African Synod 2- Roman Catholic Church

*check remaining contents on: http://africansynod2romecath.blogspot.com

Monday, October 12, 2009

African Synod II- A Faith initiative and African Social Reality

The Second African Synod opened on October 4th, 2009, on the feast day of St.
Francis of Assissi, at the Vatican. This synod, in fact, was proposed by the late
Pope John Paul II in November 2004. The African Synod was the first of continental
synodal assembly when the first one was held at the Vatican in the morning of the
resurrection (easter) 1994. The theme of that synod was more encompassing. The
current synod has a more restricted theme focusing on the issue of reconciliation,
justice and peace. In all, the convening of the second African Synod is a welcome
development.

Between 1994 and 2009 a lot has changed on the African continent. These changes
equally affect the ecclesial communities in their evolving development, and have
equally been confronted with new realities and challenges, some of which are
positive, while others are negative.

It must be remembered that between 1994 and 2009, even the universal church has
undergone its own changes. Pope John Paul II had passed on to glory. He loved
Africa and was much beloved by Africans, as by the rest of the people of the
world, whether Catholics or not.

Africa too, as undergone many changes. Many African countries can today more than
in 1994 boast of being ruled by democratic governments, rather than the prevailing
dictatorship under the military as then was the case. Many African countries are
also catching up with global trends. Yet, the monumental realities is that Africa
continues to suffer, and bleed under some corrupt and still dictatorial
governments; thus minimizing the secured advantages democratic rules are supposed
to produce. Elections rigging, violence, human rights abuses, torture, ethnic
antagonism, and wars continue to be characterize, sadly, the African affairs and
social realities.

Within the church, advances has been made. Many bishops, priests, and religious
have emerged. The laity are increasing and progressing in their participation in
church life and witnessing to the vitality of the gospel. Churches are been built,
seminaries are robustly enlarging, baptism and the celebration of the other
sacraments are quantitatively on the increase. In deed, these are good vital
signs.

However, we have sadly seen also the church as a citadel where human rights are
also been abused. In the case of the Rwanda genocide of the Tutsi and moderate
Hutu, some bishops, many priests and nuns were alleged to have been either
involved or acted callously in ways that led to the death of thousand of Rwandans,
including some of their own faithful or parishioners. Catholics were armed against
fellow Catholics because of ethnicity, amplified by politics, which was at times
condoned and abetted within church institutions.

This sad scenario haunts the church, even when it claims to be an instrument for
justice and peace in the world, and dents her projection of the word of salvation.
It also taints the church as part of a criminalized order, whose words does not
match its action when it comes to issues of social justice. Let, even within this
sad specter, there were many heroic Catholics, including priests and nuns, and
some bishops, whose actions are less song by the media.
The church in Africa also has a very poor track record in the ways she treats her
own employees. Catechiests and other church workers are poor paid, and denial of
job and social benefits. While, the financial situation of most church
institutions are hard, when compared to the affluent and opulent lifestyles of
bishops, priests, and nuns, we, as the church must rethink our missions, our sense
of commitment, and our understanding of justice and peace. If we do not create the
foundations for the fundamental embedding of justice and peace in our world, as a
church, we too are doomed.

In 2001, the media was awash with the report of the sexual abuses of nuns and
young African women by priests and some bishops on the continent. It was a sad
revelation, even though the western media, seemed to be using such facts for their
own agenda in diminishing the relevance of priestly celibacy. The issue of abuse
of nuns is not own sad but reflects a poor evangelization. The truth is, that no
matter the level of denial by some of us African church personnels, the reality
does exists. We cannot deny this fact, for it is all too apparent.

Different cases are instructive. The case of the Zimbabwean erstwhile, archbishop
of Bulawayo, Mr. Pius Ncube, reflect such an instance. He, initially denied this,
until photographs emerged in the press. After, he resigned he admitted to being
involved with a married woman. Allegations that he is involved with other women
abounds. A Dallas, Texas newspaper, the Dallas Morning News (July 2oth, 2006),
once reported the incidence involving sexual harrassment and intimidation by the
former bishop of Okigwe, in south-eastern Nigeria, Mr. Anthony Ilonu, against a
Nigerian nun, Sister Pauline Aligwekwe, who declined his sexual overtures.

