The Changing Face of African Catholicism
The erstwhile archbishop of Lusaka, Zambia, Emmanuel Milingo married in 2001 to Maria Sung, a Korean physician, in a mass wedding arranged by the Unification leader, Rev. Moon. He briefly returned to the Catholic faith, but in 2006 made a definitive break with the Vatican, when he showed up in Washington, D.C. ordaining four married men as bishops in an organization called Married Priests Now! He continues to extend his tentacles. Recently, he was in Kenya, where he ordained a Kenyan, Daniel Kasomu as bishop of his movement; a movement within the Catholic Church, as he continues to claim, though Pope Benedict XVI had excommunicated Milingo following his reunion with Ms. Sung and the acts of ordaining men not sanctioned by the Vatican.
In Zimbabwe, Archbishop Pius Ncube, the focal anti-Mugabe activist and former bishop of Bulawayo, was removed after he was accused- an allegation he first denied, only to accept as true and requesting prayers and apologizing to his followers-of committing adultery with a married woman, with whom he was photographed in his bedroom naked.
Recently, two bishops from the Central African Republic were forced to resign by the Vatican because Vatican sanctioned investigations proved that their priests were owning property, endulging in acts contrary to the clerical state, such as having married wives and children. The priests in these dioceses protested and went on strike refusing to say masses in their parishes in an avowed support of their bishops. The striking priests, probably the first such instance in modern church history anywhere, sided with their bishops against the Vatican.
Much like in the 1983 case leading to the removal of archbishop Emmanuel Milingo, from his Lusaka, Zambia's episcopal seat, sentiments rose high, pitching the local clergy against the expatriate priests. In the case of Central African Republic, the striking priests alleged a more heavy handed line of action was been used against them, citing cases of "white" priests and bishops living in similar conditions of cohabitation. Racism, is a roaring and unfortunate incidence in the life of the Catholic Church.
The actions of Archbishop Milingo and these priests from Central African Republic could be deemed as maverick acts, but in reality their courage need to be applauded. In countries such as Nigeria and the United States, the priests are very cowardly, susceptible to the manipulations of their bishops, some of whom, unfortunately are criminally minded and intoned. The sad specter of the priest abuse scandal in the United State of America is one. Bishops acting arrogantly, as if better than their priests, sacrificed for their own convenience and ambitions, priests whose services they had exploited at their whims at the mention of any scandalous incidence. They forget that the priest once incardinated and ordained for a particular diocese canonically is the responsibility of that diocese for better, for worse.
Take the Nigerian case for instance. Afraid of the spreading specter against the Catholic church, and given the proliferation of the media and the fast dissemination of global events, the bishops' conference has agreed that any priest mentioned in any abuse or scandalous case would be sent packing, without compensation and without support to his family residence. Unfortunately, in trying to dodge responsibility they hurt the church, both the victims and the priest who trusted the church, and no matter what, gave his services almost without compensation to an unappreciative church. They too forget that once incardinated priests serving within their dioceses- juridic persons as a matter of canon lawyer- become their burden. Insulting families who willing allowed their sons to serve the church by sending these priests home is a serious dent in the idea of the church.
A church that cannot be responsible to its priests in times of distress and crises, is a church that cannot be trusted by anyone as a veritable channel of salvation. Jesus' examples are glaring. He received and entrusted to St. Peter, who rejected and denied him, the care of the apostles and the future of his organization; the faith. A church that cannot be a companion in human misery, human despair, human brokenness, and human mistakes, cannot in fact be reckoned with to be a guard to any future of grace, when it misses the opportunuity to offer grace to those in need of God's graceful presence. A holier-than-thou, politically correct and positive publicity seeking church, only concerned with the glamorous and social positive perception is a hollow establishment, distant from Christ.
The African Church is being played up today by the Vatican, as if problematic. When Pope Benedict XIV, following his election while meeting with priests of the diocese of Rome was asked the impact of third world increase in priestly and religious vocations, stated more his impression of this as measuring along the "good-life" indicators, we know that the Vatican has its reservation about African Catholicism, that the late Pope John Paul II helped to enrich and empower.
It seems Milingo understood the Pope Benedict XVI's mindset when he eloped from the Vatican to form his Married Priests Now movement in Washington, D.C.
Recently, two bishops from the Central African Republic were forced to resign by the Vatican because Vatican sanctioned investigations proved that their priests were owning property, endulging in acts contrary to the clerical state, such as having married wives and children. The priests in these dioceses protested and went on strike refusing to say masses in their parishes in an avowed support of their bishops. The striking priests, probably the first such instance in modern church history anywhere, sided with their bishops against the Vatican.
