JOHN PAUL II, ECCLESIA IN AFRICA, 14TH SEPTEMBER 1995
INTRODUCTION
The synod of bishops on the church in Africa held in Rome acknowledges the pride and place of the family in the society and the church. In his Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesial in Africa, (1995), the Holy Father from Familiaris Consortio #75 holds that; “The future of the world and of the Church passes through the family (and that) not only is the Christian family the first cell of the living Ecclesial community, it is also the fundamental cell of the society.”
Central to this document is the African family, which the document cautions that though she tries to adopt positive values of modernity, she must preserve her own essential values. The document thus admits that in trying to build the Church as a family, such is truly proper to the African culture, because such values as care for others, solidarity, warmth in human relationships, acceptance, dialogue, trust and sharing which characterize the family of God are present in the authentic African family. This work therefore, attempts to discuss the theological basis and validity of the use of this image for the Church in Africa.
THE NATURE OF THE AFRICAN FAMILY
The African Family is not equivalent in a strict sense to what the word family means in other cultures especially in Europe and America. The traditional African family is known for its unique nature of being widened beyond the nuclear family. Within this understanding, the African family comprises “the children, parents, grand-parents, uncles, aunts, brothers and sisters who may have their own children and other immediate relatives” and indeed all those persons who descend from a common ancestor. This ontological feature of the African family is usually designated in the anthropological parlance as extended family.
THE THEOLOGICAL BASIS AND VALIDITY OF THE IMAGE OF AFRICAN FAMILY FOR THE CHURCH IN AFRICA
It is obvious that when we approach the family model theologically, it is traceable to the Blessed Trinity who shows us the best and perfect communion in the communion of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit One God. Again, when we consider the concept of family in relation to the church and its members, theologically it encapsulates everyone who has accepted Christ and been received into the family through baptism, including catechumens. A position which implies brotherhood and it is likens to African blood relationship, which gives basis for unity and solidarity, and results to sharing of roles and involvement of everyone in the work of evangelization. These are commendably perceivable in the African family model.
Having considered the family model in relationship to the Church as encapsulating all those born into it through baptism and living everywhere, it is pivotal that we consider the application of this model in relation to the evangelization and governance of the local Church. By local church we mean a diocese or a parish, but we must note that a particular church cannot be dissociated from the universal Church and other local Churches.
Just like the African family in which everyone has a role to perform towards the harmonious living of every member of the family and the community, a local Church modeled after it must recognize in the spirit of Vatican II that;
“By divine institution holy Church is ordered and governed with a wonderful diversity.”For just as in one body we have many members, yet all the members have not the same function, so we the many, are one body in Christ, but severally members one of another" (Rom. 12:4-5). There is, therefore, one chosen People of God: "one Lord, one faith, one baptism" (Eph. 4.5); there is a common dignity of members deriving from their rebirth in Christ, a common grace as sons, a common vocation to perfection, one salvation, one hope and undivided charity.”
It follows that members of a local Church should essentially receive one another as brothers and sisters in the first instance rather than giving a primary consideration to their different status within the family. Consequently, no one would be left and not attended to either by means of evangelization or governance of the local Church. In relation to the African family, there is no way individuals in the family are left out in her administration, because leadership is never by one person, rather by individuals who in the spirit of family work in collaboration and solidarity for the larger family.
However, the very concept of African family when used as a model for the Church could be problematic and demands some level of understanding. The question is, how do we adopt this family model where crisis of homelessness, poverty, which result from war, famine, tribal tension, insurgence, political instability and violation of human rights?
Furthermore, care is to be taken so that our ecclesiology based on the African family model does not end up with a pyramided structure of the Church, emphasizing the authority of her leaders; a kind of paternalism when compared to the nature of the father’s position in the family. This will neither help communion nor help her primary work of evangelization.
Moreover, the idea of blood-tie poses the problem that could lead the family to be exclusive of other families. This particularly poses problem against dialogue within and without the Church. However, while the Church as family should establish interaction among the laity, religious and clergy to promote healthy existence within the Church as family, she should play a leadership role in ecumenism.
Following still from her feature of blood-tie and extended family nature are caring, sharing of problems and blessings, concern and love. These features are good but the negative expression of it often regards the person outside the group as if he or she was a non-person. The identification of outsiders as strangers has been the cause of some of the worst atrocities in Africa and has often led to negativities like tribalism and ethnicity. But we know that the love of Christ is unrestricted and universal, it embraces even the enemy. Hence, we need a vision that will take into account the vision of Christ’s universal reconciliation. It is only this vision that can turn the church in Africa into a family that does not exclude any person from its ambience and even in decision making so that the work of evangelization of Africa becomes easy.
CONCLUSION
From our discussion so far, it is clear that Church’s documents acknowledge the importance of the family to the ecclesial community and the larger society. Such that without it the community whether ecclesial or secular cannot possibly exist. It is rightly so, because, the Creator of all made it her mission. The Church’s documents really acknowledge that it is possible to build the Ecclesia edifice on the family model. This, the CBCN deem necessary when it tries to build her Church with the authentic African family model in Nigeria.
