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African Church »
The Church
in Africa at the Service of Reconciliation
Fr.
Bwangatto Ambrose John [1]
Introduction
The year 2009 is significant
for the Church in Africa because of the forthcoming Synod of Bishops, the second
in just a span of 15 years. I am certain that we still hold fresh memories of
the optimism and euphoria that characterized the preparation of the first Synod
for Africa in 1994; but at the same time we recall with dismay how the cloud of
uncertainty that the genocide in Rwanda placed on the proceedings of that Synod.
That singular event sent a strange signal that the needs of the Church in Africa
cannot be addressed in marble palaces by armchair theologians with their fusty
concepts. This, I presume, motivated the convocation of the second Synod where
the theme of Reconciliation, Justice and Peace was considered more opportune and
significant for Africa in this era. However, reading the general public
impression in Africa, there’s a lot of anguish and anxiety about this synod as
is, of course, any synod. Many people may be asking if anything good could come
from another synod of bishops. Aren’t these talking marathons nothing more than
lots of words and documents and not enough follow-up and action? Of course this
could sound like a matter-of-fact argument, but we have to accept that Synods
are not likely to have direct, immediate impact on the lives of the faithful.
Their effects are in most instances realized in the long term. They act as
radars to direct the Church in the proper course taking into account her
fundamental mission of the universal salvation of all mankind through Jesus
Christ.
Nonetheless, when we quickly scale back into history, a few synods are very
memorable for what they accomplished and offered the Church and the world. The
second ordinary synod (1971) discussed both the ministerial priesthood and
justice in the world. On the latter topic, the Bishops issued the stirring
declaration that “action on behalf of justice and participation in the
transformation of the world fully appear to us as a constitutive dimension of
the preaching of the Gospel.” Pope Paul VI would later endorse this idea as he
clarified that action for justice is not an optional part of Christian living of
the privileged gift of a select few. Following the synod on evangelization
(1974), Pope Paul VI issued an apostolic exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi – which
has been quoted many times in Church documents – giving greater prominence to
the responsibility of every Catholic to spread the good news. He also affirmed
the unique role of missionaries in the modern world and the special challenge of
inculturating the Gospel while respecting local customs and beliefs. After the
synod on the Family (1980), Pope John Paul II urged families to “become what you
are,” a community of persons committed to dialogue and service in the church and
society, reiterating Vatican II's image of the family as a domestic church.
After the synod on the laity (1988), Pope John Paul II praised the active
involvement of lay people in the church while reaffirming their primary calling
as a “leaven” in society. The main achievement of the first Synod of Bishops for
Africa (1994) underlined the fundamental nature of the Church as a family of
God. Since a lot has been written on the former synods, for the purpose of this
paper, we shall confine our reflections principally on the theme of
reconciliation and the mode of reconciliation that the Church in Africa ought to
espouse in her pastoral programs as a way of communicating the healing power of
God to Africa, a continent that is seen in the lens of all kinds of pejorative
stereotypes and despondency.
The Convocation of the
Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops
The second synod for Africa
is just around the corner. It is slated to convene in Rome from 4th
October----25 October 2009. The intention to convoke this Second Special
Assembly for Africa of the synod of Bishops was expressed by Pope John Paul II,
who yielding to the desire of many Bishops, priests and the religious announced
it on 13 November 2004. Pope Benedict XVI, confirmed his predecessor’s plan by
announcing on 22 June 2005, his decision to convoke in Rome the Second Special
Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops. According to the working document
of the synod, the main topic to guide the synod deliberations is: The Church in
Africa in Service to Reconciliation, Justice and Peace: ‘You are the Salt of the
Earth…You are the light of the World’ (Mt.5:13, 14). This is an opportune moment
for Africa to bask in the limelight and the synod is a great event since the
whole church will focus her attention on Africa a continent described as having
a stressing and distressing condition for humanity or that a continent which is
a sore on the conscience of the world. The proposed theme itself is like
suggesting that Africa is a continent that needs to pay particular attention in
the areas of reconciliation, justice and peace since most of the continent is
torn by conflicts of varying degrees. The decision of the Pope to convoke this
synod is very prophetic, farsighted and pragmatic. This is so because many
progressive and optimistic minds concur that Africa, despite her many
challenges, offers powerful rays of hope for the future of mankind and world
civilization.