Much like in the 1983 case leading to the removal of archbishop Emmanuel Milingo, from his Lusaka, Zambia's episcopal seat, sentiments rose high, pitching the local clergy against the expatriate priests. In the case of Central African Republic, the striking priests alleged a more heavy handed line of action was been used against them, citing cases of "white" priests and bishops living in similar conditions of cohabitation. Racism, is a roaring and unfortunate incidence in the life of the Catholic Church.
The actions of Archbishop Milingo and these priests from Central African Republic could be deemed as maverick acts, but in reality their courage need to be applauded. In countries such as Nigeria and the United States, the priests are very cowardly, susceptible to the manipulations of their bishops, some of whom, unfortunately are criminally minded and intoned. The sad specter of the priest abuse scandal in the United State of America is one. Bishops acting arrogantly, as if better than their priests, sacrificed for their own convenience and ambitions, priests whose services they had exploited at their whims at the mention of any scandalous incidence. They forget that the priest once incardinated and ordained for a particular diocese canonically is the responsibility of that diocese for better, for worse.
Take the Nigerian case for instance. Afraid of the spreading specter against the Catholic church, and given the proliferation of the media and the fast dissemination of global events, the bishops' conference has agreed that any priest mentioned in any abuse or scandalous case would be sent packing, without compensation and without support to his family residence. Unfortunately, in trying to dodge responsibility they hurt the church, both the victims and the priest who trusted the church, and no matter what, gave his services almost without compensation to an unappreciative church. They too forget that once incardinated priests serving within their dioceses- juridic persons as a matter of canon lawyer- become their burden. Insulting families who willing allowed their sons to serve the church by sending these priests home is a serious dent in the idea of the church.
A church that cannot be responsible to its priests in times of distress and crises, is a church that cannot be trusted by anyone as a veritable channel of salvation. Jesus' examples are glaring. He received and entrusted to St. Peter, who rejected and denied him, the care of the apostles and the future of his organization; the faith. A church that cannot be a companion in human misery, human despair, human brokenness, and human mistakes, cannot in fact be reckoned with to be a guard to any future of grace, when it misses the opportunuity to offer grace to those in need of God's graceful presence. A holier-than-thou, politically correct and positive publicity seeking church, only concerned with the glamorous and social positive perception is a hollow establishment, distant from Christ.
The African Church is being played up today by the Vatican, as if problematic. When Pope Benedict XIV, following his election while meeting with priests of the diocese of Rome was asked the impact of third world increase in priestly and religious vocations, stated more his impression of this as measuring along the "good-life" indicators, we know that the Vatican has its reservation about African Catholicism, that the late Pope John Paul II helped to enrich and empower.
It seems Milingo understood the Pope Benedict XVI's mindset when he eloped from the Vatican to form his Married Priests Now movement in Washington, D.C.
Recently at the Second African Synod being held at the Vatican, African women religious, had the tremendous audacity to request more control in the affairs of the Ecclesia Africa. It is an astute testimony of the in depth temerity, courage, and cherished legacy of African women involvement in community events that order such strong request. A situation where the religious, priests, laity, catechiests, and others serving the church possess limited voice and say, in areas such as contributing to bishop selection, managerial control, ecclesial corporate decisions, and where the ethos of authority is "hand-me-down" topdown approach of leadership such call is significant and praiseworthy.
In this age, African Catholicism is leading the church with courage, daring to confront the Vatican with what other bishops and priests elsewhere are relunctant to boldly state. The African Church depict her nerves not with much talking but through practical actions. The Milingo move and the Central African Republic occurence should set the Vatican thinking. A people taken for granted for too long, would obviously learn how to develop a mindset of their own.
**********************************
The Sunday Nation
Sunday October 18, 2009
News
Milingo slaps Catholics in the face
Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo (left) who was excommunicated from the Catholic Church after getting married at a press conference after presiding over the ordination of married bishops and priests at the Sasamotor Centre in Karen, Nairobi, June 24, 2009. With him is his wife, Maria Sung and Bishop Daniel Kasomo, also with his wife MaryAnne Kasomo. Photo/HEZRON NJOROGE
By LUCAS BARASA Posted Wednesday, June 24 2009 at 22:30
Eight years ago, he annoyed the Catholic headquarters in the Vatican by breaking the code of celibacy. On Wednesday, controversial Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo arrived in the country and slapped the Catholic Church in Kenya in the face.
At a secluded centre in Karen, Nairobi, Bishop Milingo ordained Fr Daniel Kasomo bishop of the Married Priests Now in Kenya. He also ordained several deacons.
The Zambian-born archbishop is the overall prelate of a group with 150,000 married priests worldwide. He was ordained as a parish priest in 1958. He was consecrated as archbishop of the archdiocese of Lusaka in Zambia in 1969 by Pope Paul VI.