Within Nigeria, another highly placed church official known among the priests and
religious to be "wild" in drawing his "wide catchment dragnet" is the incumbent,
Catholic archbishop of Abuja, the Nigerian Federal capital, Mr. John Onaiyekan.
The various allegations surrounding the Mr. Onaiyekan, a very intelligent but
ambitious church personnel with his eyes on becoming another future Nigerian
Cardinal, are legion.

The significant one in his case, is that major superiors of communities of nuns
offers him for his sexual escapades and "internal forum gratification" an harem of
nums to draw from, when seeking favours for their personal and religious
communities directly from the archbishop (archdiocese) or indirectly using his
connection with the Nigerian government. Such silent negotiations often lead to
satisfactory results as their needs are often considered with the utmost urgent or
met, after some "bedroom hockey" pastimes with these gullible, often young nuns,
incapable of resisting their religious superiors.

These abuse of vulnerable nuns by African bishops and priests is a case of abuse
of power; and an act of bodily and social injustice. The vulnerability of these
young nuns and women, the fear of expulsion from their religious order because of
their refusal, and various forms of intimidations surely constitute issues of
social justice, and borders on how church institutions perpetuate injustice and
disrupts bodily and harmonic peace of individuals and religious and faith
communities. In some cases, nuns, seminarians, and priests that have spoken out
against abuses within their church and faith communities have been punished with
silence, expulsion, punitive ecclesiastical assignments/threat of transfers to
"hard" regions away from civilization. Complacent and game players are, on the
other hand, rewarded with lucrative ecclesiastical positions, further studies,
good cars, and other benefits.

In considering the theme of the synod, one is amazed at the some of the
constitution of the synod. For instance, one wonders what archbishop Onaiyekan,
who has stated he receives "blood" money from government would articulate
regarding corrupt government and their officials, when he hob-nobs with them and
accepts their gifts- even if at times he pretends to speak out against these
corrupt politicians, military leaders, etc. One wonders the moral authorities of
bishops who receive material and monetary gifts from government officials, such as
Sport Utilities Vehicles (SUVs), funds, and other material benefits, in committed
stance for social justice, and preferential option for the poor.

Such considerations make it just overtly laughable, and even unserious, that one
of the expert at the current African synod is Monsignor Matthew Hassan Kukah,
whose relationship with many Nigerian governments is high questionable, suspect,
and ludicrious. For instance, Msgnr. Kukah, appointed by the Nigerian government
to broker reconciliation between the corrupt, environmental degrading company
Shell Petroleum, with the Nigerian Ogoni proved pro-actively partisan, to the
extent that the Ogoni almost lynched him. He proved to be on the side of the
oppressor, and therefore was acting in their favor. Kukah, therefore, diminish
only diminished his own personal status, but was an opprobium to the image of the
Nigerian Catholic faith. It is on record, that Msgr. Kukah's post-doctoral studies
in Harvard was sponsored by Nigerian former President Obasanjo.

Kukah is not an exception. The former bishop of Port-Harcourt, Mr. Alexius Makoji,
while he was sick, had all his medical bills payrolled by the government of Rivers
State, headed by its former governor, Peter Odili, who has since been indicted on
massive corruption charges.

The above scenario differs from the stance of the Malawian Bishop in 1993, in the
interlude to the first African Synod, when through their pastoral letter they
boldly confronted the indecent political machinations of the late President Banda,
and were all declared persona non grata. Yet, there are enormous outright examples
of good stewardship. The late Nigerian Bishop of Lokoja, and former secretary to
the Nigerian Catholic Bishop's conference, Joseph Sunday Ajomo, was a focal
opponent of social injustice and an astute witness to a sound separation of church
and state affairs, while representing a veritable prophetic voice in the desert-
lone but powerful.