According to Philip Jenkins in his monumental work ‘The Next Christendom: The
Coming of Global Christianity (2002)’ “By 2050, seven of the world’s twenty-five
most populous nations will be on the African continent.” He makes his argument
with statistics and contends that at the end of the twentieth century, the eight
largest nations in sub-Saharan Africa (Nigerian, Ethiopia, Democratic Republic
of Congo, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda) had a combined
population of about 400 million and that by 2050, that figure could well rise to
over a billion, an increase of 150 percent. Jenkins states that ‘the world’s
youngest nations – Uganda, Niger and the Congo are all African. In those
countries the median age of the population is around 16. In the book of Jenkins,
Uganda is very much put in focus. Jenkins articulates well his statistical
findings and asserts that Uganda is representative of the fast-growing tropical
countries. The country’s population in 1950 was a mere 5.5 million people, in a
land the size of the U.S State of Oregon, but the number of people was roughly
doubling every quarter-century or so. There were 11 million Ugandans by 1975 and
23 million by 2000. According to UN statistics, the total should grow to about
33 million by 2025, and to 65 million by 2050. But the U.S Census Bureau offers
an even more remarkable projection, with the possibility of 84 million Ugandans
by the mid-twenty-first century. In contrast to Africa’s strong and booming
populations, Jenkins is tempted to speak of European rates of population growth
as “weak,” “stagnant or anaemic” and this implies that Europe is somehow losing
the contest, or is failing to achieve. [2] Jenkins makes an interesting
presentation on Africa and her future and he is not reluctant to categorically
state that “by 2050, there will be other future colossi, giant cities with names
hitherto unfamiliar to Europeans, centers like Kampala, Kinshasa, Dar-es-Salaam,
and Sana’a.” [3] I hope these projections as outlined by Jenkins, ought
to set a serious mind to practical thinking and the Second Special Synod for
Africa in just a span of 15 years is the proper step in the right direction.
The Church and the Signs of
the times
We have to agree that Africa
has been described by numerous imageries. The majority are too derogatory of
Africa and the African! Others are too emotional that they draw compassion,
empathy and trepidation. The most famous drawn from the bible is one of the
half-dead man on the roadside whom we read about in St. Luke’s gospel narrative
in chapter ten. [4] Many scholars have applied the image of the half-dead
man to imply the African continent which has been torn apart by colonialism,
racism, incessant conflicts, scramble, pillage and isolation from world
consciousness. The latter description suggests that Africa is a forgotten
continent, a meaningless appendix. This means that Africa is like abandoned at
the road side robbed, beaten, wounded, traumatized and left for dead gasping for
breathe.
The convocation of the Second Synod for Africa and its theme is likened to the
statement of the Samaritan man who told the innkeeper “Take care of him.” This
human dimension of “caring” which is intrinsically weaved in the very nature of
the Church, can help soothe the relationships with its warmth, break down
unnecessary defenses, overcome the coldness that creates conflict and enable the
church in Africa to show kindness, warmth, tenderness and the whole of her
maternal dimension. In this synod, the whole world can contemplate the half-dead
man and continue looking at him with relief that someone is going to do what he
can for the living half of the man, choosing life in his name. The Papal
decision for a synod and its timely choice of theme is like eliciting the great
Samaritan figure in the African Church to come up to attend to the half-dead man
to heal the wounds and pour out the oil of his consolation and the wine of his
power.
The Church reads the signs of the times and guided by Sacred Scripture which
“remains the living and fruitful source of the Church’s doctrine” addresses “the
joy and hope, the grief and anguish of the men of our time,”[5] in their
varying circumstances. The Church’s intervention is timely and deliberate. The
choice of theme for the forthcoming synod is an urgent call to action against
the evils that have poisoned the African continent and also a proposal for an
everlasting remedy.
But we have to consider that such warped images of Africa and the African have
shrouded the primordial position Africa has held in the history of salvation.
The pages of the Bible right from the book of Genesis are awash with
indestructible testimony that “there have been various points of contact between
the heroes of the biblical faith and Africa.” [6] At the beginning of the
history of Israel we are told that Abraham had to migrate to Africa (in Egypt)
during the famine Gen. 12:10-20); the sons of Jacob had to go to Africa (in
Egypt) to purchase food during a famine in Canaan (Gen. 49:1ff; 43:1ff); Jacob
and his descendants went to Africa (Egypt) to escape the great famine in Canaan
(Gen.45:28-46); Moses the liberator of the Israelites from Egypt was educated
and brought up in the house of Pharaoh (Exodus 2:1-10); Jeremiah was carried
into Egypt by Jewish rebels after the assassination of Gedeliah (Jer. 43:1-7).
