Catholics in Benin Mixing Christianity with Witchcraft after 160 Years of Evangelization

Romain Hounzandji, a Catholic university professor who wrote to Agenzia Fides in reference to the celebration of the 160 years of evangelization in Benin says, “The missionary work was the seed from which the Beninese clergy and entire generations of convinced Christians germinated, whose vision and action have contributed to making our Church in Benin a Church capable of enriching the entire universal Church with its gifts.”

Fr. Didier Affolabi, the Rector of Saint-Gall de Ouidah major Seminary, remembers that one of the first actions of Fr. Borghero and Fr. Fernandez, already in 1862, was to open a school for children in the area, Agenzia Fides has reported.

Today, the information service of the Vatican's Propaganda Fide reports, in a country of only 8.8 million inhabitants, of which 27 percent are Catholic, there are 523 Catholic educational institutions. These include 113 kindergartens, 266 primary schools, 138 secondary and preparatory schools, five universities, and a teacher training institute.

The only challenge however, according to a Catholic journalist quoted in the April 14 Agenzia Fides report, is getting the people of God in Benin to worship the one true God.

“The Church of Benin faces the immense task of in- depth evangelization,” the journalist says.

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He adds, “Unfortunately many Catholics still have one foot in the church and one foot in the various sanctuaries of traditional religion, where they are promised power and wealth at a good price.”

Agnes Aineah is a Kenyan journalist with a background in digital and newspaper reporting. She holds a Master of Arts in Digital Journalism from the Aga Khan University, Graduate School of Media and Communications and a Bachelor's Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communications from Kenya's Moi University. Agnes currently serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.