March 27, 2020, was a milestone for the Catholic Church. The world watched Pope Francis solemnly praying in St. Peter’s Square. The picture of the solitary figure in the vast square of St Peter’s Basilica delivering a special “Urbi et orbi” blessing to a completely empty Vatican City as the rain poured around him inspired a palpable sense of distress.
Although the Urbi et orbi” is a blessing usually given at celebratory occasions, the timing and the tone this time was ominous and solemn. Indeed, the Pope’s concluding prayer reinforced this: “Lord, may you bless the world, give health to our bodies and comfort our hearts. You ask us not to be afraid. Yet our faith is weak and we are fearful. But you, Lord, will not leave us at the mercy of the storm.” Catholic faithful around the world watched a livestream of this harrowing scene from their home, locked up in their room from the ravaging novel coronavirus disease that had killed over 26, 000 and infected 500, 000 others.
Over the next six months, more than three-quarters of the world would remain in various phases of lockdown, self-isolation or quarantine. The figures of fatalities and infections would be multiplied many times over. The world would begin to live by new safety rules that would demand frequent hand washing, social distancing which placed a restriction on social gathering and compulsory wearing of nose masks. The world, as they know it would change.
The first wake-up call for the faithful in Nigeria came from the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria proactive suspension of the exchange of peace greetings (shaking of hands) during the Holy Mass as a measure to curtail the spread of the virus, at a time Nigeria had not recorded any case. The subsequent announcement by the Lagos State Government of an index case of the novel coronavirus on February 27 was another big shock. On March 18, Lagos State government banned religious gathering of above 50 persons with immediate effect and the Archbishop issued a circular of strict adherence to the attendance of Mass by only 50 persons.
Parishes immediately restructured Holy Masses to several Masses of 50 parishioners respectively. Some big Parishes arrived at over 10 Masses with two holding simultaneously at the same time in different locations. But these were mere plans that never came to pass. Two days later, on March 20, government reviewed downward the number of people allowed in social and religious gatherings from 50 to 20.
And two days later, on March 22, the Archbishop, in a display of knowledge and understanding of the need to protect the congregation from the ravaging virus and safeguard public health, suspended all public Mass. The country would spend the next five months in different phases of extended lockdown and adjusted curfews amidst soaring figures of new cases that put Lagos as the epicenter of the crisis.
As the country begins gradual reopening after five months of shutdown, the magnitude of the change wrought by the pandemic is not fully comprehended–yet. Christians, especially Catholics, cannot help but ponder: Will the church ever be the same again? The answer to that can be deduced from how the Church responded to the disruptions of the lockdown. “No one saw this pandemic coming and no one was prepared for it,” says Very Rev. Fr Julius Olaitan, Dean of Lagos Island Deanery and Parish Priest, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, Victoria Island. “As for the Church, we are part of the same society that was not ready and that initial stage was really characterised by confusion,” he says. Fr. Olaitan, who has nine parishes under his deanery, avows that “it’s not a good experience.
” He gives insight as to how the church was impacted by the pandemic: “For over five months, there was no Church gathering at all and the usual activities of the Church— Mass, celebration of other sacraments, catechesis, weddings, funerals, societal and small communities’ activities were all brought to a halt.” The magnitude of the impact on spiritual lives is difficult to assess at the moment, says the reverend father.
“The fact that it has also crippled the source of income of many families meant that some have turned to the church for help even at a time when the Church was also deprived of the charity of the people because of the same pandemic,” he expatiates. Very Rev. Fr Francis Ike, Dean of Satellite Deanery and Parish Priest of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, Ojo, Alaba also echoes the same view.
He describes the pandemic’s effects shocking and devastating, as the daily routine of attending Masses was affected as churches were shut down and societies meetings cancelled. Fr. Ike, whose Deanery comprised of 17 parishes, avows that the pandemic created fear with some people taking it as “a sign of the end of the world.” Most. Rev. Dr. Alfred Adewale Martins, Archbishop of the Metropolitan See of Lagos, in his articulation of the fallout of the pandemic pinpoints the inability of people to access the sacraments as a major negative effect.
“The fact also that people could not receive the Holy Eucharist was even by far more painful for most of our people. Naturally, the reduction of income for the management of the Churches was also another major impact because, at that point in time, it was difficult to run the normal things in the parishes.” Yet the Archdiocese found a way to cope. Covid-19 couldn’t come between Archbishop Martins and his duty of shepherding his flock.
For almost five months the Archdiocese leveraged technology to continue to minister to the entire Catholic faithful as one family in one Church-the Holy Cross Cathedral. Some lay faithful from other Dioceses and Africa countries participated in these Holy Masses. The Lagos Archdiocese sustained liturgical celebrations without any break till date as daily Masses conducted by Archbishop Martins and other Priests inside the Cathedral is broadcast on Lumen Christi Television Network on channel 350 of DSTV, graciously made available for broadcast of Masses in the Cathedral by its Founder and Chief Executive, Prince Soji Olagunju. Lumen Christi, the first Catholic Television Network in Africa, founded in 2014, becomes the mainstream media for Catholic Masses in the time of the pandemic, affording the elderly and children, who are deprived from attending church, the opportunity to watch the Mass every Sunday.
In addition, DSTV’s Hallelujah channel, launched during the pandemic, also featured Holy Masses at 8:30 am on Sundays for three months. It is in this fashion that Archbishop Martins celebrated the Holy Week that culminated in Easter and other liturgical celebrations, including other Feasts. With the lockdown, several parishes further enlisted social media platforms, Facebook and YouTube especially, to livesstream or upload recorded Mass. One of the revolutionary methods adopted is the audio morning Masses on Whatsapp pioneered by Very Rev. Fr. Olaitan. Dubbed “audiocast,” the daily audio Mass hit Whatsapp as early as 4 am and is downloaded and shared by thousands of Lay faithful.
