Contemporary Challenges for Vatican II’s Theology of the Laity: The Nigerian Church Experience

GENERAL INTRODUCTIONContemporary Challenges for Vatican II’s Theology of the Laity:
The Nigerian Church Experience
and the Theological Department of the Toronto School of Theology
In partial fulfillment of the requirements for
the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Theology
awarded by the University of St. Michael’s College
© Copyright by Francis C. Ezenezi 2015
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Contemporary Challenges for Vatican II’s Theology of the Laity:
The Nigerian Church Experience
University of St. Michael’s College
2015
Abstract
Vatican II stipulates that the laity by virtue of their baptism are constitutive
members of the Church and should play their role in the mission of the whole Christian
faithful in the Church and the world. More than fifty years since the beginning of the
Council, the Church in Nigeria is still struggling to understand itself as well as to discern
the identity, the role and participation of the lay Christian faithful in the mission of the
Church. This thesis explores and analyzes the strengths and limitations of the current
dominant ecclesiology of the Roman Catholic Church in Nigeria, and constructively
suggests various means of overcoming some of these deficiencies. It will proffer and
argue that the contemporary challenges which Vatican II’s theology of the laity faces
today in the Nigerian Roman Catholic Church call for a Church that is not only
participatory, but also prophetic as well as a Church that engages and is constantly in
solidarity with the people of God.
As a foundation to this reflection, communion ecclesiology is the central and
fundamental concept of all the documents of the Second Vatican Council. It provides the
basis on which the revolutionary shift in the articulation of the theology of the laity was
inaugurated. This shift expresses itself in its call for co-responsibility and participation of
all in the life and work of the Church and underscores the priority of the vocation of the
whole community of the people of God over all diversities of functions and of charisms.
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Placed in the context of the Nigerian Church, Christianity seems to be flourishing.
However, there is evidence to show that the extent to which the presence of the laity is
being felt in other aspects of the ministries of the Church as well as in the Nigerian social
order is still very debatable. While acknowledging the outstanding contribution of all the
people of God in regard to the proper understanding of the ecclesiology that encourages
the active involvement of the laity in the mission of the Nigerian Church and society, the
Nigerian Church is still rooted in a juridical ecclesiology, which does not foster the spirit
of ecclesial communion and solidarity as forms of Christian witness and ministry. This
thesis therefore proposes an inculturated response to the challenges posed by the non-
reception of Vatican II’s theology of the laity in Nigeria, based on some key principles
from Vatican II’s ecclesiology and African culture.
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Acknowledgements
My sense of accomplishment upon the completion of this thesis remains
unsatisfactory without an explicit acknowledgement of those whose guidance provided
invaluable support and inspiration during the entire project. I am particularly indebted to
my supervisor, Professor Jaroslav Z. Skira, whose confidence, insightful suggestions and
recommendations enabled me to develop a deeper understanding of the subject matter of
this thesis. Special appreciation is due to those who served on my various Ph.D.
committees: Professors Michael Attridge and Charles Fensham.
I am grateful to Emeka C. Obiezu, Chris Vuorensyrja, Johanne Guilbault,
Annalisa Rasaiah, Toni Nanne-Little and Veronica Bahun whose exhaustive reading of
the manuscript and suggestions contributed to the final work. I acknowledge the friendly
suggestions and encouragement of Professor Gabriel Ojo whose interest in my research
area motivated me profoundly in completing this project. I thank my colleagues: C.
Ajawara, J. Ogbonnaya, C. Ezeonyemalu, C. Enyinnia, A. Ibeazor, and I. Otu for their
immeasurable support. Ebele Okonkwo, I appreciate your care. I am grateful to members
of Saint Gerard Majella Parish, Sault Ste. Marie, ON, Canada for their care and support.
My gratitude goes to my local Ordinary, Bishop Paulinus Ezeokafor (Catholic
Bishop of Awka, Nigeria) and the Bishop Emeritus, Simon Okafor, for their support. I
appreciate the solidarity of Bishop Jean-Louis Plouffe (Catholic Bishop of Sault Ste.
