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Campagne Semaines Pascales 2000
Vaincre le tribalisme pour créer une Église Famille et un Cameroun réconcilié et uni
Contributions
CHURCH AND TRIBALISM
Conference
held
during
the
Eastertide
Campaign
2000
"Overcoming
Tribalism,
building
up
the
Church
as
Family
for
a
reconciled
and
united
Cameroon"
By
Mgr
Paul
Verdzekov,
Archbishop
of
Bamenda
Dear Brothers ans Sisters in Christ,
1 - I feel deeply grateful to the Cercle International pour la Promotion de la Création (CIPCRE) and to the Diocesan Commission for Justice and Peace of the Diocese of Bafoussam who have jointly organised the Easter Campaign 2000 on the theme : Overcoming Tribalism, Building up the Church-as-Family for au reconciled and unified Cameroon. In a special way I fel grateful to the reverend Pastor Jean-Blaise Kenmogne, Director General fo CIPCRE, and his immediate collaborators, for taking the initiative to invite us to be part of this Campaign. Our gratitude also goes to the Bamenda Ecumenical Council of Ministers of the Gospel for immediately and enthuisiastically welcoming the invitation addressed to us, and for the action which they took, with the collaboration of our friends from Bafoussam, to organise the Campaign which opens this afternoon here in Bamenda. Finally, I thank the Organisers of the Campaign for giving me the honour and the privilege to say something at the beginning of our activities.
2 - That tribalism, or ethnocentrism, is the plague of many African countries. Today is a fact which is plain for all to see. "Within the artificial boundaries left behind by the colonial powers, cohabitation by ethnic groups with different traditions, languages, cultures and even religions, often runs up against obstacles of mutual hostilities that can be characterised as racist. Tribal oppositions at times endanger if not peace, at least the pursuit of the common good of the society as a whole. They also create difficulties for the life of the Churches and the acceptance of Pastors from other ethnic groups. Even when the constitutions of these countries formally affirm the equality of all citizens with regard to one another and before the law, it is not rare that some ethnic groups dominate others and refuse them the full enjoyment of their rights. At times, such situations have, indeed, led to bloody conflicts which leave lasting impressions. Still again, at times, public authorities have not hesitated to utilise ethnic rivalries to distract people from internal problems to the great detriment of the common good and of justice which they are called to serve" .
3 - What is Tribalism or Ethnocentricity ? "This is a very widespread attitude whereby a people has a natural tendency to defend its identity by denigrating that of others to the point that, at least symbolically, it refuses to recognise their full human quality. This behaviour undoubtedly responds to an instinctive need to protect the values, beliefs and customs of one's own community which seem threatened by those of other communities. However, it is easy to see to what extremes such a feeling can lead if it is not purified and relativised through a reciprocal openness, thanks to objective information and mutual exchanges. The rejection of differences can lead to that form of cultural annihilation which sociologists have called "ethnocide" and which does not tolerate the presence of others except to the extent that they allow themselves to be assimilated into the dominant culture" .
In
order
not
to
fight
the
wrong
battle,
it
is
necessary,
I
believe,
to
make
a
very
clear
distinction
between
Ethnicity
and
ethnocentrism.
In
a
Statement
addressing
the
problems
of
Rwanda,
Burundi
and
Zaire
in
April
1997,
the
Symposium
of
Episcopal
Conferences
of
Africa
and
Madagascar
said,
inter
alia
:
"Having
listened
to
our
brothers
from
the
Great
Lakes
Region,
we
wish
to
affirm
that
even
though
ethnocentrism
shows
its
atrocities
in
this
tragedy,
ethnicity
in
itself
does
not
connote
a
negative
attitude.
On
the
contrary,
ethnicity
indicates
a
gift
of
God
which
makes
us
different
one
from
the
other
for
our
mutual
enrichment.
It
is
God
who
makes
each
one
what
he
is.
Ethnicity
gives
us
our
social
and
cultural
identity,
as
well
as
our
security.
The
individual
finds
his
roots
and
values
in
his
ethnic
group.
Loving is a sign of fidelity to the gift of God. Catholics in Burundi, Rwanda, and Zaire must know that they are not wrong in loving, respecting, and cultivating their own ethnic values. What is wrong and must be rectified without delay is the perversion of this God given gift into an instrument of contempt, rejection, and exclusion of others".
4- The Church founded by Jesus Christ is known by several images in Sacred Scripture: Mystical Body of Christ, Temple of the Holy Spirit, the Lord's vineyard, the Flock of which the Lord Himself is the Shepherd, etc. Another image by which the Church is known in Sacred Scripture is that of Family. In the First Letter to Timothy, Saint Paul says : "At the moment of writing to you, I am hoping that I may be with you soon; but in case I should be delayed, I wanted you to know how people ought to behave in God's Family - that is, in the Church of the living God, which upholds the truth and keeps it safe" (I Timothy 3: 14-15). This is by no means an isolated text. Many other texts in Sacred Scripture make it abundantly clear that the Church is God's Family and should be seen to be living as God's Family.
The
Church
prays
as
she
believes
and
believes
as
she
prays.
