The church, politics and future elections (III)

LET me register some caveats. The role of a Catholic in politics is not to impose a Christian theocracy. Conversion by coercion is not part of our political engagement. On the contrary, we have to defend universal human rights and civil liberties for two reasons. First, as creatures made in the image of God and endowed with the gift of free will, religious coercion goes against the grain of God’s intent for humanity. In any case, Christianity emerged from the crucible of oppressive socio-political environments and it has endured, this far, without having to coerce anybody into the faith. There should be no compulsion in religion neither should there be religious persecution in any democratic nation. Even though one cannot deny that occasional tensions from mutual suspicions are not uncommon in a plural society like ours, we must never live under the atmosphere of hatred and fear.

Second, for the gospel to prosper, we need to create a liberal climate open to different persuasions and enable authentic faith to flower in the contest of ideas. Theocratic societies are totalitarian places that severely inhibit human potential. A Catholic office-holder must not play God. His or her duty is to facilitate the role of government as a preserver of order and justice and not to use the machinery of state to pursue the goals of the Church. We should not see the presence of Catholics in public office as the Church being in power or as an opportunity for the Church to flex political muscle. The Catholic in public office is there for the good of all citizens, regardless of their beliefs. It is therefore our duty as leaders to not only preach tolerance, fairness and equity, we must be conscious and deliberate in the way we address the fears of the different segments of the society.

The legitimacy of a leadership rests not on the selective advancement of his creed, but on his ability to manage collective aspirations and resources for the betterment of all the citizenry. While we can certainly bring transcendent moral values into public debate, we also have the duty to communicate our convictions in non-threatening and non-sectarian language that is accessible to everyone in a pluralistic society. While presenting our moral and political convictions, it is crucial that we aim to persuade rather than coerce. The golden rule should always be “do unto others what you would want them to do unto you.” The Christian concept of servant leadership, for example, has much to offer us to alter elite behavior and offensive displays of power that have become the trademark of elites. It would certainly inject a measure of humility into our conduct. Servant leadership empowers and enables others to rise to their potential. By applying servant leadership principles, we can reclaim the idea of public service as a transformative pursuit of the greater good. Leaders driven by the desire to serve at various levels of governance can turn the tide of decay and create conditions for more of our people to live a better life. These are the sort of changes I believe Catholics can bring to the public domain. I went into politics because I believe that committed social activism can provide people with the tools that will empower them and give them control over their own destinies. Public office is too serious to be left to people who have no fear of God. When serious Catholics committed to the ideals of social justice and the common good turn away from politics, we open the door for unprincipled opportunists to take power. Our understanding of politics must not be restricted to the pursuit of votes in a partisan system. It must mean much more, including public engagement and debate that is informed, non-sentimental and objective.

Political engagement for some, may take the hue of toiling in the vineyard of civil society, enlightening the people, empowering the poor, organizing communities at the grassroots level so that they can have a say in running their own affairs. For others, it may involve seeking gender justice and confronting economic inequality. Then, of course, there are those for whom the work requires the pursuit of public office by seeking the anointing of the electorate. The point is that while we have one goal- the realization of the good society- the quest for this goal expresses itself in a diversity of gifts and callings. Not all of us can or will be in elective office. Fortunately, not all of us have to. What matters is for each of us to find our place in the move to build our nation and to be faithful to the demands of that task.

Participating in the formal civic activities such as paying taxes and voting are the basic demands of citizenship and are the first fruits of our political personhood in a democratic society. But going beyond this to engage in grander expressions of empathy and social engagement as opposed to apathy and indifference help enrich civic life and nurture democracy. Insofar as a concern for our neighbour is central to our understanding of Christian compassion, it follows that active citizenship – which is simply an intense concern for the Christian presence in the public square – is the bounden duty of a Christian in public office.

Ultimately, the argument for Christian political engagement is perhaps best summed up in the famous words of Edmund Burke: “All that is necessary for evil to triumph is that good men do nothing.” All that stands between Nigeria and terminal decadence is good men and women who, energized by their faith, are able and willing to venture into the public square and raise the standard of the common good and effect the renewal of our nation. This is a sacred responsibility that we cannot evade.

The Catholic Church and Future Elections

Having said all this, I guess the pertinent question remains: What my conception is of the role of the Catholic church in future elections? From all I have said, it is clear I would want different Christian bodies to remain non-partisan while not being a-political. We need to eschew the theology of fear and non-engagement that currently influences some Christian denominations which see danger and enemies in everything and has consciously cultivated isolation instead of association, conspiracy instead of evidence, and division instead of cooperation.