Marie, ON) whose support helped me through the entire project. To my immediate family
and friends whose encouragement sustained me particularly during the rough moments, I
remain grateful. I ask God’s blessings upon all who in various ways assisted in the
completion of this work.
AA Apostolicam Actuositatem (Decree on the Apostolate of Lay People)
AG Ad Gentes (Decree on the Church’s Missionary Activity)
AM Africae Munus (Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation of Benedict XVI on the
Church in Africa in Service to Reconciliation, Justice and Peace)
CC Canons
CBCN Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria
CCCB Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops
CD Christus Dominus (Decree on the Pastoral Office of the Bishops in the Church)
CIC Codex Iuris Canonici auctoritate Ioannis Pauli PP. II promulgatus
CL Christifideles Laici (1988 Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation of John Paul II
on the Vocation and Mission of the Lay Christian in the Church and in the
World)
EFCC Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (A Nigerian commission
constituted to fight corruption especially in the public service)
EG Evangelii Gaudium (2013 Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Francis on the
Proclamation of the Gospel in Today’s World)
EN Evangelii Nuntiandi (1975 Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation of Paul VI on
the Evangelization in the Modern World)
EIA Ecclesia in Africa (1994 Post Synodal Apostolic Exhortation of John Paul II on
the Church in Africa and her Evangelizing Mission Towards the Year 2000)
GDP Gross Domestic Product
GS Gaudium et Spes (Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World)
JM Justitia in Mundo (Justice in the World: Document on the Social Justice by the
1971 Synod of Bishops)
LG Lumen Gentium (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church)
MM Mater et Magistra (1961 Encyclical Letter of John XXIII on Christianity and
Social Progress)
NDVF Niger Delta Volunteer Force
NEEDS National Economic Empowerment Development Strategy
OT Optatam Totius (Decree on the Training of Priests)
RN Rerum Novarum (1891 Encyclical Letter of Leo XIII on the Condition of the
Working Classes)
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Theology of the Laity............................................................................................... 13
1. Introduction ............................................................................................................... 13 1. 1 The Pathway to Vatican II’s Theology of the Laity .......................................... 13
1. 1. 1 Early Christianity....................................................................................... 14 1. 1. 2 Medieval Period ......................................................................................... 17
1. 1. 3 The Reformation and the Council of Trent ................................................ 22 1. 1. 4 Modern Period ........................................................................................... 24
1. 2 Synopsis of Ecclesiology and the Theology of the Laity Prior to Vatican II .... 26 1. 2. 1 Theological Debate on the Laity ................................................................ 27
1. 3 Second Vatican Council’s Ecclesiology and the Theology of the Laity ........... 39
1. 3. 1 The Nature of the Church: Vatican II’s Images of the Church and the
Theology of the Laity................................................................................ 45
1. 3. 1. 2 Church as People of God ................................................................... 48 1. 3. 1. 3 Church as Mystical Body of Christ .................................................... 52
1. 3. 1. 4 Church as a Communion .................................................................... 56 1. 4 The Theology of the Laity and Its Post-Vatican II’s Developments ................. 62
1. 4. 1 Ministeria Quaedam (1972) ....................................................................... 63 1. 4. 2 Evangelii Nuntiandi (1975)........................................................................ 64 1. 4. 3 The New Code of Canon Law (1983) ........................................................ 65
1. 4. 4 The 1987 Synod and Christifideles Laici .................................................. 67 1. 4. 5 The First Special Synod of the African Bishops (1994) Ecclesia
in Africa .................................................................................................... 70 1. 4. 6 Instruction on the Certain Questions Regarding the Collaboration of
Non-ordained Faithful in the Sacred Ministry of Priests (1997) .............. 72 1. 4. 7 The Second Special Synod of the African Bishops (2009)
Africae Munus ........................................................................................... 74 1. 5 Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 76
Chapter Two...................................................................................................................... 77 The Context of the Nigerian Roman Catholic Church and the Reception and
Non-Reception of Vatican II’s Theology of the Laity ............................................. 77 2. Introduction ............................................................................................................... 77
2. 1 Historical Excursus of the Nigerian Roman Catholic Church ........................... 77 2. 2 Pre-Conciliar Theology of the Laity in the Nigerian Church ............................ 84
