Church in Africa asked to Address Cultural Impediments to Healthy Relationships between Local Ordinaries and Religious

“When Christianity came to Africa, the same patriarchal structures were introduced into the Church,” the Kenyan scholar said during the August 2 event that the Pan-African Catholic Theology and Pastoral Network (PACTPAN) organized in collaboration with the Conference of Major Superiors of Africa and Madagascar (COMSAM). 

She said that from the start of Christianity in Africa, the women and men Religious who were not part of the hierarchy were not involved in decision-making.

The patriarchal structures that were introduced in the Church have not changed, she said, and added, “This practice has continued. And because Bishops are in charge of the Dioceses, they have also embraced this as leaders of Dioceses. Hence Religious men and women are not involved in decision-making.”

Lack of involvement of women and men Religious in the Episcopal See’s decision-making processes has greatly affected the relationship between Bishops and Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life (ICLSAL), Sr. Nduku says, adding that the situation “has brought a lot of conflict, misunderstandings and tension among Bishops and the Religious.”

The August 2 palaver was structured on the topic, “Relationship between Diocesan Bishops and Men and Women Religious in Africa”. 

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In their statement ahead of the August 2 palaver, the members of PACTPAN and COMSAM made reference to the Synthesis Report, which proposes a revision of the “guiding criteria on the relations between Bishops and Religious in the Church”.

The Synthesis Report proposes studying already existing best practices, of places and means to promote “meetings and forms of collaboration in a synodal spirit between Episcopal Conferences and the Conferences of Superiors and Major Superiors of Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life”.

Prior to the palavers, the two groups of theologians had conducted a study, which established that tensions between women and men Religious and Bishops in African Catholic Dioceses had led to closure of some communities of Religious Orders.

Making reference to the study, Sr. Nduku said the Church in Africa is “immensely influenced by the cultural norms related to leadership and gender roles.”

She said that cultural influences are posing a challenge to the way in which the different agents of evangelization relate. 

The challenges, she said, are related to issues of power, leadership, issues of property and its ownership especially between members of ICLSAL and Local Ordinaries.

She said the Church in Africa must take note of these cultural influences and study their effects and have them addressed so as to foster healthy relationships between Bishops and women and men Religious.

“The mission of Christ to which we are all called to follow and to fulfill has been affected negatively by these tensions. The lay people are observing all this, and they keep wondering how we are all going to be able to serve them. We lack moral authority because we have a lot of conflicts,” Sr. Nduku said during the August 2 virtual palaver.

She urged participants in the PACTPAN-organized palaver to adhere to the call of the Synod on Synodality, which she said is an invitation to the people of God “to walk together, to support each other, to collaborate and to have mutual respect.”

Collaboration can start by aligning the charisms of Religious Orders to strategic plans of Dioceses, she said, and posed, “How often do the Bishops involve the Religious in using their charisms to realize the visions of the Dioceses? How often do Bishops meet Religious Superiors to discuss matters of evangelization in Dioceses?”

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The Catholic Bishops instead only meet to solve conflicts, she said, and added, “This way, evangelization is affected.” 

Sr. Nduku further proposed that women Religious be involved in the formation of Seminarians, and the Clergy to be involved in the formation of Nuns.

She said working together in formation will help Priests and Sisters to understand each other. “This will promote unity and collaboration in serving the people of God,” she said.

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.