophical studies, otherwise known as the stage of discipleship
as the RFIS says, “is intended to educate the person in the truth of his being, in
freedom and in self-control. It is meant to overcome all kinds of individuality, and to
foster the sincere gift, opening him to generous dedication to others.”8 Philosophical
studies aids the candidate to be able to develop rational perspectives to issues.
The seminarian is to be familiar with training his character and learn virtues such
as “sincerity of mind, a constant concern for justice, fidelity to one’s promises,
5
6
7
8
RFIS 132.
RFIS 49.
cAtholic bishoPs’ coNfereNce
Seminarians, 15.
RFIS 63.
of
NigeriA, Called to Love: Ethical Standards for Clergy and
225
JosePh PillA
refinement in manners, modesty in speech coupled with charity.9 These are very
important and indispensable virtues in the life of the priest and religious.
The Stage of Theological Studies
The theological studies or configuration is a period during which formation
focuses on the configuration of seminarian to Christ so that united with Him, he can
present his life as a self-gift to others. “This stage leads to making the relationship of
the seminarian with Christ more intimate and personal and, also leads to awareness
as well as an assumption of priestly identity.”10
The Pastoral Stage
The pastoral stage which is the stage of vocational synthesis is the time that the
seminarian leaves the seminary until his subsequent priestly ordination. The stage
is twofold as it involves pastoral assignment and also a period of preparation with
the help of a particular accompaniment for priestly ordination.11 Before we go to the
aspect of ongoing formation, let us look at the four dimensions of formation.
The Four Dimensions of Formation
The four dimensions of formation are made up of the following: human
formation, spiritual formation, intellectual formation and the pastoral formation.
– The human formation aims at helping the candidate to develop a mature personality
by following the example of Christ in order to handle the difficult challenges of
pastoral care. Humility, courage, common sense, magnanimity, right judgement
and discretion, tolerance and transparency are important qualities in the pastoral
ministry. According to the Bishops of Nigeria, the human formation helps the
candidates to know themselves thoroughly – their physical, moral, religious, and
emotional dispositions12. As the foundation of all priestly formation,13 the human
formation aims at the promotion of the integral growth of the candidate. We need
more efforts in the area of human formation for the African priests and religious
in order to produce responsible men and women for God’s mission.
9
10
11
12
13
Optatam Totius, n.11: AAS 58 (1966) 720.
RFIS 68.
RFIS 74.
cAtholic bishoPs’ coNfereNce of NigeriA, Called to Love: Ethical Standards for Clergy and
Seminarians, 15.
Pastores Dabo Vobis, n.43: AAS 84 (1992) 731-732.
226
The New Ratio Fundamentalis in the Formation of Priests and Religious in Africa
– The spiritual dimension is concerned with personal union with Christ born and
nourished by prayer and communion with God. Spiritual formation is directed at
the nourishment and sustenance of communion with God and fellow humans.
– The intellectual dimension of formation is aimed at giving the seminarian a
solid competence in philosophy and theology, together with a broad educational
preparation that is enough to enable him to proclaim the gospel to people of our
time in a way that is credible and can be understood. This helps to open the
seminarian up to a fruitful dialogue with contemporary society to enable him to
uphold the faith using the light of reason.14
– The pastoral dimension permeates the priestly life with the pastoral spirit as it
prepares the seminarian to be a shepherd in the image of Christ. Pope Francis tells
pastors to smell like the sheep, an invitation to pastors to remain close to their
people and not to abandon God’s flock.
Ongoing Formation
The entire life of a priest from the beginning of his calling is that of continuous
formation. “Ongoing formation is intended to ensure fidelity to the priestly ministry
in a continuing journey of conversion, in order to rekindle the gift received at
ordination.”15 After some years of pastoral experience, “new challenges for the
ministry and life of the priest can easily emerge.”16 There are certain conflicts that
may remain in the personality of the priest that can emerge over time that should
be addressed. The priest should not be allowed to become isolated but should be
supported and accompanied through spiritual or psychological means. The aspect of
ongoing formation is very important in the life of the priest and religious.
