An Open Letter to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) -By Timothy Dokpesi Adidi, PhD

Dear Church Fathers,

You have once again rekindled the hope of the Church. I am writing this open letter to you as a member of the Catholic community in Nigeria and a product of the Church. I am writing this letter not out of sentiment (although it will be interpreted as such) but out of a burning desire to put in perspective what the Catholic Church stands for. Your visit to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the Federal Republic of Nigeria was not necessarily political, as understood and misinterpreted. The joy of this visit lay in the collegial dimension it took on. It really brought out the beauty of the Catholic Church as known in the era of the Church Fathers through the ages. Your voice represented the old long saying, ‘Roma locuta est, causa finita est’ (Rome has spoken and the case is finished). A saying that comes from an early fifth-century sermon by Saint Augustine of Hippo, who stated, “The two councils sent their decrees to the Apostolic See, and the decrees quickly came back. The cause is finished.”

Your Excellencies, the visit was indeed timely and necessary. It reflects the unity and oneness of the Catholic Church. This was quite different from the usual ‘one-man squad,’ which sometimes confuses the true nature and identity of the Catholic Church. The visit you had definitely puts an end to the difference between when one speaks from the church and for the church. Your voice has changed the narrative in the nation’s political landscape, and these changes have given the Church a ray of hope in the current economic realities that confront the poor. Your Excellencies, you have also brought to the limelight the Catholic Social Teachings (CSTs). It has become very obvious that the CSTs are not theoretical; they are alive and impactful.

More so, in this regard, you have also reiterated and unraveled the concept of the Church as the Family of God, which was famously highlighted and formally adopted as the guiding pastoral image for the Church in Africa during the “Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops” in 1994 and subsequently promulgated by Pope John Paul II in his post-synodal apostolic exhortation, “Ecclesia in Africa” (1995). As the President of the CBCN, Most Rev. Dr. Matthew Man-Oso Ndagoso was reading the mind of the Church; I truly see what the Catholic Church represents. The Church is known to be non-partisan. This nonpartisan dimension of the Church is indifferent to the realities that characterize the membership of political parties that reside in the Catholic community. The Catholic Church represents the true Body of Christ but does not belong to any political party. Hence, it underscores the fact that it is this nature of the Catholic Church that gives it the prerogative to speak truth to power. Your Excellencies, you indeed spoke truth to power. It reminds me of the draconian days of Sani Abacha when the likes of Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah (then Fr. Kukah) and Fr. George Ehusani spoke truth to power as they constantly used the Catholic Secretariat to engage the military government.

Your Excellencies, you have done what you ought to do, and the world has seen your significant effort in calling a spade a spade. Your message defied any form of diplomacy and corporate negotiation. It was firm and without fear of intimidation. The gleaming red buttons and the red colors on your cassock reflect your acceptance of the consequences of your position you were ready to take. You were ready to die for the sake of the truth. You were ready to become martyrs for the sake of the members of the Catholic community and all of Christendom, knowing full well that the blood of martyrs is the seed of Christianity. You took the risk to surrender your lives like the Good Shepherd who laid down His life. This you have done for Nigeria and Nigerians. It is also important to know that you have done this not for the Catholic community alone; you have added your voice to liberate Nigerians and Africa by extension. You have set the path for economic recovery.

On this note, I commit myself to the fidelity of the faith as seen in the Catholic Social Teachings and as deposited in the authority of your mission as Fathers of the Faith. In so doing, I renew my baptismal promises to align with the Faith that was handed over to you through the apostles. May your faith in the teachings that were handed down to you through the Apostles be constantly renewed and reinvigorated.

ADIDI, Dokpesi Timothy, PhD