Crux interviewed Father Justine John Dyikuk who is the former Director of Communications of the Nigerian Diocese of Bauchi Diocese and a Lecturer of Mass Communication at the University of Jos. He also serves as a Senior Fellow for International Religious Freedom Policy at the Religious Freedom Institute (RFI) in Washington, D.C.
Crux: A large number of German bishops and a German synodal path advocates for the blessing of same-sex unions, reshaping the priesthood and diaconate, including the ordination of women, allowing open Communion with Protestants and those in irregular marriages, and other doctrinal changes. What is your reaction to these proposals, and do you think Africa should buy into such proposals?
Father Justine: I am optimistic that Africa will not buy into such cheap proposals. The reason is simple – Recent data obtained by the Vatican shows that Africa and Nigeria where I come from have the largest number of faithful who attend Sunday Mass. This clearly indicates that the faith in Africa is vibrant and robust unlike what is happening in Germany or Continental Europe. By way of analysis, while the Church in Europe is rich financially, technologically and infrastructurally (in term terms of gothic Churches), it lacks population, clerical personnel (priests) and mass attendance by the young. By contrast, Africa is rich in population, priests and religious and a deep youth population who attend Holy Mass. However, the Church in that continent is financially poor and lacks technology and infrastructure.
Going forward, I think that instead of going the way of doctrinal changes as proposed by the German synodal path which is advocating for the blessing of same-sex unions, reshaping the priesthood and diaconate, including the ordination of women, allowing open Communion with Protestants and those in irregular marriages, the Church in Europe and America should form a stronger synergy of exchange of clergy, transfer of ecclesiastical knowledge, training of clergy/religious and sharing of the temporal goods of the Church with Africa, Asia and Latin America. This would make the Universal Church fare better.
Perhaps some questions that the German Church should answer include – Did the October 31, 1517, schism of Martin Luther make the Church better? Are there lessons from the Church of England which opened its doors to some of these doctrinal changes, yet numbers of the faithful have not swelled up since then? So, Africa has challenges such as war, hunger, infrastructure, ethnicity to mention a few that it is contending which the synod tried to address. Simply put, going the way of the German synod is going against the tenets of sacred scripture, sacred tradition and magisterial teachings.
Throughout this process, many confusing proclamations are being made
about the authentic way in which a Catholic follows Jesus. The
Holy Father has at times stepped in and warned others not to follow
the German way and chided that Germany “already has a great
Protestant Church, but I don’t want another one.” How does an ordinary
Catholic know what to do?
Every Catholic, clergy or lay know that they are living in the Truth and following the Way Jesus commanded if they hold to the tenets of sacred scripture, sacred tradition and magisterial teachings as I underscored earlier. The teachings of Jesus do not change. The Church under the guidance of the Pope Francis, the successor of Peter, is the referee. It is heart-warming that the Holy Father had to step in to warn others including Africa not to follow the German example. Our bishops and priests, their collaborators pass on the authentic faith in the one, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.
Every Catholic should look to an institution that has the aforementioned four marks of the true Church established by Christ that started on Pentecost Sunday 33AD. I do not share the view that there were confusing proclamations in the synod about the authentic way in which a Catholic should follow Jesus. The communique is out there – it is commendable that the Church in Africa is committed to co-responsibility, caring for the afflicted, walking together joyfully and allowing the Holy Spirit to lead it “forward to continue to sow new seeds and harvest abundant fruits of synodality.”
6 comments:
Father McDonald, thank you for having promoted this positive, uplifting interview that featured Father Justine John Dyikuk.
Father Dyikuk made it clear that Pope Francis, rooted in the Holy Ghost, has launched the Church into the Synodal process that will convert, as well as reform Her, in holy, splendored fashion.
Father Dyikuk noted that the Church in Africa has become "firmly rooted in synodal themes such as dialogue with and listening to one another, listening to the Holy Spirit..."
"...the Church in the continent as “a synodal family of God on mission” in solidarity with the afflicted for “full and equal participation” in the life of the Church."
"As “a Synodal Church of Conversion and Reform,” the gathering desired “to overcome and root out the weeds of clericalism, authoritarianism” to become a “learning church” which listens “to the spirituality and wisdom of indigenous peoples and local cultures.”
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-- Crux: Who came up with the agenda for the Synod?
