Africans And The Papal Message

ULOKA CHIBUIKE

The reason the Pope’s message has unsettled Africans, especially Nigerian believers, is rooted in their strong affinity for everything foreign. They tend to be more Catholic than the Pope, more religious than the originators of the Christian faith and Catholics, more Roman than those in Rome, and more concerned about Jesus Christ than Mary the mother and Bethlehem, his place of birth.

The papal message isn’t an imposition on the Catholic faith but a call to inclusivity for those who may need it or be affected.

In the African worldview, there is no concept of gayness or homosexuality. Rather than align with Christendom in a way that respects their cultural peculiarities, as Europeans have done, the average African is instead eroding their culture and natural values in a quest for so-called civilization and everything foreign.

The papal message is a reminder for Africans to return to their values. Although the Catholic Church may be universal, its teachings and dogma will always respect cultural values.

©Uloka Chibuike