Paul, in his second letter to Timothy, Chapter 1: 6, said: “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and love and of a sound mind.” Somehow, the Christian leadership has not projected courage, confidence, and candour in their appreciation of national challenges in recent times. Some have even accused the Church of partisan posturing which may deny the church leadership the force of moral authority as an association of non-partisan organisations. While I have no doubt that this is a case of action and reaction being equal and opposite, this clearly negates the fundamental tenets of our faith.

Today, criminality is interpreted as either religious genocide or ethnic cleansing. While the media enjoy the serialization of sensational stories, our collective humanity is being eroded as our sense of empathy as a people is now determined by the faith or ethnic background of a victim of criminality. The truth is that when bandits kill in the mostly Christian dominated areas, some of us are very responsive to condemn it and then brand it a genocidal attack aimed at wiping out the Christian population in such a place. Conversely, when a mostly Muslim dominated population is the victim of the same crime, mum is sometimes the word. Our experience with banditry and kidnappings has shown that we need a united humanity to defeat these evil merchants.

I would rather a Church that will condemn both, show concern, provide the same succor, offer the same sympathy, and make the same demands on government. I must say we in the Catholic Church do this more than others but that is how love unites and wins against evil. It is fear that makes people feel unsafe and hateful. My position here is buttressed by the Pope Benedict XVI’s first, but profound encyclical to which I referred earlier, Deus Caritas Est (God is Love) (2005). He explained the meaning of love to be the expression of empathy and show of charity.

This example can be found in the ministry of our Lord Jesus himself when he admonished in Luke 6: 27 that the greatest expression of love is to those that hate us, for even pagans also reciprocate love to one another. And when the Lord was speaking about charity to the poor and the weak, he said in Matthew 25:31-36 that “I was hungry, and you fed me…” He said whoever does this to the poor has done it to him. It is in the context of this that the Holy Father’s Dues Caritas Est is constructed. I do believe that as Catholics with the best reputation in charity, we cannot afford to do differently. As a Church we can brag that we are a paragon of example in the expression of Christian love and charity. We have the highest number of charity missions in the world. We must always keep this glorious tradition.

As we go to 2023, we must acknowledge the role of our church in speaking truth to power, which inspired us in our struggle against military dictatorship and continue to help in our current quest for better governance and public accountability. But it is also time to go beyond that. It is time to take advantage of our well regarded structure, history, culture, and universalism and use these in a strategic and deliberate manner to mobilise already existing constituencies such as the Laity, Youth, Women, and other associations of which we are unique as we approach 2023. While it is nice to see one of us being the president in 2023, it is important to look beyond the religious profession of the gladiators or even their ethnic or geopolitical origin. The Church should develop a charter of concerns which must be as inclusive as possible and engage the candidates in direct conversations and debates. I will want to see the Church and its affiliates and perhaps, in association with other faiths, organize debates for candidates that address fundamental issues around freedom of religion, conscience, association and other areas of interest. The work of the CBCN in this respect is worthy of commendation, but we must do more. The Christian community in Nigeria needs to develop a template for appraising socio-economic and political issues. There should be a reservoir of knowledge about science, technology and the future of the Church, and the position that the Church will want to promote in her own interest. Knowledge is key in national conversation, it is not enough to speak with passion, it is better to speak convincingly and authoritatively. I expect therefore that our own priests will demonstrate concern for the quality of governance in the society.

So far, the church has been above board, given the nature of its history. However, today’s priests must read the history of their country, understand the cultures, and gain in-depth knowledge of its socioeconomic circumstances. It is with this knowledge that they can become relevant partners and leaders with moral authority. They must criticize when things seem to be going wrong, but leave a window for dialogue, guidance, and collaboration with constituted authority. The church must try not to be seen to be aligned to any political party. It must see all political actors as sons and daughters open to correction and discipline. I also expect the Church to take part in the electoral processes as observers and social orientation agents. The Church must use its enormous platform to preach peace, tolerance, and consensus among the political class.

For me, politics is service, and it is a noble vocation like that of the holy order. And it is time to encourage some of our qualified members with sound values to serve as beacons and agents of change.

CONCLUDED

Excerpts of the text of the Convocation Lecture by His Excellency, the governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi, CON, at the graduation ceremony of Good Shepard Major Seminary in Kafanchan, Kaduna State, on Friday, April 23, 2021.

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