The Church in Africa should always have designated places for ongoing
formation and to give priests opportunities to spiritually and physically renew
themselves from time to time. The priest can easily develop a feeling of being
just a community worker or a dispenser of sacred things devoid of the heart of a
shepherd and this feeling can make him only a functionary priest. There are many
priests who since after ordination have never attended a renewal program. There are
also some priests that have become aggressive, angry and bitter due to stress and
strain. This has led some to take refuge in other ways of life like keeping unhealthy
relationships that unfortunately constitute distractions to their ministry. Others have
become simple social workers who just gather people for social displays devoid
14
15
16
RFIS 166.
RFIS 81.
RFIS 84.
227
JosePh PillA
of spiritual depth. Some priests and religious are frustrated as to take solace in
alcoholism just to keep their heads off the consciousness of their anxieties and
challenges. Due to the absence of regular renewal programmes, some priests and
religious have become so disorganised that the management of their responsibilities
and assignments have become heavy burdens to them. The priest after a long
period of pastoral work can develop careerism, desire for wealth, allure of power,
attachment to position and obsession with marking out comfort zones exclusively
for oneself resulting from outright lack of openness to the will of God.17 After some
time, the priest can encounter challenges in his celibacy, develop tiredness, physical
weakness, frail health and burden of routine, that dampen his apostolic zeal and
openness to self-giving to the pastoral ministry. It is not a surprise that there are
also some cases of priests and religious who have rejected their posting because
of rural geographical location of some parishes. These are all signs that ongoing
formation needs to be provided for such priests and religious in order to renew their
missionary energies. Fraternal meetings, spiritual directions, retreats, and priestly
associations are possible avenues for rejuvenation of priests and religious. In fact,
ongoing formation is important for all agents of formation. It can be gained “through
interpersonal relationships, moments of exchange and discussion.”18 Pastores Dabo
Vobis encourages that those who have been seminary formators and have acquired
particular sensitivity and a rich experience could be able to help later in the ongoing
formation of the clergy.19
The African Experience: Challenges and Recommendations
The growth of the Church in Africa is evident with the growth in the number
of indigenous priests, religious, seminarians and candidates for institutes of
consecrated life. There are also tremendous achievements in the areas of education,
health, inculturation, ecumenical and Interreligious Dialogue. We can see several
missionary institutes founded in Africa that have grown and begun to supply
missionaries not only for Africa but also for other parts of the world as fidei donum.
These are tangible manifestations of the maturity which the Church in Africa has
attained.20 This growth however, has not come without challenges of poverty,
mismanagement of resources, political instability and social disorientation. In the
face of these realities, how do we find the new RFIS useful for the formation of
future priests and religious for the Church in Africa.
17
18
19
20
RFIS 84c.
RIFS 50.
Pastores Dabo Vobis, 66: AAS 84 (1992) 772-774.
Ecclesia in Africa, 30.
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The New Ratio Fundamentalis in the Formation of Priests and Religious in Africa
The formation of priests and religious in Africa is producing fruits but certain
areas still need to be improved. The area of community life seems to be neglected.
Community life needs more attention in the formation of priests and religious in
Africa. Many priests and religious cannot stay with others without disagreements,
quarrels and complains and this is quite alien to the communal character of the
African people. Insensitivity to the cultures and feelings of others in the communities
of priests and religious are serious issues to be addressed. There are challenges of
extended family relations that put serious financial burdens on priests and religious
in Africa. Priests and religious need to know that they cannot respond to every
family need. Sectionalism and tribalism sometimes can be visible among priests
and religious of Africa and formation has to discourage this anomaly and emphasize
the unity of Christ. Some of our formation houses in Africa need more teaching
and learning facilities such as libraries stocked with relevant and current books,
good internet services for e-materials, good lecture halls, projectors etc. We have
shortage of formators or professors in some of the fields of formation in Africa
and that needs to be addressed. The bishops and religious superiors of Africa need
to be open to preparing formators for our houses of formation. Some priests and
religious feel discouraged accepting the responsibility of being formators because
of the poor welfare arrangements for those working in formation houses. As much
as we encourage sacrifice and obedience on the part of the priests and religious
appointed formators, we also encourage proprietors of houses of formation to look
into the welfare provisions for formators and improve where necessary.