In these cases Africa was a place of security and protection. However, biblical
writers have tried to play down the role Africa has played in propping the
heroes of the biblical faith. This attitude has been taken up and enforced by
biblical scholars. [7] These biblical scholars, too, may have been
influenced by the ideas of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel an influential German
philosopher who arrogantly claimed that “Africa is no historical part of the
World; it has no historical movement or development to exhibit. Historical
movements in Africa – that is in its northern part- belong to the Asiatic or
European World.” [8]Yet again, this is further supported by an
uncritical, narrow-minded biblical exegesis dating back to the fourth century of
our era that considered Africa a cursed continent and views Africans as
descendants of Shem of the Old Testament (Genesis 9:18-29). This prejudicial
configuration taints the perception of Africa from the outset and imprisons this
continent in a vicious circle of poverty, corruption, sickness, and tribal
warfare. Africa has become a continent par excellence of misery, to the point
that Africa and poverty have become synonymous. The representation of Africa
focuses on sickness and destitution evidenced by the conditions of famine, hence
the emaciated bodies shown ad nauseam.
With all the above stereotypes about the continent, the Church is faced with an
uphill task to supply a relevant answer to the doubts which may be lingering in
the minds of many pessimists on the African continent and around the world.
Still the same uneasiness we expressed in the introduction remains whereby many
people may be asking if anything good could come from another Special Assembly
for Africa of the synod of bishops just only fifteen years after the conclusion
of the first!!! But if we take this upcoming synod particularly, we notice that
it is intended to address questions which are perennial to humanity, which are
justice, peace and reconciliation as illustrated in the synodal theme. At this
moment, I would like to principally dwell on the theme of reconciliation to
highlight its necessity and urgency for the African synod in the contemporary
African setting.
Reconciliation: As an
African theme
The word “reconciliation”
refers to the process of changing something thoroughly and adjusting it to
something else that is a standard. We could apply the example of adjusting a
watch to a time signal; you are reconciling the watch to a time standard. In the
African context, reconciliation is not a concept but a celebration, a liturgy of
some sort. We could have the Acholi form of reconciliation or “Mato oput” as a
case in point for our consideration. In the Acholi tradition the teachings and
principles that are passed on to the younger generation defies any form of
conflict unless in self-defense. This is basically because there are some
general attribute of Acholi society with regard to taboos and totemistic
observances known by the general term “kwer” or cleansing ritual. This entails a
form of purification and is enforced at times by abstention from certain
consumption patterns or practices.[9] The anomalies for which purification is
required may include willful infliction of pain, suffering or distress meted on
an individual by another. In the event of breach of any social norms that
introduce conflict, kwer will be expeditiously performed to correct the anomaly.
The kwer takes many forms depending on the nature of the anomaly committed. One
fundamental one is “mato oput” - basically meaning reconciliation. The origin of
this form of kwer is that, in the olden times there was an incident that could
not be fathomed when two brothers conflicted to the extend that they totally
refused talk to each other let alone relate or interact in any way. All efforts
to reconcile them by the elders were futile. One day as they were working in
their separate fields adjacent to each other, a fierce lion attacked them. They
found themselves climbing and taking refuge on the only available tree in the
vicinity called oput tree. When the lion finally took its leave, the two
brothers climbed down and walked back home hand in hand, and declared that they
were fully reconciled. Since the oput tree was instrumental in facilitating
their reunion where the elders had failed, it was decided by the elders that the
roots of the oput tree be used in future acts of reconciliation.[10] Thus to date,
the Acholis dig up the root of the oput tree and mix the concoction thereof for
the belligerent parties to drink together as an act of reconciliation and
reparation. According to Rom Peter Paul, a Catholic priest of Gulu Archdiocese,
the roots of oput tree are awfully bitter to be drunk by any person in any
normal circumstance. But that the belligerents are able to drink it shows their
resolve to overcome their bitter differences and start afresh on a normal
course.
The people of Acholi have always recognized that conflicts cannot be ruled out
in any normal life and the natural and strong temptation for revenge in human
nature is a fact which cannot be contested. But at the same time their society
also does recognize that even revenge can be avoided through forgiveness.
History informs us that even the worst inter-clan hostilities and rampant
killings have in the past been admirably and amicably resolved through their
legendary “cleansing ceremony”, (Mato-oput). For generations past, this has been
made possible by the hostile clan leaders and their standing committees coming
together and accepting some form of restitution and agreeing on a treaty of
forgiveness, reconciliation and more so resumption and practice of harmonious
living between the two people. This practice is known as being characteristic of
the Acholi society. The endemic Acholi–Madi conflicts have been resolved in this
fashion along the river Ayugi that borders the two domains, and a host of
others, for instance, the Acholi Lango conflicts, Alero-Lamogi, Alur-Acholi. In
fact, there is a place called Got at Nimule along the Uganda Sudan border that
was designated purposely for cleansing and reconciliation ceremonies between
belligerent parties and many ceremonies were conducted there in the past. So the
community had to celebrate the restoration of the injured relationship with a
detailed ritual which will end in a community meal shared-in by all the
conflicting parties involved.
