Archbishop Fortunatus Nwachukwu, Secretary of the Dicastery for Evangelisation, Vatican, recently declared open the 16th Annual National Conference of the Association of the Papal Knights and Medalists (APKMN) in Lagos, Nigeria. The Editor, NETA NWOSU took the opportunity to chat with the Vatican-based Nigerian Archbishop on matters bordering on the primary focus of the Dicastery for Evangelisation; how does it relates to the Church’s mission in Nigeria; evangelisation in a multicultural and a multi-religious society; promotion of evangelisation among the youths and how the Church in Nigeria can harness the power of technology and social media to spread the Gospel and promote evangelisation. Excerpts:
What is the primary focus of the Dicastery for Evangelisation and how does it relate to the Church’s mission in Nigeria?
The Dicastery for Evangelisation is made up of two parts. There is a section for Fundamental Questions which deals with the fundamental questions regarding evangelisation in the world, including questions like pilgrimages and catechesis and also jubilees. It is the first section dealing with fundamental questions that is preparing the jubilee of next year. That first section is what used to be called the Pontifical Council for New Evangelisation. But the second section, the section for First Evangelisation and New Particular Churches, is what used to be called the Congregation for Evangelisation of peoples or simply De Propaganda Fide; that is the Congregation for the Propagation of the Christian Faith, the teaching of Christ.
With Pope Francis, the two sectors were brought together under the Dicastery for Evangelisation, and the Pope himself took up the position or the title of the Prefect of this Dicastery to show the importance that the Pope wishes to give to evangelisation, because actually, that is the most important thing that Jesus left for his disciples as he was leaving. As we read in Matthew 28:19, after declaring in verse 18 that all authority in heaven and earth has been given to Him, Jesus told his disciples to go out into the whole world and announce the good news. That is mission. He sent them out. The Latin translation is ‘et dixit eis euntes in mundum universum praedicate evangelium omni creaturae.’ He sent them out to go into the whole world to announce, to propagate, and that is from where we have the Latin word propagare, to announce the good news.
And then he says those who believe, they are supposed to be brought and inserted into the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. That is a sense of baptising them into the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Now, I have to go a bit technical here. The Greek word, baptise, means to immerse or to insert, and it doesn’t say baptise them in, it says baptising them into. So it’s like getting them from the world and then inserting them into the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. That is mission, and that is the principal thing that Jesus entrusted to his followers. And that is why he called his followers first and foremost to become fishers; fishers of men.
The fisherman goes to the open sea and catches the fish and brings them into the boat of the master. That is mission, and that is the main work of the Dicastery for Evangelisation. The Dicastery for Evangelisation is the extended arm of the Pope. It is at the service of the Pope for evangelisation, for spreading the good news for salvation of all human beings.
How can the Church in Nigeria effectively evangelise in a multicultural and a multi-religious society?
The Church first and foremost, recognises the culture of every person, but it sees culture not as a source of division, but a source of identity, and the Church tries to preach the gospel of Christ as a source of harmony of these differences, bringing people together while respecting their differences. You know, this is the question, the crisis of differences was willed by God himself. If we were to read the Bible, we go to Genesis chapter 1, in the creative process, as God began to create living things, especially birds, animals, and then finally human beings, we begin to find an expression according to their species.
Now, in Hebrew, you have the expression (5:44) lemilehem lomino, that is according to their differences. If you read Genesis chapter 1, all the way from verse 13 up to verse 27, you have according to their differences which means God purposely created things and beings according to their differences. But these differences are not supposed to be a source of conflict. He created them so that they would be different, but also maintain the image of God. He said, He wanted human beings to be in His image and likeness. God, as we know Him as Christians, is at the same time trinity and unity, the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit. Each of them is different from the other, but then, they also form one unity, as you can think of fire. Fire is fire, light. Fire is fire, heat. Fire is fire, flame. Flame is not light. They are different, but you cannot think of flame without light. Flame is not heat.
They are different, but you cannot think of flame without heat. And all of them form together the same fire. So, it is an imperfect analogy, but it is able to tell us that you can have differences without destroying unity. And that is what Christianity does. Christianity comes, maintains people in their differences, but tells us that there is a new birth that makes us belong together. Now, I can tell you another text in the Bible. You remember in the Gospel according to John, John chapter 1 precisely, I take from verse 11 to verse 13. We are told that the Word of God was coming to His home, that light was coming to His home, but they did not receive Him. His home did not receive Him And He says, but to all those who received Him, verse 12, He gave the power to become children of God.
And how do they become children of God? Not according to the flesh, not according to the blood of human beings, but according to people being born of God. So, we have the same God parentage, even though we are different. That is what Christianity tries to tell us. We are all one in Jesus Christ, brothers and sisters, in spite of our cultural differences, in spite of our origins, which we have to maintain, but then in Christ we are brothers and sisters.
What strategies can be employed in the promotion of evangelisation among the youths in Nigeria, who are the future of the Church?
The first thing we have to do is to make the youths understand that Jesus is attractive. Jesus is attractive, because Jesus is trustworthy. I know that young people don’t like anybody who will deceive them. Think of a young boy falling in love with a girl, and you discover that the girl is deceiving you, or a young girl falling in love with a boy, and you discover that the boy is deceiving you. That love is not going to last. But there is somebody that does not deceive, and that is Jesus Christ. The letter to the Hebrews, I like the text of the letter to the Hebrews. It is precisely in chapter 13:8. It tells us Jesus Christ is the same today, yesterday, and always. He is reliable, and He is good.
He is the way, the truth, and the life. That again is John chapter 14:6. So, if you remain in Him, you are remaining on a person that does not deceive, and that is a person we need today. Jesus does not fail, and He is not going to fail you. Now, that trust is something we have to bring across to young people. You do that through education, encouraging young people to read their Bible. You show them examples of people that have not been failed by Jesus.
How can the Church in Nigeria harness the power of technology and social media to spread the Gospel and promote evangelisation?
Now, the first thing I have to tell you is that the world has gone ahead. We are in the epoch of social media, and of course, we cannot allow ourselves to be left out. We have to use the media in order to get back to Christ. I will just take one example about social media, and that is what social media does with conversion and renewal. If you have a telephone, and your telephone begins to act up, what do you do? You reset the telephone to the factory settings.
So, conversion does the same thing. It takes us back to the factory setting, and our factory setting is according to the image and likeness of God. And that image and likeness of God is given to us, encapsulated in the person of Christ, because we are told, St. Paul is very clear in his letter to the Colossians chapter 1:15, He tells us he is the image of the invisible God. So if you re-tune yourself, bring yourself back to the factory setting, which is Jesus Christ, then, you are on the way to the truth and the life that leads us back to the Father.