Catholics who were deprived of going to Church daily for their morning Mass and did not have access to television found the audiocast satisfactory to their spiritual need. Even after the reopening of the worship centre, the Chief Shepherd has continued to cater for the elderly ones and children that are yet to resume physical worship. Dr. Franca Attoh, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Lagos, applauds the way the Church has deployed technology to bridge the gap created by the pandemic and marvels at the new possibilities inherent in the process: “For instance, Catholics never knew pilgrimages could be successfully attended virtually, like that of Lourdes.
Rather than pay heavily for flights, accommodation and other expenses, we simply paid less for registration and hooked unto Lourdes online during the pilgrimages. Some faithful even follow the Pope on his public audiences, angelus, rosary, and other devotions virtually.” The laity also learnt valuable lessons from the lockdown, leading to new perspectives about the Church. For instance, Felix Ajayi KSM, an engineer and a parishioner of St Brigid’s Catholic Church Ijeshatedo, Surulere, Lagos, admitted that the online platforms provided some degree of hope during the lockdown. “Social media is the future.
The church should embrace it,” he advises. He also commends the compliance of the parishes and parishioners with the conditions stipulated for the partial reopening of the church. He expressed certainty that the Church will bounce back fully and better. “The Church and the people of God are resilient,” he says. To those who questioned the decision to close the religious space, alluding to the action as a lack of faith in the power of God to heal, Dr. Attoh, differs: “They closed the Church because they felt that was the only way to contain the spread of the virus under the circumstance.” The measure, she notes, was not exclusive to Nigeria. Besides, “the building is not the church,” she stresses. Similarly, Father Ike sees nothing wrong in the suspension of religious activities, a common decision taken globally.
Besides, the shutdown affected not only churches but also schools, markets, offices and recreational centres. His reservation was in relation to the prolonged closure and the procrastination in the opening of the Church. “If markets where people in their thousands, gather and rub themselves shoulder to shoulder for hours without strict adherence to the COVID-19 rules are allowed to operate, how much more an organised institution like the Church?” he asks. If the market is essential, the Church, he argues, is also essential in that sense. “The prolonged closure of Churches was unfair,” he submits. He refuses to see the closure of churches in the light of a lack of faith in God. “We believe that God has the power to heal us and stop the virus––This is Faith. However, we cannot throw away reason.
While we hope on God, we must play our own part,” he says. Reopening the church has been a relief, but it came with a new normal, a slew of new protocols. Catholic Churches reopened on Sunday, August 9 with strict adherence to the Archbishop’s circular titled “Guidelines on Restoration of Churches” which articulated the health protocols to be observed by parishioners as the safety measures of the new normal in which the Church has to function. Both reverend fathers Olaitan and Ike provide a glimpse of the depth and scope of the challenges of the new normal. According to Father Ike: “With the gradual reopening of the of worship centres, our Parish and the Deanery have imbibed the new ways of doing things, bearing in mind that the tide of the virus is not yet over.”
The status quo–taking data of those at each Mass; allowing only 50 per cent of Church capacity; reception of Holy Communion on the palm; keeping social distance; restricting Mass to one hour; disinfecting the churches premises–is “challenging but practicable” according to Father Ike. A pros-and-con overview is also put forth by Fr. Olaitan: “Our people are gradually returning to Church maintaining the rules of hygiene and social distancing. But a number of young parents are still not able to come since their children are not allowed to go to church.
We still have a lot more to do that is yet impossible; religious education outside of Sunday worship is still hampered by the partial restrictions.” Archdiocesan Laity Chairperson, Mrs Chizube Igboanugo who has visited many parishes since the partial opening of Church amplifies the preparedness of the lay faithful to ensure others do the right thing: “They wear face masks, wash their hands or use hand sanitizers, write their names and phone numbers, stand to have their temperature taken and maintain the marked distance while waiting to receive communion.
No one wants us to go back to the era of no physical gathering for Mass so they are really making efforts not to allow another closure.” The fear that reopening places of worship will lead to a spike in new cases of coronavirus turned out unfounded. Instead, there has been a sharp drop to as low as 19 daily cases as recorded on September 1 and 2. “The fact that we are also doing what is required based on scientific study is helpful,” Father Olaitan reflects. Noting that many Nigerians have not been tested, Father Ike muses: “Be that as it may, we cannot rule out “the finger of God in our matter.” Dr Attoh offers a caution, though: “The truth of the matter is if you really want to know what a pandemic is, they should go back to history. As a Catholic, you should know the story of the three children of Fatima––Fransisco, Jacinta and Lucia. Fransisco died towards the end of the 1918 pandemic.
The truth of the matter is that this thing is here with us. We should be very serious about it. In whatever way, people should not compromise their safety.” Will the church ever be the same? To this question, the clergy, the lay and the scholar answer in no uncertain words. From Dr Attoh: “No, the church will never be the same. People have discovered we can meet God in different places.
It does not have to be in that space called a building. A basic social change has taken place globally. So, the church can never be the same.” Father Olaitan says: “The Church will get back to normal, but it will take time. With time, this will also die down, maybe not completely, but enough to allow less fear of the unknown as we worship God in our various parishes.” Father Ike says the same thing, more or less: “With strong and effective catechesis, normalcy may return, but not so soon. The Church will always be the same Church, “but her “liturgical practice” may be slightly affected in the post-Covid-19 era.”