In 1983, he was recalled from Lusaka to Rome over a controversial “non-conventional healing ministry” he led.He broke his celibacy vows in 2001 and married 43-year-old Korean acupuncturist Maria Sung in a classical wedding where 62 couples dressed in bridal gowns and tuxedos were married in the Moon Unification Church.
On Wednesday, Bishop Kasomo said at Sasamotor Centre that he married his girlfriend, Mary Ann in 1993, a year after becoming a priest. They have four children. Also present was Fr Peter Njogu, who said he has been married for 20 years and has three children.
Archbishop Milingo said many more priests had declared their marital status and the group’s membership was growing in Kenya. The prelate said it was time the Catholic Church changed its doctrine on celibacy and allowed priests who wished to marry do so.
He said his group will not secede from the Catholic Church but will champion its interests from within. “We are not there to play champion,” he said, adding that celibacy had resulted in priests falling by the wayside. He said that in America, many churches were facing bankruptcy due to cases dating years back.
Accompanied by wife Maria, Archbishop Milingo said he received a message to marry from Virgin Mary who asked him to also “go and do something for married priests.”He said married priests were suffering as they were punished and never forgiven.
The priests also denied employment wherever they went after being ex-communicated from Catholic Church, a situation he likened to a mother giving her babies to lions after birth.
The archbishop said it was wrong for the Catholic Church to cut links with married priests. He said celibacy was “based on a lie as a woman is equal to all of us.”
“A woman is not only a sex object. It is wrong for the church to expect a priest to pretend to close his eyes or not look closely at a woman,” he said. He urged the Catholic Church to stop referring to married priests as renegades.
In this age, African Catholicism is leading the church with courage, daring to confront the Vatican with what other bishops and priests elsewhere are relunctant to boldly state. The African Church depict her nerves not with much talking but through practical actions. The Milingo move and the Central African Republic occurence should set the Vatican thinking. A people taken for granted for too long, would obviously learn how to develop a mindset of their own.
**********************************
The Sunday Nation
Sunday October 18, 2009
News
Milingo slaps Catholics in the face
Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo (left) who was excommunicated from the Catholic Church after getting married at a press conference after presiding over the ordination of married bishops and priests at the Sasamotor Centre in Karen, Nairobi, June 24, 2009. With him is his wife, Maria Sung and Bishop Daniel Kasomo, also with his wife MaryAnne Kasomo. Photo/HEZRON NJOROGE
By LUCAS BARASA Posted Wednesday, June 24 2009 at 22:30
Eight years ago, he annoyed the Catholic headquarters in the Vatican by breaking the code of celibacy. On Wednesday, controversial Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo arrived in the country and slapped the Catholic Church in Kenya in the face.
At a secluded centre in Karen, Nairobi, Bishop Milingo ordained Fr Daniel Kasomo bishop of the Married Priests Now in Kenya. He also ordained several deacons.
The Zambian-born archbishop is the overall prelate of a group with 150,000 married priests worldwide. He was ordained as a parish priest in 1958. He was consecrated as archbishop of the archdiocese of Lusaka in Zambia in 1969 by Pope Paul VI.
In 1983, he was recalled from Lusaka to Rome over a controversial “non-conventional healing ministry” he led.He broke his celibacy vows in 2001 and married 43-year-old Korean acupuncturist Maria Sung in a classical wedding where 62 couples dressed in bridal gowns and tuxedos were married in the Moon Unification Church.
On Wednesday, Bishop Kasomo said at Sasamotor Centre that he married his girlfriend, Mary Ann in 1993, a year after becoming a priest. They have four children. Also present was Fr Peter Njogu, who said he has been married for 20 years and has three children.
Archbishop Milingo said many more priests had declared their marital status and the group’s membership was growing in Kenya. The prelate said it was time the Catholic Church changed its doctrine on celibacy and allowed priests who wished to marry do so.
He said his group will not secede from the Catholic Church but will champion its interests from within. “We are not there to play champion,” he said, adding that celibacy had resulted in priests falling by the wayside. He said that in America, many churches were facing bankruptcy due to cases dating years back.
Accompanied by wife Maria, Archbishop Milingo said he received a message to marry from Virgin Mary who asked him to also “go and do something for married priests.”He said married priests were suffering as they were punished and never forgiven.
The priests also denied employment wherever they went after being ex-communicated from Catholic Church, a situation he likened to a mother giving her babies to lions after birth.
The archbishop said it was wrong for the Catholic Church to cut links with married priests. He said celibacy was “based on a lie as a woman is equal to all of us.”
“A woman is not only a sex object. It is wrong for the church to expect a priest to pretend to close his eyes or not look closely at a woman,” he said. He urged the Catholic Church to stop referring to married priests as renegades.
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