We have shortage of formators and professors in some of the fields of formation
in Africa and that needs to be improved upon. There are cases where you find a
dogmatic theologian having to teach liturgy in the seminary because there is no one
trained and available in the area of liturgy. There are some formators who after being
trained, refuse to accept the responsibility or the assignment to work as formators.
This has been frustrating the efforts to establish and sustain continuity in the chain of
professionals for formation. The question of sex and child abuse is more prevalent in
the western world, but Africa needs to watch out to prevent repeat of the American
and European experience. February 21-24, 2019, Pope Francis organised a ‘Child
Abuse Summit’ and that explains how the issue of being attentive to admitting
candidates free of such tendencies is serious. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference
of Nigeria in their document titled, Called to Love, says: “Our bodies are sacred.
Hence, all forms of sexual pervasions defile the sacredness of our bodies.”21 Those
in charge of admissions into the seminaries and those granting assent to application
21
cAtholic bishoPs’ coNfereNce
Seminarians in Nigeria, 4.
of
NigeriA, Called to Love: Ethical Standards for Clergy and
229
JosePh PillA
to holy orders are requested to watch out that they do not take in those involved
in criminal behaviours. The document therefore draws attention to the need for
good protection of minors and vulnerable adults. This is relevant in these turbulent
times where the effects of sex abuses have left scars on the image and integrity of
many Church ministers. The seminarian in formation should be trained to accept
all people as one humanity under one God. There is bound to arise situations where
the priest feels duty bound to respond to all the financial needs of family members.
The RFIS cautions against such tendencies but does not speak against genuine
charity. Seminarians should be formed more than before to model their lives after
Christ the simple good shepherd so that they can be shinning beacons in a world
very saturated with the culture of consumerism and what Pope Francis calls the
throw-away culture. We need attention in our houses of formation on the areas of
Interreligious Dialogue in order to resolve the present crisis of religious intolerance
and hatred along religious lines across Africa and beyond.
Conclusion
We have looked at the new RFIS surveying its fundamental principles. We
have tried to draw out the picture of the African continent where the relevance of
this document is applied. It will be important to note that the new RFIS is roughly
three years and it is not yet ripe to consider its fruits in Africa, thanks to the Ratio
Nationalis that takes consideration into the evolving socio-cultural and ecclesiastical
circumstances. One of the remarkable innovations which the Nigerian Church has
already adopted is the propaedeutic period of not less than one year and not more
than two years, meant to validate the vocation of the candidate. The RFIS promotes
integral formation, by uniting in an encompassing manner, the human, the spiritual,
the intellectual and the pastoral aspects of formation, by means of a gradual,
personalised, instructional programme. The Church in Africa needs an authentic
formation of her priests and religious. In fact, formation is said to be authentic if
it focuses on preparing candidates for lives of sacrifice in obedience, chastity and
poverty.
230
EJ 13 (2019) 231-234
POLITICIZATION OF RELIGION:
A REFLECTION ON FULANI HERDSMEN ATTACK IN NIGERIA
richArd emmANuel gokum
Introduction
Religions have emerged in the course of history as standards of relating to
society, with the moral aspect of most religions being viewed from the humanistic
context from which they originated. The clerical rituals and the communitarian roles
have become the dominant social view of religion. In the pre-industrial society,
kings use the guise of religion for their expansion quest, aligning with the clergy.
The expansion quest assumed the form of Crusades for Christian kings, while for
the Muslims, it took on the form of jihad, the Hindu kings not to be left behind,
sought expansion under the guise of the Dharmayuddh. The common denominator
is that the violence associated with the expansion were all carried out in the name
of religion.1 Thus, what commonly appears to be religious conflict is in fact politics
not religion. There are claims also that the so-called religious wars are but economic
and not religious or ethnic wars. The assumption stems from the belief that religion
by itself is not a major factor in human events, but an epiphenomenon (something
that can be caused but cannot cause something else).