In
the
First
Eucharistic
Prayers,
she
says:
Father,
accept
this
offering
from
your
whole
family.
In the Third Eucharistic Prayer, she say: Father, hear the prayers of the family You have gathered here before You.
5- It has been said that the image of the Church as Family is that which resonates most powerfully in the heart of the average African because of the great attachment of Africans to their families, the nuclear and the extended family. It is this image of the Church-as-Family that Africans find most attractive and easy to understand.
"Churches
of
Africa,
people
of
God
in
assembly
throughout
the
world,
it
is
primarily
to
you
that
we
proclaim
Jesus
Christ
(cf.
I
Cor.
1:23),
and
it
is
from
you
that
we
wish
to
have
re-echoed
that
He
was
put
to
death
but
is
alive,
that
he
gave
his
life
for
the
world
and
that
He
gave
it
in
abundance.
The
Synod
has
highlighted
that
you
are
the
Family
of
God.
It
is
for
the
Church-as-Family
that
the
Father
has
taken
the
initiative
in
the
creation
of
Adam.
It
is
the
Church-as-Family
which
Christ,
the
New
Adam
and
Heir
to
the
nations,
founded
by
the
gift
of
his
body
and
blood.
It
is
the
Church-as-Family
which
the
Son
sent
from
the
Father
so
that
there
should
be
communion
among
all"
"Christ
has
come
to
restore
the
world
to
unity,
a
single
human
Family
in
the
image
of
the
Trinitarian
Family.
We
are
the
Family
of
God:
this
is
the
Good
News!
The
same
blood
flows
in
our
veins,
and
it
is
the
blood
of
Jesus
Christ"
6-
We
all
know
that
this
image
of
the
Church-as-Family
is
very
seriously
disfigured
by
our
sins
of
tribalism
or
ethnocentrism.
That
such
is
the
case
was
ably
illustrated
at
the
Synod
by
Archbishop
Albert
Okiefuna
when
he
said,
inter
alia:
"The
typical
African
lives
the
family
life
and
even
his
Christian
life
in
the
context
of
his
or
her
tribal
life.
Beyond
his
or
her
tribe
and
ethnic
group
the
values
rarely
function.
They
remain
caught
up
in
the
clan
and
tribal
interests".
Similarly, the Church whether we look at it from the inter-diocesan, diocesan, parish or station level is seen and valued from the point of view of its relationship to and benefit to the clan, tribe or town. Were the Church is built, where the parish priest resides, where the Bishop comes from and where he resides are more important than what they all stand for and what the Church too stands for.
Even during political elections what counts is not whether you are a catholic or not but whether you belong to this or that particular ethnic group.
The Church is a family of faith. Its boundaries extend beyond the clan and the tribe but the typical African Christian with exaggerated ethnic mentality does not understand this. The African Christian who has not yet got out of the clutches of unhealthy ethnicism finds it difficult to accept the truth that the man or woman in India who is a Christian is much more a brother or sister than the non-Christian brother or sister in the natural family (cf. Gal.5:10).
This mentality is so pervading that the saying goes among the Africans that when it comes to the crunch, it is not the Christian concept of the Church as a family which prevails but the adage that "blood is thicker than water". And by water here one can reasonably presume that they include the waters of Baptism through which one is born into the family of the Church. So even for the African Christian blood relationship is more relevant and more effective than Christian relationship.
To
bring
out
this
contrast
more
pungently,
one
church
critic
asked
this
question
in
a
recent
article
on
this
Synod:
"Can
African
Priests,
bishops,
cardinals
or
religious
superiors
who
are
supposed
to
have
grasped
well
the
notion
that
the
church
is
a
family,
declare
in
all
good
conscience
that
they
have
not
and
will
not
use
their
positions
to
promote
people
from
their
ethnic
group
to
the
detriment
of
others,
or
that
they
do
see
and
treat
all
Catholics
of
other
ethnic
groups
as
being
of
their
own
people
and
family?
Pertinent
as
this
question
may
be
should
it
be
addressed
only
to
the
African
Priests,
Bishops,
Cardinals
and
Religious
superiors?
All
can
learn
even
from
the
African
context.
The
Church
of
God
in
Africa
or
elsewhere
is
being
asked
to
grow
to
see
herself
as
one
family.
The
Church
can
do
so
if
we
intensify
our
catechesis
on
the
meaning
of
the
Church.
We
have
to
launch
out
into
the
depth
of
the
Sacred
Scripture,
the
Fathers
of
the
Church
and
the
Documents
and
Post
Conciliar
documents
of
the
II
Vatican
Council,
to
fish
out
the
wealth
of
material
in
them
for
the
formation
of
the
conscience
of
our
Christians
towards
a
deeper
understanding
of
the
truth
that
the
Church
is
a
family.
Only
then
will
they
be
able
to
live
fully
the
value
in
the
African
family
in
the
Christian
context".
The
trouble,
then,
is
that
we
only
give
a
notional
or
intellectual
assent
to
the
Teaching
that
the
Church
is
God's
Family,
but,
in
reality,
that
teaching
has
not
yet
descended
from
out
heads
into
our
hearts.
