Current issue: Vol.1, No. 3 July 2001

Go to Content page Feedback AFRICAN PRIESTS ABROAD: economic migrants or evangelisers? By Laurenti Magesa Rome is alarmed at the number of Diocesan priests from Africa, Asia, Latin America and Oceania living and serving in pastoral capacities in Europe and North America. Many of them go to the West as students only to extend their period of study indefinitely while serving in parishes. Others become fully integrated in direct pastoral ministry. Cardinal Jozef Tomko, immediate former Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, was recently reported by ZENIT News Services as saying that in Italy alone, there are about 1,800 "foreign priests," 800 of them doing full time pastoral work. "There are dioceses of Africa and Asia that have one third or even half the diocesan clergy abroad for economic reasons," said the Cardinal. As a reaction to this situation, the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples in Vatican, on June 12th this year, published an "Instruction on the Sending Abroad and Sojourn of Diocesan Priests from Mission Territories." Though primarily intended for bishops in "mission territories," the document was also sent to bishops of the "established Churches" of Western Europe, North America and Australia. The document was issued after Pope John Paul II approved it during a meeting with Cardinal Tomko in late April. New standards for exchange of priests According to the Congregation, the document aims to sensitise bishops, in both Developing Countries and the West, on the irregularity of the situations in which these priests, and even the bishops, are involved. The document also provides new standards to ensure that priests are exchanged between the Churches "based on a true missionary spirit." For, as the Congregation sees it, this is precisely the problem: most of the priests from Developing Countries who remain in the West do so for reasons other than a zeal for missionary work. The document notes: "Often their motives are based on higher living conditions which these countries offer." In other words, the Congregation sees them as economic migrants, not servants of the Gospel. The Congregation affirms that by virtue of their ordination, all priests have a "universal mission." Moreover, it supports inter-diocesan and even international exchange of diocesan priests proposed by the Encyclical Fidei Donum of Pope Pius XII. Nevertheless, the Congregation is concerned that "young missionary" Churches, already deficient of adequate personnel, especially of diocesan priests, are now deprived of the apostolic strength necessary for their Christian life and ongoing evangelisation, particularly of the unbaptised. The document contains ten norms that the Congregation believes will reverse the current irregularity. It is mandatory that there is a clear and written agreement between the bishop whose priest goes to study abroad and the bishop in whose diocese the school is located. The agreement should spell how the priest will be cared for financially and spiritually, how much pastoral work he'll be expected to undertake without hampering his studies and when he will be required to return to his home diocese. The date of return should not be changed unless there is a serious reason to do so. If there are "grave problems" involving the priest, the receiving bishop, in consultation with the priest's bishop, may deny the priest permission to remain in the diocese. The Instruction stipulates that refugee priests fleeing persecution may be assigned pastoral duties only after the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples has been consulted. Archbishop Alberto Bottari De Castello, a Nuncio and former seminary rector in Cameroon, was quoted by ZENIT as saying it is a "scandal to keep African priests in Europe, when we have need in the mission territories to nourish the churches that are growing." According to the Archbishop, African priests are best placed to understand the religious mentality of Africans, which western missionaries find "difficult to decipher." He urged institutions training African priests to set aside "intellectualism" and concentrate on "essential formation." Only African priests can understand Africans? Some years ago, a prominent western theologian wrote to advise his bishops' conference not to encourage the sending of priests from overseas as pastoral ministers. He explained that such priests cannot function in foreign cultures. He probably said this after observing a few priests who have found it difficult to adjust to new cultures. However, to use such limited experience to issue a sweeping generalization is insensible. It ignores the many western priests who have functioned, some quite successfully, in Africa. Of course, others have failed. But are African priests the only ones "prepared to understand the African mentality in depth, and to work in the midst of cults and beliefs that for...Europeans are difficult to decipher," as Archbishop Botarri claimed? The situation is much more complicated. Partly, it concerns the question of education that the Archbishop touched on. In this era of globalization, priests who are capable should be given as full an intellectual formation as possible. However, such formation must be relevant to the African situation. It should ask questions pertinent to the continent and provide answers to the