2. 3 Post-Conciliar Theology of the Laity in the Nigerian Church ........................... 90 2. 3. 1 Emergence of Laity Organizations in the Nigerian Church ....................... 90
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2. 3. 2 Nature and Forms of the Nigerian Laity Organizations ............................. 96 2. 4 Current Ecclesiological Context of the Nigerian Church and Theology
of the Laity ....................................................................................................... 106 2. 5 Socio-Political, Economic and Cultural Contexts of the Nigerian Church
and the Theology of the Laity .......................................................................... 116 2. 6 Conclusion ....................................................................................................... 134
Chapter Three.................................................................................................................. 136 Contemporary Challenges and Implications of the Reception and Non-Reception of
Vatican II’s Theology of the Laity in the Nigerian Roman Catholic Church ........ 136 3. Introduction ............................................................................................................. 136
3. 1 Exercise of Ministerial Authority within the Nigerian Roman
Catholic Church ............................................................................................... 136 3. 1. 1 Clerical Imperialism and Hierarchical Culture of the Roman
Catholic Church ...................................................................................... 138
3. 1. 2 Paternalism and the “Sacred Power” of the Roman Catholic Church ..... 150 3. 2 Priestly Life-Styles in the Nigerian Roman Catholic Church .......................... 156
3. 3 The Relationship between the Church Hierarchy and Lay Employees
within the Nigerian Roman Catholic Church................................................... 159 3. 4 The Response of the Nigerian Church Hierarchy to the Laity’s
Socio-Political, Economic and Cultural Responsibilities ................................ 161 3. 5 Socio-Political and Cultural Constraints to the Implementation of
Vatican II’s Theology of the Laity within the Nigerian Roman
Catholic Church ............................................................................................... 171
3. 5. 1 The Nigerian Culture and Ministerial Authority ..................................... 171 3. 5. 2 Early Christian Missionary Models of the Priestly Ministry ................... 175
3. 5. 3 Nigerian Politics and Civil Society .......................................................... 176 3. 5. 4 The Historical Context of the Nigerian Church at the Time of
Vatican II ................................................................................................ 180
3. 6 Conclusion ....................................................................................................... 184
Chapter Four ................................................................................................................... 186 Towards an Integral Ecclesiology of Vatican II’s Theology of the Laity in
the Nigerian Catholic Church ................................................................................ 186 4. Introduction ............................................................................................................. 186
4. 1 An Urgent Call for a Sincere Reception of the Integral Ecclesiology
of Vatican II ..................................................................................................... 187 4. 2 Promoting the Ecclesiological Paradigm of the “Church as Family of God”
within the Nigerian Church .............................................................................. 195 4. 3 Synodality and an African Cultural Model of Leadership ............................... 204
4. 4 Promoting a Spirit of Collaborative Ministry within the Nigerian Church ..... 209 4. 5 Liberation and Empowerment of the Laity through Integral Formation ......... 215 4. 6 Ongoing Theological Formation for the Nigerian Bishops, Priests and
Religious .......................................................................................................... 220
4. 7 Theological Updating for the Seminarians/Religious ...................................... 226 4. 8 Promoting and Encouraging the Basic Christian Community as a Family ..... 229
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4. 9 An Urgent Need for a Theology of Inculturation within the
Nigerian Church ............................................................................................... 235 4. 10 Conclusion ..................................................................................................... 242
General Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 243
Selected Bibliography ..................................................................................................... 247
General Introduction
All of you have been commissioned by Christ himself to have a
share in the saving mission of the Church [cf. Lumen Gentium,
33]. I appreciate the way in which you the laity of Nigeria work
together with your bishops and priests in order to bear witness to
Christ, in order to communicate Christ to others. This unity with
the pastors of the Church is indeed an essential condition for the
supernatural success of your efforts… Having been called by
Christ himself, you are his chosen partners in evangelization…
You are truly aware of the mystery of the Church that all of us
who are baptized in Christ make up of his Body, the Church. In
this Church, there is diversity of apostolate or ministry but
oneness of mission: the spreading of the Kingdom of Christ.