The intrigues surrounding the Fulani herdsmen attacks in Nigeria can be
described within this category as the political manipulation of religion. The basic
presumption among non-Muslims in Nigeria that the Fulani herdsmen attack has an
expansionist agenda feeds the narratives that it is a religious question; because most
of the communities under attack are incidentally majority Christian communities.
The attacks may also be acts of terrorism shrouded in the garbs of “Fulani herdsmen”;
brigandage, reaction to an ailing economy, poverty, retaliation, or other local
historical issues (land, boundaries, rights) and climate change (ecological factors).
This study nevertheless will examine the contested construction and linkage
between religion and the herdsmen attack in Nigeria and its implication for
harmonious co-existence in order to establish the kingdom of God in Nigeria.
1
Cf. R. PuNiyANi, “Religion, Politics and Society, A Bird Eye view” in Academia edu, accessed
Friday 31, May 2019.
231
richArd emmANuel gokum
Political Manipulation of Religion in Nigeria
It is difficult to reconstruct the factors that have led Nigeria to the place she
now finds herself with regard to the Fulani herdsmen attacks. The root of the current
situation is however, strongly tied to the country’s colonial legacy. The European
scramble for land in Africa during the late 19th century resulted in redefining
traditional borders as Europeans claimed territories. They ended up creating a
more complex African Society by merging peoples of different cultural background
together. A good number of these states have continued to cascade into violence due
to unresolved competing claims and narratives.
These struggles are perceived and presented in religious terms. In the last seven
years, the biggest threat to Nigeria’s security has been Boko Haram, but it has been
overtaken by an uptick in violent activities of AK-47 wielding nomadic Fulani
herdsmen. At present, Fulani herdsmen attacks is accounting for more deaths in
Nigeria.2
The Fulani herdsmen or Fulani pastoralists are nomadic or semi-nomadic
people whose chief occupation is raising livestock. They are largely located in the
Sahel and semi-arid parts of West Africa., but due to relatively recent changes in
climate patterns, many of them have moved further to the south into the savannah
and tropical forested areas in search of grazing grounds. This movement down south
is not without consequences. Nigeria’s middle belt region, which is the theatre of the
slaughter of the Fulani herdsmen, straddles the divide between the largely Muslim
north and the majority Christian south. It is an ethnically and religiously diverse
zone and a sort of mini-Nigeria. In the past such clashes arose from minor disputes
ranging from cattle grazing on crops to contamination of water sources; these
types of disputes were invariably settled between community leaders and Ardos3.
But these past years have been different. What we have now are reoccurring cases
of armed young pastoralists from neighbouring countries trooping into Nigeria,
invading farmlands with thousands of cows. There are situations in which villagers
are attacked and slaughtered in their homes in the dead of the night. The attacks are
seen in many quarters within this region as quest for dominance by either of the
religions. The connection with the attacks on Christians assumes a historical bias in
which Christianity is associated with the British colonialists, and thus, considered as
a western innovation to attack and corrupt Islam.
2
3
Cf. yomi kAzeem, Nigeria now has a bigger internal security threat.
Ardo is the name of the local chief of the herdsmen.