The global emergence of the
theme of Reconciliation
The theme of reconciliation
began to emerge as a significant theme in religion and in social affairs in the
latter part of the 1980’s. This was prompted by the social catastrophes such as
wars, profound social disputes, as well as natural disasters that affected large
parts of the world. The 1990’s brought in a series of seemingly unrelated events
together that led to a greater focus on the prospects for reconciliation. The
Rev. Prof. Robert Schreiter enumerates some of them: First, The End of the Cold
War and the End of Authoritarian Regimes and the fall of the Berlin Wall;
Second, The United Nations declaration of the year 1992 to be the Year of
Indigenous Peoples. Thus, calling to mind the plight of indigenous peoples whose
cultures had been decimated and sometimes completely destroyed; Third,
Globalization which helped promote capitalism as the single viable form of
economic order; and Fourth and final factor figuring into the current interest
in reconciliation are the various aspects of emancipatory movements in Africa
and in other formerly marginalized parts of the world.[11]
However, there has been some concerns regarding the idea of reconciliation and
these concerns grow both out of negative experiences of what has been presented
as reconciliation, as well as from perceptions of what reconciliation is thought
to be. Prof. Schreiter again gives three principal concerns:
One, when the rhetoric of reconciliation is used to obscure or evade
confrontation with wrongdoing in the past. After the so-called “dirty war” in
Argentina (1978-83), some of the principal wrongdoers who had violated human
rights and also those who were complicit with them called upon the nation to
accept a posture of “reconciliation.” In this instance, reconciliation meant not
investigating the past or punishing those who had done wrong. Rather, there was
to be an attitude of “forgiveness” whereby the past would be forgotten, and
everyone would move on together into the future. With such uses of a rhetoric of
forgetting, the concept of reconciliation becomes poisoned in public discourse,
and comes to stand for the very opposite of its actual meaning. Reconciliation
which ignores or suppresses the pursuit of justice is not reconciliation at all.
It is tantamount to saying that what has happened in the past either did not
really happen or that its consequences are insignificant. It says that justice
is not important.
Two, Many people confuse reconciliation with compromise. In such a scenario,
both sides have to sacrifice important points in order to arrive at an agreement
that will end open conflict. In practice, this usually means that victims and
those with less power are asked to give up more than do wrongdoers and the
powerful. Again, justice is sidestepped in the name of some future harmony.
Although some compromise will always be necessary but reconciliation is first
and foremost about the restoration of humanity and meeting the requirements of
justice. To the extent that it loses this focus it cannot be considered genuine
reconciliation. Such singular focus on compromise made bring an end to overt
conflict, but it will not provide a lasting peace.
Three, The final variant on the theme of compromise is considering
reconciliation as a foregoing of the truth. There are some situations with
controverted issues to resolve. But one side is seen as utterly right and the
other completely wrong. To achieve peace, the question of truth is ignored and a
compromise is sought. But one of the things that have been learned in the
process of pursuing reconciliation is that reconciliation is achieved not by
sacrificing what one believes to be the truth, but rather by gaining new
perspectives that can help overcome the riddles we face in life.[12] Before we
conclude this section, we could express two fundamental principles, that is,
reconciliation as a goal and reconciliation as a process.
Reconciliation as a goal can seem to be impossible and unattainable. To be sure,
complete reconciliation is something that is rarely if ever achieved. But to
surrender any hope of changing or improving a situation because of the distant
and elusive character of the goal of reconciliation is to give up on
reconciliation altogether.
However reconciliation as a process is something upon which we can and must
embark on. Much of what reconciliation is about is building new relationships.
Such relationships link with people and with events in the past and in the
present for the sake of a different kind of future. It is in attending to those
relationships that new avenues of opportunity for reconciliation will make
themselves known.
