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Three “vital rules” Catholic Priests in Africa Can Follow to Create Synodal Church

Fr. Vitalis Anaehobi, Secretary General of the Regional Episcopal Conference of West Africa (RECOWA)

By ACI Africa Staff

Nairobi, 17 March, 2024 / 11:30 pm (ACI Africa).

Catholic Priests in Africa need to accept ongoing formation on Synodality, avoid clericalism, and be engaged in forming Christians for the successful birthing of a Synodal Church on the continent, the Secretary General of the Regional Episcopal Conference of West Africa (RECOWA) has said. 

In his speech at a Thursday, March 14 webinar organized under the theme, “Church in Africa: Becoming Synodal in mission”, Fr Vitalis Anaehobi also emphasized the essential participatory role of Catholic Priests for the realization of a Synodal Church in Africa.

Fr. Anaehobi said that since the ongoing Synod on Synodality, which Pope Francis extended to 2024, with the first phase, 4-29 October 2023, having concluded with a 42-page summary report, is likely to conclude with recommendations on new ways of doing things, the people of God need to be formed on the Synodality, starting with Priests.

It has already been suggested that the December 2016 document of the Vatican Congregation of the Clergy on gift of Priestly Vocation, ratio fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis, “should be reviewed but this concerned only those on formation,” he said.

“For those already ordained, their accepting ongoing formation in synodality is their first role for the success of the synodality project,” the member of the Clergy of Nigeria’s Catholic Diocese of Nnewi, who was among the delegates of the October 2023 Synod on Synodality sessions in Rome from Africa said.

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He went on to emphasize the important role Catholic Priests can play in the formation of the people of God, saying that they can realize this role “through their homilies, organized formations” as well as their lifestyle.

Without the Priests, Fr. Anaehobi said, “it will be hard for the idea to trickle down to the base since they are the ones with the people at the parish level.”

“For synodality to gain ground in the Church, Priests, especially parish priests, and priests in charge of formation houses must be carried along,” he emphasized during the March 14 virtual conference that the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences for Eastern Africa (AMECEA) organized in partnership with the Association of Consecrated Women in Eastern and Central Africa (ACWECA), the African Synodality Initiative (ASI), and the Pan-African Episcopal Committee for Social Communications (CEPACS), an entity of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM).

However, Catholic Priests will need to undergo some “conversion” to be able to embrace the new ways of being Church that the Synod on Synodality is helping realize, he said.

“As we are learning, synodality implies a number of new attitudes. For it to function, there is a need for conversion on the part of the Priests who would be the principal agents of synodality by their position in the Church,” the Nigerian-born Catholic Priest said.

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He cautioned against clericalism, saying, “There is a need for conversion in the way of understanding the exercise of authority in the Church, seeing as a service in the manner of Christ who, though God, accepted the condition of slavery.”

“Synodality demands transparency and accountability from Priests. Certainly, most Priests are transparent and accountable but this needs to become a culture for all. This conversion will lead Priests to understand the notion of co-responsibility as against clericalism,” said Fr. Anaehobi further said during the March 14 virtual conference.

ACI Africa Staff

ACI Africa was founded in 2019. We provide free, up-to-the-minute news affecting the Catholic Church in Africa, giving particular emphasis to the words of the Holy Father and happenings of the Holy See, to any person with access to the internet. ACI Africa is proud to offer free access to its news items to Catholic dioceses, parishes, and websites, in order to increase awareness of the activities of the universal Church and to foster a sense of Catholic thought and culture in the life of every Catholic.

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