At SIGNIS Africa Conference, Catholic Bishop Advocates for Inclusion of “visual literacy” in Catechesis Programs

Bishop Musa further said, “Artists must not work in isolation. Theologians and clergy should collaborate with visual artists to ensure that religious images convey sound doctrine while resonating culturally.”

The pioneer Catholic Bishop of the Katsina Diocese urged pastoral agents and Catholic social media influencers to lead in promoting digital evangelization through visual media.

“The Church in Nigeria can produce and distribute high-quality digital icons and religious images that are both visually captivating and doctrinally sound,” Bishop Musa said in his presentation.

He said that Parishes can use local imagery in “liturgy" by “incorporating African images and symbols in liturgical art: altar designs, Stations of the Cross, stained glass, and statues. This not only fosters enculturation but enhances religious communication through beauty.”

Bishop Musa urged members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) to “sponsor national exhibitions or workshops for Christian artists, fostering dialogue and creativity, and awarding excellence in theological visual art.”

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In his June 12 presentation, Bishop Musa reflected on how visual literacy can help correct common misconceptions and misunderstandings in the faith.

“There are some major challenges in Nigeria regarding iconography and religious communication,” he said, and added, “This creates a disconnection between faith and local identity, leading to the perception that Christianity is a foreign religion.”

The Catholic Church leader further said, “The first challenge is cultural alienation and western artistic domination: Most religious images in Nigeria portray European features: white-skinned Jesus, blue-eyed Mary, and Western architectural forms.”

“Let us remember that God Himself used a visual icon when He took flesh in Jesus Christ. The Word became visible. Our task is to make that visible Word shine in our communities through images that speak, that teach, that console, and that convert,” he said.

Bishop Musa implored, “May our icons be windows through which the faithful gaze at heaven and recognize the face of Christ in their cultural mirror.”