Selfishness Destroying African Societies, Vatican-based Catholic Archbishop Says, Urges Shift to Christ-Centered Love

Archbishop Nwachukwu said an Africa grounded in Christ’s love would naturally care for the weakest and pursue justice for all. 

He used the analogy of neighbors feeding each other with spoons of any length, explaining that a society guided by mutual concern will never lack.

“If I think of feeding my neighbor and my neighbor thinks of feeding me, our spoons and forks would never be too short or too long. Even the neediest would be taken care of,” he said. 

The Nigerian-born Archbishop added that transforming African society requires shifting the focus from personal gain to shared humanity rooted in Christ. “That is the inculturation of the Gospel we need, it transforms societies, and it transforms lives,” he said. 

Asked how the African Church can avoid the decline experienced in Europe and America, Archbishop Nwachukwu said the answer lies in recommitting to biblical values and the Gospel of sacrificial love. 

He warned that secularism reduces faith to relativism, weakening commitment to Christian principles. He insisted that Scripture must not be separated from real life. 

“The Bible does not take people away from reality. The Bible brings people into reality,” he said.

He argued that African societies can remain spiritually vibrant if they deepen the love Christ taught.

 “Jesus says, I give you a new commandment, love as I have loved you. If we were to imbibe that message, our society would certainly be a different society.”

The Archbishop explained that Christ’s model of love lifts others up rather than focusing on personal benefit. “It is no longer loving your neighbor like yourself,” he said. “That is self-centered. It is now loving like Christ Jesus loved, and that is Christ-centered,” he said.

The Vatican official described the African fixation on tribalism, ethnic origins, and exclusion, as contrary to the Gospel. “It is not a question of son of the soil. We are no longer sons of the soil. We are sons of God,” he noted.

Citing the Gospel of John, Archbishop Nwachukwu said believers must rise above geogeny—identity based on the earth—and embrace theogeny, the identity of God’s children. “All those who welcomed him, he gave the power to become children of God,” he said.

The Catholic Archbishop also spoke about the rapid spread of AI as a product of human creativity, saying, “Artificial is something made of art. And as much as we know, God is the greatest artist. So the world of artificial intelligence is the world of God.”

The Vatican Cardinal urged African theologians, clergy, and religious institutions to bring God into technological spaces. 

“We have to bring God in as a great artist, to tell people that it is God also that is at work, even in the world of artificial intelligence,” he said.

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Responding to questions on how theology can respond to the realities of the 21st century, Archbishop Nwachukwu said the mission of the Church mirrors the mystery of the Incarnation. 

“To tailor theology to the reality of today, you are actually asking me how to realize the divine wish in the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ,” he said.

The Catholic Church leader explained that just as Christ took flesh to dwell among humanity, theology must “incarnate in the reality of humanity.” 

He added that bringing the word of God into modern human experience is at the heart of inculturation.

“As God incarnated in the human form in Jesus Christ, in the same way we should bring theology to incarnate in the reality of humanity,” he said.