232
Politicization of Religion
The Implications of the Fulani Herdsmen Attacks on Christians
and the Way Forward
The Catholic Church owes her survival of almost three centuries of uninterrupted
persecution during her seminal age to the heroism of the Christian martyrs. This was
a tradition she had inherited from Judaism to witness to their faith not only at the
cost of, but actually by means of suffering and death. For Christians, martyrdom is
rooted in the death of Jesus. Martyrdom is the supreme and most effective mode of
evangelization. The Fulani herdsmen attack are targeted on Christians. While we
celebrate the heroism of the Christians who have perished as a result of the Fulani
herdsmen attack, we must also realise that the pillaging of Christian communities
amounts to the cessation of Christian presence in the affected areas, if the modus
operandi of the Fulani herdsmen is anything to be believed as painted by the
gruesome story below:
Goska is just five minutes up the road from Dongoma in Nigeria’s
Middle-belt region. ‘Bullet holes and abandoned burned-out buildings in
Goska are evidence something sudden and terrible happened there. Moses
Barde, the village head explains that more than 40 people were killed and
over 100 homes destroyed in back-to-back attacks on the 24th and 25th of
December 2016. They accuse their Fulani neighbors in Dongoma village
of hiring armed Fulani pastoralists from outside the area to do their dirty
work. “The interlopers now graze their cattle on Goska’s rich farm lands,
driving off anyone bold enough to venture near.4
Succumbing to the threat of the Fulani herdsmen also mean that Christians will
perpetually live as second-class citizens in their fatherland, something that is alien
to the concept of equality and unity as enshrined in the constitution of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria. To ensure that these ugly incidences are checked, the following
measures are necessary:
– The porous natures of Nigeria’s frontiers (borders) are the first areas that should
be addressed. The ECOWAS treaty on the free movement of people within the
West African sub-region, nevertheless, joint border patrols with neighbors is
crucial in this fight.
4
A. obi, The Deadly Conflict Tearing Nigeria Apart, IRIN Publishers, www.irinnews.org, accessed
Sunday 9, June 2019.
233
richArd emmANuel gokum
– Reviews of the fire arms Act and provide stiffer penalties for illegal possession
of firearms. The government must ensure that all those coming into the country
are properly screened and certified that they are not carrying arms.
– Increase public awareness through newly launched community policing
initiatives.
– Providing the police with modern hi-tech devices that will enable the police
effectively track down and arrest criminals.
– Re-orientating the minds of the herdsmen or gunmen to embrace ranching as a
new and modern way to herd cattle.
– Creating a clear distinction within the constitutional framework, for the role and
limit of religion in the national polity.
– Government must jettison parochial sentiment and cultivate the ‘will power’ to
take difficult decisions.
– Government should bring the perpetrators of these attacks to book. This should
serve as a deterrent to other uprising groups.
– Finally, peace and fraternal initiatives should be encouraged and integrated into
the consciousness of the members of these groups. However, this should be
achieved through dialogue for a peaceful co-habitation.
Conclusion
Justice and peace is a permanent and constitutive dimension of coexistence.
The primary responsibility of any government is to safeguard the lives and properties
of the citizens. Where this is not the case for whatever reason, that government
has failed in its responsibility. Granted that friction are a part of the experience
of coexistence, but when friction threatens to tear the very fabric that holds the
nation together, a solution must be sort to it. No matter how bitter the truths that
lead to this solution (s), the bitter pill of truth has to be swallowed in the interest
of mutual coexistence. The wounds of the injustice that has led to these fracases
should not just be soothed but the root causes ought to be confronted. Life is sacred
and needs to be protected. Human being are the noblest creatures of God, endowed
with conscience and freedom of choice. All hands must be on deck to oppose all
who exploit, oppress, discriminate and deal unjustly with others. If Christians and
Muslims can consciously put into practice, without deviation, these teachings on
justice, peace will flourish in Nigeria.
234
EJ 13 (2019) 235
ABSTRACT OF DOCTORAL DISSERTATION
Name:
University:
Anthony Chinedu ezeugo
Pontificia Universitas Lateranensis, Accademia Alfonsiana,
Institutum Superius Theologiae Moralis, Roma
Discipline: Moral Theology
Thesis Title: THE PRINCIPLE OF UNIVERSAL FRATERNITY IN
RECENT MAGISTERIAL TEACHINGS:
A FOUNDATIONAL APPROACH TO PEACEBUILDING IN NIGERIA
Year:
2018
The thesis is first and foremost an enquiry into the concept of “universal
fraternity” or “brotherhood” in the light of recent magisterial teachings (the Vatican
II and post-Vatican II Social Magisterium). In 1967, Pope Paul VI observed that
the “weakening of brotherly ties” in societies is the cause of many societal ills (cf.
