I have nothing new
to teach the world.
Truth and non violence
are as old as the hills – M.K. Gandi
Building a listening and caring church has being one of the the major themes of Pope Francis’s papacy. No longer that church which sits in the comfort of its balcony and beckons, but one that is out on the streets and which is not afraid of been tainted by the mud as it encounters and serves the people, especially, the poor. A church which acts as the voice of the voiceless and the defender of the defenceless in the society!
Upon his election as the ‘Bishop of Rome’ about three years ago, the former Archbishop of Buenos Aires mindfully chose the name, Francis, in honour of Saint Francis of Azzisi who was the son of a noble merchant but who abandoned his father’s wealth and the life of affluence, which it offered him, and instead lived a life of penury on the streets of Italy where he dedicated his entire life serving the poor around him with utmost warmth and kindness! Interestingly, Saint Francis, a champion of social justice was also a lover of nature and a protector of the environment.
Religious leaders must therefore be the good shepherds of their flocks. A good shepherd is always willing to suffer and die for his sheep and not the other way round. They should be driven with love and compassion for their followers and not focusing on material gains always. According to Pope Francis “A heart full of desire for possession cannot truly love God”. It does not matter how much of the bible that you know or how well you preach and quote the verses.
Pope Francis has been a longstanding advocate of the poor. While he served as an archbishop in his home country of Argentina, he frequently visited deferent slums in the country offering both spiritual help and material assistance to the inhabitants. He was often in touch with the poor in the country’s Youth Detention Centre interacting with the young ones and giving them words of encouragement. In fact, some reports had stated that the Pope still calls the youth detention centre every fortnight right from the Vatican. He also had a series of disagreements with the country’s immediate past president, Mrs Christina over certain policies he considered detrimental to the wellbeing of the poor! Just last year, His Holiness instituted a “Jubilee Year”, which is an extraordinary year of mercy, inviting Catholics to become agents of mercy and to go out of their comfort zones to encounter others in the society, especially the poor. Recently, the Pope has also been the most vocal advocate for the thousands of displaced Syrian refugees who flooded Europe while fleeing from war and persecution in their home country. In spite of the uproar that greeted the influx of these refugees into Europe, Pope Francis instructed all Catholic parishes in the region to welcome as many refugees as possible. This is a man who is not unmindful of the pains of his followers!
On February 14, 2016, according to the Catholic News Agency, while addressing some Mexican Seminarians as part of his ongoing visit to the country, His Holiness urged them not to be “priests of the state”. In his words, “Let all those who in this house are prepared for the priesthood always keep foremost in their minds Jesus Christ, the Lord and His Holy Mother. And that themselves to be shepherds of the faithful people of God and not “clerics of the state””. Today, some well-known corrupt government officials and their associates are those usually invited by church leaders to come and help build their places of worship and even the residential houses for the priests. In so doing, they project themselves as models for our society. There is absolutely no gainsaying that some of our church leaders today have become “clerics of the state”. Therefore, Pope Francis’ exhortation to the Mexican Seminarians should as well be considered a wake up call for everyone.
No doubt, in this part of the world, especially in Nigeria, the Church needs religious leaders who will dedicate their lives to the service of the poor in their midst. Many religious leaders today, unlike Pope Francis, are more interested in worldly comfort and unhealthy church politics, to the extent that they allow the manipulation of even the very defenceless poor around them by our corrupt politicians. Some of these men of God live a too comfortable lifestyle that has made them unaware of the pains of the ordinary citizens of the society. Rather than speak out against corruption and mismanagement of the collective resources of the people by those in authority and demand for social justice on behalf of the poor. This set of religious leaders simply prefer to have their followers live in poverty.
Since ascending the papacy, he has refused to be confined to mere religious roles, often acting as a free or concerned citizen of the world and a leader of the poor… On the bone-cutting capitalism or crass materialism that is ravaging the world today, Pope Francis has always asked “why is it that when the stock market looses two points, it becomes a breaking news but when a homeless man or woman dies in the street of New York, Rome or Enugu, then it is not news”?
Pope Francis has gone extra mile in some cases in defence of the interests of the poor. In confronting the Italian mafias headlong for instance, he simply refused to chose the easy way. The Mafias have been a menace to the Italian society for generations. But several months ago, the Pope castigated them openly and declared their activities as evil. He then went ahead to excommunicate them from the church, saying that the church did not need them and their ill gotten wealth. Fears have been raised about the security of the Pope over some of his landmark decisions in recent time; but he is a shepherd who is not afraid of dying for his flock.
Since ascending the papacy, he has refused to be confined to mere religious roles, often acting as a free or concerned citizen of the world and a leader of the poor. Upon ascending the Papacy, he stated that he was building a church for the poor, for the oppressed. We therefore have a duty of not only building a church for the poor but also a government for the poor as well. Recently, his latest encyclical on climate change crisis, “Laudato Si”, stirred honest nest all over the world. Although it was welcomed by many great people, critics argue that Pope Francis being a religious leader should not involve himself in the issue of climate change since it is not a religious matter. The Pope refused to bow because the earth belongs to all of us and it will be dangerous to abandon the mother earth to politicians who are either in total denial of the issues at stake or have talked for decades without taking any concrete action or response to the climate change crisis. On the bone-cutting capitalism or crass materialism that is ravaging the world today, Pope Francis has always asked “why is it that when the stock market looses two points, it becomes a breaking news but when a homeless man or woman dies in the street of New York, Rome or Enugu, then it is not news”?
His Holiness has repeatedly said that he is building a church for the poor – a church full of compassion and love for the ordinary people and not for the looters of public funds who steal public monies at will and keep the poor in perpetual poverty.
Pope Francis has also questioned the obsession of the church on certain doctrines at the expense of social justice for the poor in the larger society. He would say “we already know what the doctrines are, and we will keep emphasising them; but we must also look at the larger society in order to encounter people and situations. For instance, in Nigeria today, the church leaders will quickly rise to condemn and mobilise the people against a government if they hear that it is about to legalise abortion, but on the other hand, if the government is stealing or mismanaging public funds, everybody will keep quiet. Consider the disruptive effects of government corruption and mismanagement are there for all to see. When you consider that most parents today can no longer fend for their children or educate them on the account of economic strangulation caused by corruption, then you will appreciate Pope Francis’ message the more. His Holiness has repeatedly said that he is building a church for the poor – a church full of compassion and love for the ordinary people and not for the looters of public funds who steal public monies at will and keep the poor in perpetual poverty.
Religious leaders must therefore be the good shepherds of their flocks. A good shepherd is always willing to suffer and die for his sheep and not the other way round. They should be driven with love and compassion for their followers and not focusing on material gains always. According to Pope Francis “A heart full of desire for possession cannot truly love God”. It does not matter how much of the bible that you know or how well you preach and quote the verses.
Chris Chukwubuzor Azuka is National Coordinator, Save the Dream Nigeria – Project and can be reached on azucomms2000@gmail.com
