First Papal visit of Benedict XVI to Africa(Part two)

By Rev Fr Clemens Ndze

Opportunity
If any lesson or hope for the future can be gained from the study of the history of the Church, it is certainly that the Church has always been gifted with the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit. Though the fullest allowance be made for the mighty action of God, yet even grace itself, in order to act at all, must be grafted on to the stem of life and thought and feeling. What the Church can be in any society depends on how well the people who make up the Church can listen to the spirit of God in their own lives and circumstances.

Christianity is in the throes of a great crisis. This means that the Clergy and the doctrine which they are the keepers live in situations of extreme and palpable challenges. It is in the whole Christian world but especially so in Africa. Whereas the Western world in general has the heritage of thousands and more years to fall back on, we in Africa can boast of only some centuries of, if, superficial acquaintance with Christianity. We had hardly begun to assimilate the Good News when the Vatican Council appeared on the scene to shake to the roots what we thought were valuable and dear to our Christian life. The neglect of vigorous methods of the past is regrettable. People are misunderstanding the recommendations of the Vatican Council and are extending these to cover even some substantial teachings of the Church.

How faithful?
Europe has thousands of years of acquaintance with the Christian faith. Today people believe that the post-Christian upheaval is upon Europe or as one sometimes hears that Europe is irretrievably decadent. What can one say about our situation in Africa? I want to present here the challenges the Christian faith is facing. It amounts to this that the Christian Church has constantly to look for new ways that will enable her to understand more profoundly and carry out with renewed vigour the mission received through the early missionaries from Christ the Founder.

Every generation with its own mentality and characteristics is like a new continent to be explored and captured for Christ. Independence attained and the Second Vatican Council have come to create a new continent: at the political level with the arrival of independence, there arose a sudden and widespread demand for a corresponding emancipation in the fields of religion and culture, traditional cults, long dormant or at least deeply concealed, have re-emerged into the light of day. The situation is confounded as Western cults of the likes of Rosicrucian; Freemasonry and Orient societies have rushed in with political support. Furthermore, multitudes of sects claiming Christian allegiance are planting themselves here and there and everywhere. It is a complex atmosphere covering the environment.

In Europe that doubts its own beliefs, that questions its own standards of behaviour, the Christian setup has the influence of centuries of Christian life and thought ruling their actions and disciplining, if in general, the people's character; the introduction into the Christian life brought to Africa had hardly taken root when the second Vatican Council came to shake up some of the values people had been adoring and immensely identifying with the essence of Christianity itself. While some are urging frantically to move with the times, one listens to this expressed. "If we could only go back to the old-time region, everything might be right again".

The scene
The Christian Church in sub-Saharan Africa while carrying on the work of evangelisation is passing through a multi-rapidly-changing stage in its history. Profound and rapid changes are spreading forcefully before her, one can speak of social or cultural or religious or economic transformation. In the progress of these will emerge unforeseeable ways of living, one can hardly truly figure. All these will certainly impinge on African Catholicism. These developments are resulting in the concentration of people possessing those comforts and amenities, securities and material freedom which some years ago were restricted to very few people.

We are told that throughout Europe the abandonment of Christianity has gone hand in hand with the spreading of wealth and industries. The development and advancement went that far to the point where the new rich leaders and businessmen made their deductions about the nature of human reality in the light of idolatrous valuations of the new wealth and of the passions which make its increase. Wherever these held sway and to the extent that they held sway the beast aspect of man was encouraged and exalted. All this was bound to lead to an anti-Christian outlook on life, i.e., material power, money power and success and the massive exploitation of man by man was regarded to be normal.

There is no reason to suppose that we Catholic Christians in Africa will remain untouched by these European influences. We are thoroughly hemmed in by Europe, America, China, India and some others who see in the continuous raising of the standard of living as the only purpose in life. I cannot swear that we see it otherwise. The writing on the walls indicates that powerful forces are attempting to make it seem that the main collective task of the African people today is of the economic order. Put more bluntly, the press, commercial advertising in diverse forms, radio, television and politicians are telling us more or less that to get richer individuals and, perhaps, nationally is the main thing. In the terms of modern development at many levels, we in Africa occupy, as black people, the lowest stage. They tell us that this due chiefly to our …"greater deficiency in foresight, in initiative, in independent judgement, in organising and directing talent and in moral stamina…." These are ethical concepts with a Christian touch which can lead to development if studied and applied in people's lives.

It is morally legitimate and rationally justifiable for people to improve their standard of living as long as this activity and effort do not stand in the way of the overall harmony of their lives. In the present African situation, still at this level, it is perfectly legitimate for people to strive their material standards and general economic strength of the community. But there are problems.

In addition to what we mentioned above to rate us lowest if we further analyse the situation, we can see that the "educated" (literate) are very few and the great illiterate mass looks up to them for leadership and guidance. The educated have not only the political powers but economic powers as well. In all parts of Africa, it is the same story, namely, the educated use their better economic opportunities to enrich themselves in politics; they control both spheres and being what they are in Africa, they build up groups both at international and local levels. A new approach now is to work hand in hand with members of secret societies of Europe to recruit and initiate the youth to be leaders to monopolise power at all levels in Africa. They get down to even the secondary school level. Their groupings are claiming to be engaged in economic development, but are in fact, being used as channels for the vigorous assertions of anti-Christian view of life.

In a word, what we are experiencing represents a massive assault on the individual reason and on the Christian outlook on life. There are still other Africans who have not yet been evangelised. Some of these are basically honest and loyal people but are suffering from the handicaps of people deprived of formation and of any hope of incentive for bettering their lives. Many live in forests or are surrounded by mountains which serve as prison walls to cage in people's minds and hearts from growth and better living. No wonder they turn to drinking and giving themselves to violence, all of them obstacles and distortions militating against evangelisation of the people; but they are opportunities also.

Comments

[global personal networking]

Great blog!!
Thanks for the information.