Populorum Progressio, 66). In recent times, this “weakening” has, in some societies,
attained the deplorable level of fraternity deficit and deformation, a phenomenon
rendered more complex by the side-effects of globalization that can make us
neighbours but not brothers (cf. Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate, 19), connected
but lacking human bonds, visible yet unnoticed.
Following the development in recent magisterial teachings, the principle of
universal fraternity comes to light as a “rediscovery” of the vocation of all persons
to the brotherhood of one human family and the entire creation (cosmic fraternity).
Marked by co-humanity, co-responsibility and co-existence, it is an antidote to
current anthropocentrism and cases of “homo homini lupus est” (man is wolf to
man) attitude by which some people dominate, use and abuse their fellow humans
and exploit the gift of creation. It is equally a fundamental method being proposed
to combat violence, inter-ethnic rivalries and terrorism, as well as an essential
path to unity in diversity and peaceful coexistence in the post-Civil War Nigeria,
by means of national dialogue, healing of memory, restorative justice and national
reconciliation.
235
236
EJ 13 (2019) 237-239
NOTES ON CONTRIBUTORS
FRAnCis CARdinAl ARinze, Grand Patron of the Association of Nigerian Priests,
Religious and Seminarians in Rome (NIPRELS) and the Prefect Emeritus of the
Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Dicastery
of the Roman Curia.
John egbuleFu, Professor of Dogmatic Theology at the Pontifical Urbaniana
University, Rome and the Founder of the Priestly Congregation of Christ the Emmanuel, CCE, as a Religious Institute of Consecrated Life with the Apostolate of
Theological Research, using the Sciences to transmit the Gospel, deepen and defend
the Christian Doctrines of Faith and Morals, and using Technoscientific Theology to
produce material goods for the Church’s extension of the material salvation accomplished by Christ through His miracles to all nations and generations.
Austin eChemA, Priest of the Catholic Archdiocese of Owerri. He is a Professor
of Sacred Liturgy at the Catholic Institute of West Africa (CIWA) Port Harcourt and
the Seat of Wisdom Seminary Owerri, Nigeria. He was the immediate past President
of Catholic Theological Association of Nigeria (CATHAN) and the current President of the Catholic Liturgists’ Association of Nigeria (CALAN).
FRAnCis Anekwe oboRJi, Priest of the Catholic Archdiocese of Onitsha. He is a
Professor Ordinarius of Contextual Theology at the Pontifical Urbaniana University, Rome. A founding Executive Secretary of the International Association of Catholic Missiologists (IACM); member, International Association for Mission Studies
(IAMS); author of the Bestseller Book, Towards a Christian Theology of African
Religion (AMECEA Gaba Publications, 2005); and the Award-winning Book, Concepts of Mission (Orbis Books, 2006). He is the author of numerous books and articles on Missiology, African Theology, Evangelization and Social issues.
bede ukwuiJe, First Assistant Superior General of the Holy Ghost Fathers and
Brothers (Spiritans), Rome. He was a Professor of Dogmatic Theology at the Spiritan International School of Theology, Attakwu, Enugu and the Institut Catholique
de Paris.
PAChomius okogie, Benedictine Monk and Priest. He is a Professor at the Pontifical University of St. Anselm, Rome. His first doctorate is in Philosophy, while
the second is in Healthcare Ethics and Bioethics. He is also a Researcher in Sacred
Liturgy, and a member of a team of experts working on Perspective Science.
237
eNcouNter JourNAl of AfricAN life ANd religioN
Anne FAlolA, Missionary Sister of Our Lady of Apostles (OLA). She worked for 6
years at the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, Department of Mission and Dialogue as
the CBCN Secretary for Mission Committee. She was the Executive Director of
the Interfaith Forum of Muslim and Christian Women’s Association, Kaduna, Nigeria. She has extensive missionary experiences in Lagos, Ibadan, Cordoba (Argentina), London (UK), and Kaduna, Northern Nigeria. She currently resides in Rome as
a General Councillor of her Congregation.
stAn Chu ilo, Priest of the Catholic Diocese of Awgu. He is a Research Professor
of Theology and African Studies, Center for World Catholicism and Intercultural
Theology, DePaul University, Chicago, U.S.A.
