The engagement of Catholic Laity in politics does not constitute “a call to establish a theocracy or a Catholic government, but a government that will be committed to the promotion of the common good through the enthronement of love, justice, peace for all citizens,” he clarified.
“One cannot belong to a political party, observe things going wrong, and keep quiet. Such silence is many a time a demonstration of complicity and agreement with what is clearly evil,” Cardinal Okpaleke further said during the July 13 event.
The Nigerian Catholic Church leader who was named Cardinal in May 2022 and was among the 20 Cardinals created during the August 2022 Consistory further said, “There are many of those whom people regard as ardent and practicing Catholics in their daily lives, but once it comes to politics, you see them not minding the morality of some of the policies from the government in power which they are part of, even those that are clearly and unmistakably anti-Christian, like vote-buying, voter suppression, election rigging, anti-life laws, same-sex marriage laws or laws that limit religious freedom.”
Cardinal Okpaleke continued, “Some politicians often claim they have no other option than to support such policies since they are made not by them as individuals, but by their respective political parties.”
“For me, such claims are unfounded, because political parties are made up of human beings not spirits, and its policies are made by members. Once you are a member, it is your duty to ensure that policies are made in such a way that it is in line with principles of good conscience and directed to the achievement of the common good,” the Nigerian Cardinal said.
He went on to urge Christian politicians to “learn to speak out against unjust laws and policies of the state, especially those ones that contravene the freedom of religion.”
“To be a true Christian politician is to promote policies and laws because they are objectively right and would bring about the reign of God’s kingdom of love, justice, and peace. It also means to oppose anti-Christian and evil policies through available legitimate means,” Cardinal Okpaleke said in his July 13 address to National Chaplains and National Presidents of Lay Apostolate groups in Nigeria.
Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.