Bishops, priests, religious and laity—each group has its specific
contribution to make. 1
The above statement is an excerpt from John Paul II’s message to the laity of the
Nigerian Roman Catholic Church during his first Pastoral visit to Nigeria in February
1982. It captures the description of the research field of this thesis which centres on the
contemporary challenges of Vatican II’s theology of the laity within the African context
and particularly Nigerian.
The Roman Catholic Church marks more than fifty years since the opening of
Vatican II (1962-1965) this year. The convocation of this great Council was initiated by
John XXIII. Its significance lies in its call for Church renewal: returning to sources
(ressourcement) and bringing the Church in all aspects of its life up to date
(aggiornamento). One aspect of this renewal is in the area of relationship among various
1 John Paul II, “Unity in Church’s Mission: Papal Charter for the Laity in Nigeria,” as quoted in Gabriel
Afolabi Ojo’s Catholic Laity in Nigeria: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow. A Publication for the Catholic Laity
Council of Nigeria (Ibadan-Nigeria: Graphics Nigeria Limited, 2004) 6-7. Cf. Gabriel A. Ojo, ed., 25 Years
of the Catholic Laity Council of Nigeria, A Publication of Catholic Laity Council of Nigeria (Abuja: Pope
John Paul II Catholic Centre, 1998) 59-60.
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members of the Church upon which is built the restoration of the dignity and mission of
the laity. 2
The Fathers of the Council gave special attention to the dignity and mission of the
lay faithful and dedicated an extremely rich chapter in Lumen Gentium (articles 30-38) to
the role of the laity in the Church’s saving mission and later developed this theme in the
Decree on the Apostolate of the Lay People, Apostolicam Actuositatem (articles 1-33).
With specific reference to contemporary circumstances, the mission of the laity was
specified concretely in the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World,
Gaudium et Spes (articles 43 and 62). In these documents, the Council sought to develop
the great flourishing of the lay apostolate, which had characterized the previous decades. 3
After the Second Vatican Council, lay people have been called repeatedly to
assume their rightful place among the people of God, and to perform the apostolate that is
their responsibility through different magisterial pronouncements and publications. 4 This
in itself constitutes a remarkable change and advancement in the traditional
understanding of the role of the laity and ministry of the Church. 5 In spite of these
2 Cf. Maureen Sullivan, OP. The Road to Vatican II: Key Changes in Theology (New York: Paulist Press,
2007) 39-40. 3 Cf. Richard R. Gaillardetz, The Church in Making: Lumen Gentium, Christus Dominus, Orientalium
Ecclesiarum (New York: Paulist Press, 2006) 53. Cf. Margaret Lavin, Vatican II: Fifty Years of Evolution
and Revolution in the Catholic Church (Toronto-Canada: Novalis Publishing Inc, 2012) 125. 4 Positive developments in the implementation of the decree on the apostolate of the laity and the
understanding of the vocation and mission of the laity flowing from the renewed ecclesiology of the
Council could be seen in some of the following documents: Paul VI’s Motu Prioprio Ministeria Quaedam
of 1972. The Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Nuntiandi, given by Paul VI, on December 8, 1975. 1983
Code of Canon Law, promulgated by John Paul II on January 25, 1983. Post-Synodal Apostolic
Exhortation, Christifideles Laici, issued by John Paul II, on December 30, 1988. The first Special Synod of
the African Bishops of the 1994, Ecclesia in Africa, and The Second Special Synod of the African Bishops
of the 2009, Africae Munus. 5 Cf. Richard R. Gaillardetz and Catherine E. Clifford, Keys to the Council: Unlocking the Teaching of
Vatican II (Collegeville-Minnesoto: Liturgical Press, 2012) 101.
