The April 26 celebration was a global farewell to a humble shepherd, who was at the helm of the Catholic Church for a little more than 12 years.
In the communiqué shared with ACI Africa on Tuesday, April 29, the Catholic theologians in Nigeria reaffirm their fidelity to the Holy Mother Church and the successor of St. Peter “in this moment of solemn transition.”
During the April 22–25 annual conference that was realized under the theme, “Theology and Contemporary Approaches to Religion in Nigeria,” CATHAN members say they reflected on the need to integrate African Traditional Religions (ATR) with Christianity as “potential sources of theological insight in houses of formation and tertiary institutions.”
“We propose inclusive curricula that engage the complexities of religious pluralism head-on, integrating ATR and Christianity not as antithetical systems but as potential wellsprings of theological insight,” Nigeria’s Catholic theologians say in their communiqué.
They continue, “Informed by the imperative for a more profound evangelization, we emphasize the urgent need to reimagine theological formation within the vibrant context of lived African religious experiences.”
CATHAN members explain that the “reimagined” theological formation will empower “future Church leaders, especially those serving in missionary and formative roles, to engage Nigerian religiosity with both critical acumen and profound respect.”
Such “reimagined theological formation”, they say, will go a long way in helping Church leaders to stay “steadfast in orthodox doctrine while achieving pastoral relevance within an increasingly pluralistic African society.”
“This approach fosters a deeper understanding of the spiritual landscape and empowers effective intercultural and interreligious dialogue,” CATHAN members say referring to what they had described as the “urgent need to reimagine theological formation within the vibrant context of lived African religious experiences.”
To foster meaningful intercultural and interreligious dialogue in Nigeria’s increasingly diverse and pluralistic society, Catholic theologians in the West African nation say they will have their input in the development of theological formation curricula for evangelization that “inclusively engage the complexities of religious pluralism.
“We call for holistic scholarship that transcends polemics or mere apologetics,” CATHAN members say in the four-page communiqué, and go on to acknowledge that “responses to (ATR), Christianity, and Islam are often influenced by historical wounds, cultural memory, theological presumptions, and socio-political interests.”