luke emehiele iJezie, Priest of the Catholic Diocese of Orlu. He holds Bache-
lor’s Degrees in both Philosophy and Theology. He further studied Sacred Scripture
at the Pontifical Biblical Institute (Biblicum), Rome, where he obtained the Licentiate degree (SSL, 1995), and later did the Doctoral Programme in Sacred Scripture
at the same Biblicum until 2005, and obtained the STD from the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome. Presently, he is a senior lecturer in Sacred Scripture and
Biblical languages at the Catholic Institute of West Africa (CIWA), Port Harcourt,
Nigeria. He is the National Secretary of the Catholic Biblical Association of Nigeria
(CABAN) and the Chief Editor of the Proceedings of the Catholic Theological Association of Nigeria (CATHAN).
PAulinus Chukwudi nweke, Priest of the Catholic Archdiocese of Jos. He holds a
PhD in Sociology and teaches at the Faculty of Social Sciences of the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome. Email address: nwekep@gmail.com; nwekep@yahoo.com.
AdolPhus ekedimmA AmAeFule, Priest of the Society of Divine Vocations (Vo-
cationist Fathers). He holds a PhD in Theology and lectures in the Department of
Religious and Cultural Studies, University of Calabar, Calabar, Nigeria.
Celestine ARinze okAFoR, Priest of the Catholic Archdiocese of Onitsha. He ob-
tained his Doctorate from the Salesian Pontifical University, Rome, specializing in
the Sciences of Education and Youth ministry. He has authored many peer reviewed
articles and is the author of the book, Formation of Teachers as Pastoral Agents.
The Holistic Teacher Formation Model is his original contribution to Catholic education scholarship. He is presently the manager/principal of a Catholic School in
Eastern Nigeria.
238
Notes on Contributors
JosePh PillA, Priest of the Catholic Diocese of Makurdi. He is a Doctoral Stu-
dent of Philosophy at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum),
Rome. He holds a diploma in formation. Currently, he is the president of the Association of Nigerian Priests, Religious and Seminarians (NIPRELS), Rome - Italy.
bitRus RAPhAel medugu, Priest of the Catholic Diocese of Maiduguri. He holds
a Doctoral Degree in Dogmatic Theology from the Pontifical Urban University
Rome.
emmAnuel unAmbA, Priest of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja. He is a Doctoral
Student at the Pontifical Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies, Rome.
RiChARd emmAnuel gokum, Priest of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto. He is a
postgraduate student of Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue at the Pontifical
University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) Rome.
239
N
OF
NIGERIA
N
PR
TA
-I
L
S, R E I GI OU
LY A S S O
ST
CI
IE
AT
IO
&
E
S
SE
MIN
ARIANS
RO
M
the AssoCiAtion oF nigeRiAn PRiests, Religious And seminARiAns (niPRels), Rome
EXECUTIVE BOARD
President
Rev. Fr. Joseph Pilla
Makurdi Diocese
Vice President
Rev. Fr. Gabriel Anochilionye
Onitsha Archdiocese
Assistant Secretary
Treasurer
Financial Secretary
Liturgist
Librarian
Asst. P.R.O./Web Manager
Choirmistress
Asst. Choirmistress
P.R.O.
Secretary
Sr. Maris Sylvia Abii
DPDD
Rev. Fr. Francis Okeke
Onitsha Archdiocese
Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Unamba
Abuja Archdiocese
Rev. Matthias Adugba
Zaria Diocese
Rev. Fr. Kingsley Nze
Owerri Archdiocese
Rev. Fr. Joseph Beba
Makurdi Diocese
Rev. Fr. Joseph Mary Okoro
Somascan Fathers
Sr. Mary Claret Eke
SDV
Sr. Maureen Cynthia Mmadubuike
IHM
Br. Peter Akire
Gboko Diocese
FRAnCis CARdinAl ARinze - NIPRELS Grand Patron
Leberit
arte tipografica
Litografia Leberit
Via Aurelia, 308 00165 roma
Tel. e Fax 06.6620695
240
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