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significant advances, the Council’s treatment of the laity is not completely consistent. 6
The consequences of these ambiguities or inconsistencies in the conciliar teaching on the
lay participation in the mission of the Church are still being felt in various aspects of the
Church’s life and ministry. This situation has been a common experience of the Church
in different parts of the world since the close of the Second Vatican Council.
In the context of the Nigerian Church, Christianity seems to be flourishing and
growing. However, there is evidence to convince us that the lay Christian faithful have
not fully assumed their role as constituent members of the Church in line with the
teachings of Vatican II and post-conciliar reflections. The minimal active role they are
allowed in a new era of evangelization in a country shackled by a multitude of problems
including poverty, endemic diseases, religious acrimony, social/ethnic conflicts and
incessant wars is very worrisome. 7
Such a situation necessitates some questions regarding the theology of the laity in
general and particularly within the Nigerian context. In what way have the lay people
received their mission in the Church? How can the role of the lay people as agents of
world transformation and renewal of their social environment be properly interpreted and
implemented? How can the lay Christian faithful exercise and experience their call to the
priesthood of all the faithful? How can the lay people be assisted to realize their
6 According to Giovanni Magnani, there are two different views of the laity evident in the Council
documents—contrastive and intensive. The contrastive view seeks to contrast the identity of the laity with
that of the clergy, treating each as complementary categories of membership in the Church and at the same
time, limiting the scope of the laity’s apostolate exclusively to secular affairs (LG, 31). However, a more
intensive view of the laity can also be found in some conciliar documents, which does not limit the
apostolate of the laity exclusively to secular affairs. Rather, it sees all the members of the Church as
participants or sharers in the secular activity of the Church in different ways. John Paul II emphasized this
intensive view of the laity in his 1987 Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation, Christifideles Laici: “Certainly
all the members of the Church are sharers in this secular dimension, but in different ways” (CL, 99). See,
Richard R. Gaillardetz, The Church in Making: Lumen Gentium, Christus Dominus, Orientalium
Ecclesiarum, 53 7 Gabriel A. Ojo, Catholic Laity in Nigeria: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow, 116-117.
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respective and unique vocations in the mission of the Church to the world within the
Nigerian context?
Given the reality of the present context of the Nigerian Church, this thesis will
demonstrate and critically explore the strengths and limitations of the current dominant
ecclesiology of the Roman Catholic Church in Nigeria, and constructively suggest
various possible means of overcoming some of these deficiencies. I will proffer and argue
that the contemporary challenges which Vatican II’s theology of the laity faces today in
the Nigerian Roman Catholic Church call for a Church that is not only participatory, but
also prophetic, as well as a Church that engages and is constantly in solidarity with the
people of God.
Background to the Present Study
Although the predominant ecclesiology of the Second Vatican Council is that
which understands the mystery of the Church in terms of the People of God, it is the
ecclesiology of communion which is the central and fundamental concept of all the
documents of the Council. 8 Communion is the fundamental concept because it expresses
more adequately the inner reality of the Church and her origin in the mystery of
Trinitarian communion. 9
This communion ecclesiology has inaugurated a revolutionary shift in the
articulation of the theology of the laity in its call for co-responsibility and participation of
8 The articulation and understanding that the ecclesiology of communion is the central and fundamental
concept in Vatican II documents is clearly stated within the final report of the Second Extraordinary Synod
of Bishops, called by John Paul II and held in Rome in 1985 to reflect on the teaching of the Second
Vatican Council. See, 1985 Extraordinary Synod of Bishops, “Final Report,” Origins 15:27 (December 19,
1985) 444-450. 9 Cf. Lumen Gentium, nos. 1-4. Austin Flannery, OP. ed.,…