Another area today within African Churches that is the subject of injustice,
dissent, and lack of peace reflects the choice of episcopal candidates. Africans,
especially bishops and priests, including nuns, are too much like other members of
their African society, preoccupied with titles, power of domination over others,
prestige, privilege, influence, and wealth. Given the erroneous interpretation
that "only" bishops constitute the fullness of the priesthood, many African
bishops see their position as one of domination. Hence, at any slight opportunity
for advancing a candidate to the bishopric, the fight, scuttle, and ambitious
antagonisms among priests have been a source of dissension in many dioceses. Open
campaigning for positions, nepotism by bishops advancing their relatives and
favourites, and interferences by certain bishops in the affairs of other local
churches has continued to bred tension.

These tensile situations often also lead to the breakdown of peace within
different dioceses. Priests are suspicious of one another, and ecclesiastical life
is played out as if within the secular political arena. For instance in Maiduguri
diocese, the recent appointment of a bishop for that diocese is a case in point.
The metropolitan archbishop of Jos, Mr. Ignatius Kaigama, had advanced his nephew,
Fr. Peter Kamai, the Vice Rector at the St. Augustine Major Seminary, Jos, as a
candidate for that diocese. Also, the metropolitan archbishop of Kaduna, Mr.
Matthew Ndangoso, also the immediate past bishop of Maiduguri, advanced a priest
from his home area in Yola diocese, Fr. Lawrence Dim, for the same position. The
livid priests of Maiduguri protested in favour of their own priests.
Ndangoso backed out, but to teach the priests of Maiduguri a lesson they would
never forget, for not enabling Kamai, a nephew of the Jos archbishop to succeed as
a bishop, he imposed a less educated and inexperienced priest upon that diocese,
to despise, Fr,. John William, who was the diocesan administrator in the interim.
The same situation occurred in Idah diocese, with archbishop Onaiyekan, helping to
impose the current bishop of Idah upon its prebysterate, simply because the late
bishop of Idah, Mr. Ephraim Silas Obot, was very sick. Today, the palpable chaos
and disharmony among the priests of an hitherto cohesive diocese of Idah, is
unbounded.

Even as this is going on, a lot of young Catholics are bidding farewell to the
faith. Joining the growing Pentecostal field, the future of the Catholic Church in
Africa is imperilled. Except the tide changes, the lifestyle of priests, bishops,
and nuns, continue to send the wrong messages to these youth, as the forage and
quest for the faith that gives meaning to their lives. Recently, the religious
following of the former archbishop of Lusaka, Zambia, Mr. Emmanuel Milingo is
growing. Mr. Milingo recently ordained a former Catholic priest, now married as a
bishop in Kenya.

This is the sad realities facing the church on the continent. But all is not doom.
There are also vivacious events effecting joy and excitement within the Catholic
life and faith on the continent. In Nigeria, during the failed elections and
transition to democracy and the crises that begulfed the Nigerian nation between
1993 and 1999, the Church, inspired by some of their leaders, stood firmly on the
side of truth and justice. The valiant display of courage by the Malawian bishops
in 1993-1994 reflects a towering testament to justice and the foundation of peace
in society. Many Africans are also representing the face of the church globally as
missionaries and faith workers, bringing to the fore their own religious cultures
and heritage in different and discrete nations of the world. Many of these African
workers are awaking the faith and collaborating with others to show the
universality of the Catholic Church, offering witness to the vitality of our
Catholicity.

This synod should pay attention to the mode in which African immigrants are
treated within the churches where they immigrate. Many fervent African Catholics
are leaving the faith of their youth, after their incursion to western countries,
because of the sad fact of racism and the diminishment of their persons and gifts
by their fellow brothers and sisters of the faith, who validate color, skin
pigmentation, materiality, and politics over love and community.

It is our expectation, that this synod would inject some dynamic realism into the
life of faith and the living of the faith among African Catholics and Christians,
both within Africa and outside of it, and through these agents into the universal
church as a whole.
Posted by African Synod II- Roman Catholic at 11:53 AM
Labels: African Synod, Church abuse, Hypocrisy, Need for Reform, Social Justice,
Vatican