The theme of Reconciliation
in the Instrumentum Laboris of the 2nd African Synod
The Working Document, or as
is known by its Latin name ‘Instrumentum Laboris’, of the forthcoming 2nd
African Synod illustrates at length the theme of reconciliation leaning heavily
on its biblical meaning. The preface devotes two paragraphs to introduce the
theme of reconciliation. It opens with this text of Paul, “Be reconciled to God”
(2Cor. 5:20). The Instrumentum Laboris takes this critical invitation to the
Christians of Corinth and the whole world to extend it “in a special way to
Christ’s faithful and all people of good will in Africa, torn by many conflicts
and ethnic, social and religious divisions, which oftentimes erupt into hateful
and violent happenings.”[13] The working document makes a theological analysis that
“the situation in Africa shows that personal sins have negative ramifications in
society which display the urgent character of the work of reconciliation to God
and neighbor.”[14] This process of reconciliation is initiated by God the Father in
his infinite goodness and never-ending mercy through the workings of the Holy
Spirit. God has reconciled us to himself through his Only-Begotten Son, Jesus
Christ, who has entrusted to his Church the ministry of reconciliation (cfr.
2Cor. 5:19). But what is central to the reconciliation between God and humanity
is the pierced heart of the crucified Lord from which blood and water continue
to flow[15] in the sacraments of our salvation. Through the cross, Jesus Christ has
reconciled two peoples, Jews and Gentiles, destroying every hostility between
them and making them one body (cfr. Eph 2:14-16).
With all the above, the working document thus outlines that, “Reconciliation to
God gives believers, including those in Africa, access to the power of the Holy
Spirit so they can be reconciled to others. The work of reconciliation goes
beyond relations among persons and peoples and extends itself to all creation (cfr.
Rom 8:19). In fact, through Jesus Christ, God the Father has reconciled all
things to himself, the things of heaven and the things of earth (cfr. Col 1:20).
If the Church is to fulfill well the ministry of reconciliation entrusted to her
by the Lord Jesus, she herself must become more and more a reconciled community,
a place where reconciliation is proclaimed to all people of good will.”[16] With
this I presume that we would take reconciliation as a divine activity that is
realized in the concrete human conditions that yields peace and justice and a
harmonious and humane society. So, reconciliation in all dimensions is
fundamental to the prevalence of peace and justice!
In a more detailed look at the Instrumentum Laboris, we recognize that her
understanding of reconciliation is derived from Jesus Christ, who “is the source
of God’s reconciliation to humanity as a whole and to each person individually.”[17]
Jesus is also the means leading to reconciliation among peoples (cfr. Mt6:12;
Rom5:10-11). From this the church in Africa develops the basis for her ministry
of reconciliation. She turns out to be the messenger of the gospel of peace
which makes her one body and the temple of the Holy Spirit. The church following
Christ’s example is the worker of reconciliation in her earthly body. As
builders of communion, Christians in Africa are to call African society to a
union of hearts and to set an example for them through the witness of their
lives. As we shall see in the coming sections, however, the Instrumentum Laboris
makes an unnecessary, simplistic and unqualified assertion that “Reconciliation
in life comes about by making room for forgiveness (cfr. Mt 5:23; Eph 2:14, 15).[18]
This assertion reflects a denial of the gravity of the injuries that victims
have to bear on their consciences; and hence we have to contend that this does
not apply in all circumstances of woundedness. Other than its biblical
understanding, we have to refer to other resources and methods as well so as to
construct a full-blown concept of reconciliation consistent with the African
ecclesial setting.
In addition to the above, however, after the theological reflections on
reconciliation, the Working Document outlines the main concerns from the
concrete African settings that should be addressed with the various aspects of
reconciliation. The main areas are: the socio-political aspect that fosters
living together in peace; the socio-economic aspect that fosters the proper
management of the national resources; the socio-cultural aspect which fosters
the values that holds the family and society together such as respect for elders
and the dignity of women as mothers and protectors of life. On the other hand, a
grave concern is highlighted that the Church in Africa may not communicate her
prophetic message authoritatively and effectively, unless she fosters unity
among her own members and resolves any conflicting signs in her life of witness.[19]
This is accordingly because of the apparent “divisions based on ethnic, tribal,
regional or national lines and a xenophobic mentality which has been observed in
some ecclesial communities and in the words and attitudes of some Pastors.[20] To
achieve reconciliation within the Church and wider society, the Working Document
proposes the efficacy of the ministry of the Sacrament of Penance,
Reconciliation and Forgiveness. It states that, “Through the habitual practice
of this sacrament, Christians bear witness to the fact that they are acquiring
the skill of examining their actions in life and experiencing the mercy and the
goodness of God in their state of sin, misery and lack of love. The practice of
this sacrament has become a genuine place where the grace of God reconciles them
to himself and others. They have progressively learned to enter into the logic
of reconciliation.”[21] After achieving reconciliation within their ranks,
Christians will then work for a reconciled Africa by taking into account the
Church as a family of nations,[22] by being of service to society in the areas of