That
is
why
we
so
easily
accept
divisions
based
on
tribalism
in
our
Christian
Communities
without
batting
an
eyelid.
Many
Christians
don't
even
seem
to
realise
how
utterly
scandalous
such
divisions
are,
how
incompatible
they
are
with
the
Gospel,
how
gravely
sinful
it
is
to
fan
the
flames
of
ethnocentrism
within
the
Christian
Community.
7-
It
is
therefore
necessary
to
raise
awareness
about
ethnocentrism
among
ourselves
and
among
all
our
Christians;
to
help
our
Christians
to
arrive
at
the
necessary
convictions
that
something
needs
to
be
done
about
it;
and
to
decide
what
to
do
concretely.
On
20th
April
1994,
at
the
height
of
the
Genocide
then
underway
in
Rwanda,
Bishop
Evariste
Ngoyagoye,
then
Bishop
of
Bubanza,
Burundi,
and
now
Bishop
of
Bujumbura,
addressed
the
Synod.
He
said,
inter
alia
:
"Bit
by
bit,
as
a
result
of
the
structures
of
the
social
or
collective
sin
secreted
by
our
politico-economic
institutions,
and
by
the
men
who
control
them,
our
people
have
built
a
terrible
idol
that
could
be
called
"ethnicism!………
In
the
name
of
the
ethnic-group
idol,
i.e.,
an
all
powerful
and
jealous
false
god
to
whom
everything
is
sacrificed,
the
"Bad"
must
be
excluded.
To
be
on
the
"good"
or
"bad"
side,
it
suffices
to
be
born
in
such
a
tribe.
There
is
no
merit,
no
responsibility
for
action
or
ideas.
It's
impossible
to
change.
A
Jew
remains
a
Jew;
a
Serbian
a
Serbian;
a
Hutu
or
Tutsi
is
not
able
to
change
tribe.
Even
a
baby
is
guilty…
This
is
the
new
idolatry".
This gives a lot of food for thought, a lot for self-examination. Is such an idol, the idol that is the ethnic group, lurking in my heart ?
8-
The
African
Synod
adopted
a
total
of
61
Propositions
which
were
submitted
to
the
Holy
Father.
Propositions
7
says
:
"An
appropriate
model
of
Church
in
Africa
is
the
Family
of
God,
with
its
emphasis
on
care,
solidarity,
warmth
of
relations
and
acceptance.
It
indicates
the
way
all
the
various
members
of
the
community
relate
to
one
another
in
trust
and
dialogue.
It
shows
how
authority
is
exercised
as
service
in
love.
Baptism initiates Christians into this family of God and calls for a conversion which overcomes all particularism and excessive ethnocentrism, allowing people to live with all their differences in a true communion as brothers and sisters.
To this end, personnel and resources should be shared between particular churches; seminarians be asked to learn other African languages; the most suitable candidates for episcopacy chosen irrespective of ethnic background; and Bishops are invited to discuss the problem of tribalism openly and in a spirit of brotherly love."
9- "By our baptism, we become sons and daughters of God, brothers and sisters of Christ, members of the Church-as-Family. We receive a new identity. Indeed the Christian identity is totally different from ethnic identity. It is, therefore, important to deepen that which we have become by our baptism and to be conscious of this fraternity that knows no boundaries.
In
the
Church-as-Family
it
is
Christ
who
is
the
centre
and
it
is
he
who
gives
cohesion
to
our
communion.
This
is
manifested
in
the
mutual
respect,
collaboration,
growth
in
sharing
the
joys
and
sorrows,
in
the
reciprocal
love
which
enables
us
to
love
even
our
enemies.
The
Church-as-Family
is
a
community
founded
on
the
living
communion
with
the
Most
Holy
Trinity,
the
first
of
all
mysteries
of
our
faith,
the
beginning
and
end
of
all
our
activities
as
Christians.
It
is
in
the
Trinity
that
the
most
perfect
form
of
family
live,
of
love,
peace,
unity,
and
communion
is
found.
The mission of the Church-as-Family is to contribute to the emergence of societies-as-family" .
10-
The
theme
of
the
Easter
Campaign
2000,
namely,
Overcoming
Tribalism,
Building
up
the
Church-as-Family
for
a
reconciled
and
unified
Cameroon
fits
in
very
well
with
one
of
the
major
concerns
of
the
Celebration
of
the
Great
Jubilee
of
the
Year
2000,
namely,
reconciliation.
In
the
Pope's
for
the
Celebration
of
the
Jubilee,
we
say,
inter
alia:
By
your
grace,
O
Father,
may
the
Jubilee
Year
be
a
time
of
deep
conversion
and
a
joyful
return
to
You.
May it be a time of reconciliation between people and of peace restored among nations…….
May this Easter Campaign be the beginning of the process, hopefully irreversible of conversion and reconciliation, within our respective Ecclesial Communities, of reconciliation and greater collaboration between our Ecclesial Communities, so that all Christians, acting together, may constitute a united front in the struggle to overcome the sin of ethnocentrism in our Society.