Fr Lawrence Sdv
INTRODUCTION
The synod of bishops on the church in Africa held in Rome acknowledges the pride and place of the family in the society and the church. In his Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesial in Africa, (1995), the Holy Father from Familiaris Consortio #75 holds that; “The future of the world and of the Church passes through the family (and that) not only is the Christian family the first cell of the living Ecclesial community, it is also the fundamental cell of the society.”
Central to this document is the African family, which the document cautions that though she tries to adopt positive values of modernity, she must preserve her own essential values. The document thus admits that in trying to build the Church as a family, such is truly proper to the African culture, because such values as care for others, solidarity, warmth in human relationships, acceptance, dialogue, trust and sharing which characterize the family of God are present in the authentic African family. This work therefore, attempts to discuss the theological basis and validity of the use of this image for the Church in Africa.
THE NATURE OF THE AFRICAN FAMILY
The African Family is not equivalent in a strict sense to what the word family means in other cultures especially in Europe and America. The traditional African family is known for its unique nature of being widened beyond the nuclear family. Within this understanding, the African family comprises “the children, parents, grand-parents, uncles, aunts, brothers and sisters who may have their own children and other immediate relatives” and indeed all those persons who descend from a common ancestor. This ontological feature of the African family is usually designated in the anthropological parlance as extended family.
THE THEOLOGICAL BASIS AND VALIDITY OF THE IMAGE OF AFRICAN FAMILY FOR THE CHURCH IN AFRICA
It is obvious that when we approach the family model theologically, it is traceable to the Blessed Trinity who shows us the best and perfect communion in the communion of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit One God. Again, when we consider the concept of family in relation to the church and its members, theologically it encapsulates everyone who has accepted Christ and been received into the family through baptism, including catechumens. A position which implies brotherhood and it is likens to African blood relationship, which gives basis for unity and solidarity, and results to sharing of roles and involvement of everyone in the work of evangelization. These are commendably perceivable in the African family model.
Having considered the family model in relationship to the Church as encapsulating all those born into it through baptism and living everywhere, it is pivotal that we consider the application of this model in relation to the evangelization and governance of the local Church. By local church we mean a diocese or a parish, but we must note that a particular church cannot be dissociated from the universal Church and other local Churches.
Just like the African family in which everyone has a role to perform towards the harmonious living of every member of the family and the community, a local Church modeled after it must recognize in the spirit of Vatican II that;
“By divine institution holy Church is ordered and governed with a wonderful diversity.”For just as in one body we have many members, yet all the members have not the same function, so we the many, are one body in Christ, but severally members one of another" (Rom. 12:4-5). There is, therefore, one chosen People of God: "one Lord, one faith, one baptism" (Eph. 4.5); there is a common dignity of members deriving from their rebirth in Christ, a common grace as sons, a common vocation to perfection, one salvation, one hope and undivided charity.”
It follows that members of a local Church should essentially receive one another as brothers and sisters in the first instance rather than giving a primary consideration to their different status within the family. Consequently, no one would be left and not attended to either by means of evangelization or governance of the local Church. In relation to the African family, there is no way individuals in the family are left out in her administration, because leadership is never by one person, rather by individuals who in the spirit of family work in collaboration and solidarity for the larger family.
However, the very concept of African family when used as a model for the Church could be problematic and demands some level of understanding. The question is, how do we adopt this family model where crisis of homelessness, poverty, which result from war, famine, tribal tension, insurgence, political instability and violation of human rights?
Furthermore, care is to be taken so that our ecclesiology based on the African family model does not end up with a pyramided structure of the Church, emphasizing the authority of her leaders; a kind of paternalism when compared to the nature of the father’s position in the family. This will neither help communion nor help her primary work of evangelization.
Moreover, the idea of blood-tie poses the problem that could lead the family to be exclusive of other families. This particularly poses problem against dialogue within and without the Church. However, while the Church as family should establish interaction among the laity, religious and clergy to promote healthy existence within the Church as family, she should play a leadership role in ecumenism.
Following still from her feature of blood-tie and extended family nature are caring, sharing of problems and blessings, concern and love. These features are good but the negative expression of it often regards the person outside the group as if he or she was a non-person. The identification of outsiders as strangers has been the cause of some of the worst atrocities in Africa and has often led to negativities like tribalism and ethnicity. But we know that the love of Christ is unrestricted and universal, it embraces even the enemy. Hence, we need a vision that will take into account the vision of Christ’s universal reconciliation. It is only this vision that can turn the church in Africa into a family that does not exclude any person from its ambience and even in decision making so that the work of evangelization of Africa becomes easy.
CONCLUSION
From our discussion so far, it is clear that Church’s documents acknowledge the importance of the family to the ecclesial community and the larger society. Such that without it the community whether ecclesial or secular cannot possibly exist. It is rightly so, because, the Creator of all made it her mission. The Church’s documents really acknowledge that it is possible to build the Ecclesia edifice on the family model. This, the CBCN deem necessary when it tries to build her Church with the authentic African family model in Nigeria.
Fr Lawrence Sdv
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