Health, Education and Socio-Economic development,[23] by engaging in ecumenical
dialogue,[24] by improving relations with the African Traditional Religions through
a careful study,[25] and also dialogue with Islam for effective tolerance and peace
in society.[26]
Christian Reconciliation
In this section, I wish to
propose the form of reconciliation which ought to guide the African synod in her
considerations of this topic. Such a move will facilitate establishing an
identity proper to the Church amidst the plurality of religious worldviews. As
already outlined above in the Working Document, we have to corroborate that the
African synod must be guided by the Christian form of reconciliation. This is so
because the fundamental message of Christian reconciliation is not rooted in the
reconciliation between human beings, an approach that might be found in other
religious traditions. From a Christian perspective, what makes any kind of
reconciliation possible is the fact that God is reconciling the world to
Himself. This is done through the mediation of Jesus Christ. This is what Paul
tells us: For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through
him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all tings, whether on earth or in
heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross (Col 1:19-20). What God
has done for the world in Jesus Christ’s Incarnation is to inaugurate that
reconciling process. The suffering and death of Jesus goes into the very wound
of each transgression, and the resurrection both transforms the wound and
confirms God’s reconciling work. Therefore, it is God’s initiative, through the
death of his Son for us while we were still sinners that has made possible our
reconciliation. It is God’s initiative, mediated to us through Jesus Christ that
has brought us to be able to be in communion with God once more. It is this
reconciliation that the Church celebrates in her rituals in the sacraments of
baptism, Eucharist, and reconciliation. For us Christians, it is God, who
initiates and brings out reconciliation.
In addition to the above, in Christian reconciliation, God begins with the
victim. We have to highlight on this. Under normal circumstances, after an
offense is committed, the wrongdoer comes to an awareness of the nature of the
offense. The wrongdoer then expresses remorse, and goes to the victim, offering
an apology and seeking forgiveness. The victim, after hearing the wrongdoer and
judging the wrongdoer to be genuinely remorseful, extends forgiveness to the
wrongdoer, and then reconciliation between wrongdoer and victim takes place. But
the problem is that situations that cry out for reconciliation are rarely that
orderly. To begin with, often wrongdoers do not show remorse and seek no
apology. They may sincerely believe they have done nothing wrong, or make that
claim out of fear of punishment, humiliation or isolation. Thus, the wrongdoer
does not repent or refuses to do so. Also sometimes the victim cannot trust the
apology of the wrongdoer, and so cannot extend forgiveness. At other times,
especially in severe traumatic cases, like rape, the victim is only able to face
the situation more strongly later after the assault.[27] In such cases, the
wrongdoer may no longer be present to apologize. The wrongdoer may have gone
away or may be dead. In all of these instances, the victim is left without
recourse, since the wrongdoer will either not enter into the reconciliation
process or is not present to do so. The Christian response to this is that the
victim is not left without choice. Because God is the author of reconciliation,
God can and does begin reconciliation with the wounded heart of the victim.
Healing can begin even if the wrongdoer is adamant in refusal or absent from the
scene. One can see it as God restoring the humanity of the victim. The traumatic
impact of wrongdoing upon the victim wrests away a part of the victim’s own
humanity. In the wrongdoing, the victim is not treated as a person who bears the
incomparable dignity of the image and likeness of God. Rather, the victim is
treated as an object or as less than human.
Therefore, it should not surprise us that God initiates the reconciliation
process in the victim to restore the victim’s humanity. Practically, the victim
suffers the most damage in an act of wrongdoing. The victim has much to
overcome: the tangled emotions of anger, fear, grief, desire for revenge, and
loss of hope. The offer of apology by itself does not bring back those
innocently killed, burnt property, lost limbs, an injured humanity and does not
prompt the victim to forgive. A whole process of coming to terms with the past
event, with what it has done to the victim, and how the victim can find a way
forward has to take place. One of the key things that must be taken into
consideration in the work of reconciliation is to learn to assess the readiness
of the victim to take the next step along the path to reconciliation and
forgiveness. Hence the victim is likely to need more time for healing than the
wrongdoer does for repentance. In connection with this we can use the statement
of St. Thomas Aquinas who says that, “to bear is more difficult than to attack.”
This is so because the one who holds out in the face of attack[28] actually feels
the difficulties, whereas he who takes the offensive can only foresee them. And
an evil that is actually present inspires more fear than one we merely foresee.
The Church as a medium of
Reconciliation in Africa
Before we delve deeper into
this section, I would like to emphasize that the Church on the African continent
has taken a noteworthy part in the reconciliation process of conflicts. That
tells why she also enjoys great credibility in many African societies. We apply
the term Church as highlighted in the Catechism of the Catholic Church “to
primarily and essentially designate the liturgical assembly, but also the local
community or the whole universal community of believers. These three meanings
are inseparable. The Church is the people that God gathers in the whole world.