Father Dyikuk: "The synod came at the insistence of the Universal Church under the leadership of the Roman Pontiff, Pope Francis for the Church in Africa to celebrate its own Synodal Continental Assembly in line with the three-year synodal process..."
"Every Catholic, clergy or lay know that they are living in the Truth and following the Way Jesus commanded...The Church under the guidance of the Pope Francis, the successor of Peter, is the referee."
"...it is heart-warming that the Holy Father had to step in to warn others including Africa not to follow the German example."
"I do not share the view that there were confusing proclamations in the synod about the authentic way in which a Catholic should follow Jesus."
"The communique is out there – it is commendable that the Church in Africa is committed to co-responsibility, caring for the afflicted, walking together joyfully and allowing the Holy Spirit to lead it “forward to continue to sow new seeds and harvest abundant fruits of synodality."
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Pax.
Mark Thomas
Mark, I am waiting for the Holy Father to focus on what Germany has now approved, a complete change of the Church into something apostate. I know His Holiness has been distracted by his 10th anniversary and giving several interviews which muddy the waters even more. I can’t help but think about how quickly he clarified his position on homosexuality and within hours of his sloppy statements about it when Fr. Martin asked him to do so and he did immediately. Also, I think we were all impressed how quickly the Holy Father clarified the canonical authority that Cardinal Roche has to micro manage bishops with the TLM in their dioceses, even to the point of requiring pastors not to print the schedule of these Masses in their bulletins.
The dangerous TLM Catholics who question some aspects of Vatican II are far more a threat to the Holy See than the Germans who have created an entirely new Church completely disconnected from the documents of Vatican II.
It’s been four days since that happened. I am sure the pope is writing some sort of response similarly to the rescript on the TLM Mass that clarified the authority of Cardinal Roche to micro manage bishops with TLMs in their dioceses.
Mark Thomas,
This one's for you if you can cannot the dots:
"So he came with the king's mandate, bringing nothing worthy of the high priesthood, but having the fury of a cruel tyrant, and the rage of a savage beast."
2 Maccabees 4:25
Mark Thomas,
By almost any measure, the Church has gone downhill since your Golden Calf took over:
1) Less practicing Catholics
2) Less vocations and ordinations
3) More parishes closing
It must be nice living in your fantasyworld and YOU still have not apologized to Father McDonald for lying about his statement
Mark Thomas,
The Golden Calf is now saying he is against gender ideology. Now here is the most prominent Catholic in the world, Joe Biden, going against what Pope Francis is saying. Now for those of us not braindead we know Francis talks a good game but does nothing, like Father McDonald just pointed out vis-a-vis the German Church. So here goes:
Daily Show' guest host Kal Penn in an interview with President Joe Biden at the White House asked, "what the federal government might be able to do to protect LGBTQ Americans, especially trans kids who are dealing with all these regressive state laws that are popping up?"
"Transgender kids is a really harder thing," Biden told Penn. "What’s going on in Florida is, as my mother would say, close to sinful. It's just terrible what they are doing."
"It’s not like, you know, a kid wakes up one morning and says, 'You know, I decided I want to become a man, or I want to become a woman, or I want to change.' I mean, what are they thinking about here? They're human beings. They love. They have feelings. They have inclinations -- I mean it's just, to me, cruel. And the way we do it is we make sure we pass legislation like we passed on same-sex marriage — you mess with that, you're breaking the law, and you’re going to be held accountable."
So will Pope Francis hurry up and make a statement about Biden? I will not hold my breath.
As they say, words, without action, are meaningless. Yes and Joe Biden is evil, the voice of Satan.
Mark Thomas,
Given what the Pope has said about gender ideology, do you think he will correct an alleged Catholic University, Villanova? Here goes:
"Villanova University, a Roman Catholic college in Pennsylvania, rolled out a new guideline for faculty and staff on creating a more "gender inclusive" campus, which the school says is "fundamental" to its mission.
"This guide introduces Villanova faculty and staff to best practices for being gender inclusive in our work spaces, laboratories, and classrooms—especially for those who identify within transgender, nonbinary, gender nonconforming, and/or gender questioning communities," Villanova’s Gender Inclusive Practices Guide states."
What will he tell his branch manager in Philadelphia to do?
You have a bad habit of ignoring inconvenient truths!
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