The first event in The Global Church in Africa series featured Rev. Paul Kollman, C.S.C., a Holy Cross priest and Associate Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame. He was joined by Rev. David Lyimo Eliaona, C.S.C., a recent PhD graduate of the World Religion World Church area of Notre Dame’s Theology Department who teaches Theology with Holy Cross in Tanzania. This event focused on the state of the Church in Africa today, addressing topics such as the differences between Catholicism in the United States and Africa, challenges facing the worldwide Catholic Church today, and the distinct aspects of the Church in Africa. Subsequent events will trace the history of the Catholic Church in Africa and speculate on its future.
Fr. Eliaona began the event by posing a question about the similarities and differences between the Catholic Church in the United States and Africa. Fr. Kollman identified the newness of the faith in Africa as one of the main differences, with many Catholics there only in the first few generations of Catholic identity in their families. While many lay members of the Church in the United States have formal theological training, this is very rare in Africa. Fr. Eliaona expanded upon this point by highlighting the differences in homilies between Tanzania and the United States. While the content of homilies and the clearness with which they present topics of the faith are prioritized over their length in Africa, he had to learn how to condense his messages into much shorter time periods while in the United States. Fr. Eliaona also identified the large faith communities in the United States as something unfamiliar to him when he arrived due to the small, tight-knit faith communities in Africa.
The speakers then transitioned to discuss challenges faced by the Catholic Church worldwide. Fr. Kollman discussed the importance of maintaining and protecting the integrity of the Church, especially in the wake of scandals associated with it. He emphasized the need for Church institutions to act in a way that is consistent with the witness of the Church. Focusing more specifically on the Church in Africa, Fr. Eliaona talked about the challenge of strong catechesis in Africa today. As Africa develops rapidly, the attention and effort of many priests and religious attends to the establishment of religious institutions and facilities, taking time away from their formation of young people. To combat this problem, groups of lay Catholics have begun to step in and take over this catechesis. Fr. Eliaona also addressed the myth that African Christians struggle to bring together their religious beliefs and cultural heritage. Through his dissertation research, he discovered that many young people not only do not have a deep understanding of their faith, but they have an unclear understanding of African culture as well. Though he grew up with a solid understanding of both, younger generations are beginning to understand African culture in a much different light due to its rapid change in recent years.
Fr. Eliaona’s favorite part about the Church in Africa is its small Christian communities. He called these communities the “root” holding together the Church in many countries, with Catholics coming together to take responsibility for the accountability of each other’s faith practices. These groups provide a depth to Catholicism as an extension of African Catholics’ relationship to their parishes. Individuals within these groups are interdependent on each other and work together to continuously develop their faiths and the faiths of their families. To conclude the event, the speakers addressed questions from participants regarding the role of women in the Church in both Africa and the United States, the differences between the Catholic Church in Ghana and East Africa, and the organization of faith formation in Africa. Fr. Eliaona identified the roles of women within the Church as very similar between the United States and Africa, and explained the process of catechesis of children in Africa, as well as the continuous catechesis of all members of the faith. Participants were then offered the opportunity to discuss this event’s content in conversation circles with other participants.
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