She exists in local communities and is made real as a liturgical, above all a
Eucharistic assembly. She draws her life from the word and the Body of Christ
and so herself becomes Christ’s Body.”[29] To understand this in a simple language,
the Church is “all the people of God, all the baptized people, women and men,
youths and children, clergy and laity, who follow Christ and his teaching and
have a mission to carry out in this world and in each society they live.”[30] This
primary meaning of Church, however, has been overtaken by the second one which
“refers to church leaders and Church institutions under whom and under which the
people of God are effectively served and administered to in the living of their
vocation and calling. In the Catholic Church, these leaders include the Pope,
Bishops, priests, Deacons, Religions Men and Women, Catechists and lay leaders
of every type.”[31] In discussing the questions related with the Church at the
service of reconciliation our consideration here is particularly confined to the
primary meaning. The Church, all the people of God, are required to proclaim the
Good News to all, to bear witness before all, to worship as a community, to
create, protect and promote unity, peace, justice among all, to serve the
community, to evangelize all aspects of society and play their rightful role in
all echelons of life: politics, economy, culture, science, development, human
rights, education, health and environment.[32] But above all, the church, that is
all the people of God, must work to uphold the proper notion of the human
person, his origin, dignity, position in the created order and final destiny.
This would imply that all pastoral policies, programs and projects in the Church
in Africa “should be ordained to the human person as to their centre and
summit.”[33]
All the above would facilitate to articulate a dynamic condition of the human
person and his dignity that includes a state of well-being, completeness,
soundness, harmony and wholeness. Such conditions would produce a healthy person
whose body, mind and spirit function harmoniously together, one who is in a
right relationship with God and others. As a consequence, this will be the
beginning of a healthy society, that is, one in which the five spheres involved
in living together are pulling with one another. These spheres are racial,
political, economic, religious, and sexual, absence of which we have a sick
society. To work for reconciliation, is to integrate the various elements of
personality and to reconcile people in all their relationships including those
with their environment. The church, therefore, is called to be a community in
which the healing work of the spirit is not only taught but also, sought and
experienced. The church with the twin resources of scripture and tradition is
meant to be a healing and reconciling church. The healing ministry of the church
involves going to the sources of ‘disease’ and trying to sort out the health
problems at that level as well. When it does that, it finds itself involved in
such activities as conflict management and reconciliation, agriculture, so as to
ensure that people are properly nourished thereby boosting their immune system
and maintaining good health, environmental work, that is, campaigning against
all forms of pollution which can cause health problems and many other
activities. Healing and human well-being formed the central thesis of Jesus’
mission which the church, as the body of Christ, must continue to carry out. We
can say with certainty that healing in the mission of Jesus was part and parcel
of the gospel he preached. That gospel was about the good news of God’s free
offer of salvation to all humankind. Jesus’ threefold activity or mission of
preaching, teaching and healing (Matt.4:23) went together and each was an
integral part of his gospel. The preaching of the gospel in the African context
where human dignity is at risk, would need to address the problems of economic
justice, corruption, nepotism, tribalism, civil conflicts and wars poverty,
ignorance, the HIV/AIDS crisis with its associated problems of stigmatisation,
and psycho-social issues, human rights advocacy, gender and sex issues and care
issues. Addressing such and related issues would contribute to healing of
individuals, reconciling families and communities. The church that takes human
dignity seriously will not avoid getting involved in these issues if it is to be
a healing and reconciling church and this would mark the beginning of developing
a fully-fledged reconciliation process.[34]
Conclusion
This paper is written in the perspective of the 2nd African Synod which is due
to convene in Rome from the 4th – 25th October 2009. Our particular concern has
been the theme of reconciliation first, from the African perspective borrowing
mainly from the Acholi’s Mato Oput, the Instrumentum Laboris of the 2nd African
Synod from which we have drawn and develop the Christian form of reconciliation
as a process that God initiates in the victim; a process which will enable the
Church in Africa stand with countless victims of torture, abuse, apartheid
aggression and all forms of human injustices. This will sanction the church be a
medium of reconciliation and catalyst of change in these shifting circumstances
when Africa is nursing her many wounds of conflicts, deprivation, neglect,
poverty, sickness, ignorance and global ostracism.
References
1.
Austin Flannery, (Ed.) Vatican Council II: The Conciliar and Post-Conciliar
Documents, Northport, New York: Costello Publsiing Company, 1975
2.
