Christians challenged, African traditions decline

The following is a presentation made by Archbishop Esua of Bamenda, Cameroon, during the world Synod of Bishops, held in October 2008 at the Vatican under the theme, ‘The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church.’

The Church in Cameroon, like the other young Churches in Africa has a high rate of growth. There is urgent need to deepen the faith of the neophytes, particularly the youth, who are becoming victims of materialism, secularization and relativism. A number of them have relapsed to the practice of African Traditional Religion because Christianity does not seem to answer all their questions especially in times of crises.

Moreover, the African Traditional Religion and the traditional family structures on which this religion is based are collapsing. Some Christians are taking refuge in secret societies, sects and new religious movements, hoping to find in them security and answers to the deeper questions of life.

Fortunately, there is a growing thirst and hunger for the Word of God. It is necessary and urgent to put the Sacred Scriptures into the hands of the faithful so that they can become life for them in their professions, in their families and various life situations as well as the source and inspiration of the life and activities of the Small Christian Communities. There is also the urgency to inculturate the Christian faith and to dialogue with the African Traditional Religion. For an effective inculturation, the Word of God should be deeply rooted in the hearts of the people and become flesh in them. We therefore suggest that:

1. The Bishops' Conferences and the dioceses give priority to the Biblical Pastoral Ministry and appoint people to promote and coordinate it at various levels in order that the Word of God may be at the basis of all our pastoral activities.

2. Priests, religious and the laity be given appropriate formation to become agents of the Biblical Apostolate. A course on the Biblical Pastoral Ministry be introduced in the Seminary curriculum and in Formation Houses to prepare future priests and religious for this ministry.

3. There be general biblical formation of all the faithful, and particularly the youth, not only in specialized institutes but also through regular biblical conferences and Bible Congresses in order to make them more conscious of the importance of the Word of God in their lives.

4. Since the Christian family is the Domestic Church and the place where all education and formation in the faith begins, the Bible be enthroned in every Christian home for reading, prayer, study and veneration. Women be given appropriate biblical formation in order to be able to promote the use of the Word of God in the family.

5. The Bible be translated into the local languages as the first step of inculturation and in order to make the Word of God more accessible to the faithful in their own language. Each Christian should own a Bible, read it and make it a reference document or a "vademecum".

6. As the Apostle Paul says: "Faith comes from hearing" (Rom. 10:17). The peoples of Africa believe strongly in the power of the word, especially the spoken word. Many of them have no access to script media either because it is too expensive or because the majority of them cannot read or write. It is necessary to provide them with the Scriptures in audio-visual form.

7. Greater emphasis be laid on the Word of God in the celebration of the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist, and the Sacramentals.

8. Following the example of the fathers of the Early Church, Christian formation be centered on the Word of God and the homilies be more biblical in content in order to nourish the faithful with the Word of God.

9. A Biblical Institute be established in Africa in order to promote biblical research in the context of the Church in Africa.

10. Finally, a Pontifical Council be instituted for the promotion of the teaching of Dei Verbum, particularly Chapter Six.