Benedict Ssettuuma Jnr., John Mary Waliggo: Essential Writings,
(1994-2001), Vol. 1, Unpublished, 2003
3.
Bwangatto Ambrose John, The Notion of Human Dignity as a starting
point for Developing a Theology of Reparation in Uganda, MA Thesis,
Nijmegen: Radboud University, Unpublished, 2006
4.
Dan. W. Nabudere, The Origins of the Luweero and Northern Wars in
Uganda: Historical Perspectives, Memories and Reconciliation, Field research
Report, Unpublished, December 2004
5.
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, The Philosophy of History, New
York: Dover Publications, 1956
6.
Instrumentum Laboris of Synod of Bishops, II Special Assembly for Africa,
Vatican City, Editrice Libreria Vaticana, 2009
7.
Jean Marie Nsambu, Settling Battles with Rape, in Leadership, No.
475, September, 2008
8.
Mary Gitui, Tinyiko Maluleke et al, (Eds). Interpreting the New
Testament in Africa, Nairobi: Acton Publishers, 2001
9.
Robert Schreiter, The Emergence of Reconciliation as a Theme in
Religion and Social Affairs, Unpublished paper, Nijmegen, 2005
10.
----------------------The New Catholicity: Theology between the
Global and the Local Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1997
11.
Philip Jenkins, The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global
Christianity, Oxford: University Press, 2002.
12.
Tanquerey A., The Spiritual Life: A Treatise on Ascetical and Mystical
Theology, Tournai: Society of St. John the Evangelist, Desclee & Co., 1930
[1] Bwangatto Ambrose John is a Catholic
priest of Kampala Archdiocese. He is currently a lecturer in Philosophy and
Theology at Uganda Martyrs’ National Major Seminary, Alokolum, Gulu in northern
Uganda. And he is registered as a doctoral candidate in Missiology at Radboud
University, Nijmegen –The Netherlands
[2] Philip
Jenkins, The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity, Oxford:
University Press, 2002, 83-85
[3] Ibid., 93
[4] Cfr.
Passion for Christ, Passion for Humanity, Acts of the Congress on Consecrated
Life, Nairobi: Paulines Publications Africa, 2005, 42
[5] Vatican II
Constitution, Gaudium et Spes, 1
[6] Mary Gitui,
Tinyiko Maluleke et al, (Eds). Interpreting the New Testament in Africa,
Nairobi: Acton Publishers, 2001, 68
[7] Ibid., 69
[8] Georg
Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, The Philosophy of History, New York: Dover
Publications, 1956, 99
[9] Prof. Dan.
W. Nabudere, The Origins of the Luweero and Northern Wars in Uganda: Historical
Perspectives, Memories and Reconciliation, Field research Report, Unpublished,
December 2004
[10] Ibid.,
[11] Robert
Schreiter, The New Catholicity: Theology between the Global and the Local Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1997, 34
[12] Robert
Schreiter, The Emergence of Reconciliation as a Theme in Religion and Social
Affairs, Unpublished paper, Nijmegen, 2005
[13] Cfr.
Preface of Instrumentum Laboris, Synod of Bishops, II Special Assembly for
Africa, Vatican City, 2009
[14] Ibid.,
[15] cf.
John 19:34
[16] Cfr.
Preface of Instrumentum Laboris
[17]
Instrumentum Laboris, 42
[18] Ibid.,
42
[19] Ibid., 53
[20] Ibid., 53
[21] Ibid., 86
[22] Ibid., 93 – 95
[23] Ibid., 96 – 98
[24] Ibid., 99 – 100
[25] Ibid., 101
[26] Ibid., 102
[27] (Cfr. Jean Marie Nsambu, Settling Battles
with Rape, in Leadership, No. 475, September 2008, 12-15)
[28] Cfr. Summa Theologica, IIa IIae, q, 123,
a.6, ad I as quoted by Tanquerey A., The Spiritual Life: A Treatise on
Ascetical and Mystical Theology, Tournai: Society of St. John the
Evangelist, Desclee & Co., 1930, 507
[29] Cfr. Catechism of the Catholic Church,
par.752
[30] Benedict Ssettuuma Jnr., John Mary
Waliggo: Essential Writings, (1994-2001), Vol. 1, Unpublished, 457
[31] Ibid., 457
[32] Ibid., 458
[33] Vatican II Council Consitution Gaudium et
Spes, On the Church in the Modern World, par. 12.
[34] Bwangatto Ambrose John, The Notion of
Human Dignity as a starting point for Developing a Theology of Reparation in
Uganda, MA Thesis, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Unpublished, 2006, 111.
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