same. Our seminaries are far from giving such formation. Priestly training and the environment surrounding it are pegged to an age gone by. We need a new vision and the courage to implement it. If this is not done, the priesthood in Africa will suffer great harm. Very wisely, Archbishop Botarri advocates the establishment of local Catholic universities. Fortunately, some countries and regions of Africa have already done so. Talking to some officials of these institutions, however, one doubts if they receive local moral and material support. What is the relevance of a local Catholic university if it teaches predominantly western "intellectualism?" Of what use is a local Catholic university if innovative research within it is either impossible or anathema? How useful is such a university if Ordinaries would rather send their student priests overseas? Of course, if the education of a priest, say, a Propaganda Fide in Rome is subsidised or free while at Nairobi's Catholic University of Eastern Africa it is not, nobody would blame the Bishop if he does the financially sensible thing and sends the priest to Rome. We should examine how the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples can help Catholic universities in Africa solve the problems they face. Instruction poses hard questions In this Instruction, the Congregation raises interesting questions, both for the African Church as well as that in the West as far as the missionary aspect of African diocesan priests is concerned. Obviously, there are some African diocesan priests who are "economic migrants," in thought and deed. They crave to go to or prefer to stay in the West for financial benefits. As a first step, these priests must rid themselves of this obsession with the West, which at times involves false expectations. They need to seriously reconsider their values as priests, and appreciate the depth of shame they bring upon themselves and their continent by this kind of behaviour. Also to be questioned are the expectations seminarians are given while in training, the standard of life they are led to believe they will enjoy after ordination. Moreover, there exists a huge gap in the living standards of diocesan priests in many African dioceses. This imbalance needs to be redressed. Better ways of sharing income among the different parishes of a diocese must be devised to forestall the all too human, and at times justifiable desire to emigrate from a certain parish, diocese or country to economically greener pastures. In short, it is necessary to infuse the economic administration of African dioceses with justice and charity, transparency and goodwill. This problem is not new. Neither is the debate on it. So far, a solution has remained elusive. Another issue, equally old on the discussion table and which requires attention and resolution, is the disparity in financial ability between diocesan priests and their missionary counterparts. Though the gap is enormous, it is possible that nothing can be done to bridge it due to differences in organisation and sources of income. Because of their financial muscle, missionaries do things that diocesan priests cannot. The latter's inability has often been blamed on intellectual weaknesses or lesser commitment to vocation. In the long run, missionaries tend to influence, sometimes excessively, diocesan policy. At times, this leads the Ordinary and faithful to accord preference to missionaries so as to reap the benefits of their economic power. In addition, it may cause diocesan priests to develop an unhealthy sense of inferiority complex and the missionary an equally unhealthy superiority complex, making genuine co-operation between the two minimal and superficial. Sharing in doing God's work must continue. Of great theological importance is the missionary vocation of the diocesan priest and the African Church, which the Instruction emphasises in relation to the Universal Church. For a local church to grow in maturity and fulfil its responsibility as Church, it must be missionary in the practical sense of sending out evangelisers. Seven years ago, the African Synod reiterated this with regard to Africa. Since then, various regional Episcopal Conferences of the continent have repeatedly reaffirmed it. The notion of the African Church as a perpetual receiver, a "young" Church, a "missionary territory" that cannot or is unable to reciprocate the missionary responsibility harms it greatly. Perhaps it is time Africa returned the favour that she received from western missionaries who initially evangelised the continent. Pope John Paul's call for new evangelisation suggests that pastoral agents from Africa and elsewhere might be needed to work with their colleagues in the "established Churches" of the West. Western bishops who have received Third World priests as pastoral ministers may have acted on this positive intuition. Perhaps it is time to have bona fide Fidei donum priests from Africa to Europe? It is unlikely that Africa and the West can have enough priests at any one time, less likely so in contemporary social situations The sharing in doing God's work must go on, lest Africa's flickering missionary flame is extinguished. If procedures are respected, it will not be a "scandal' to have African or diocesan priests from Developing Countries working in the West, their number notwithstanding. Laurenti Magesa, a priest from the Diocese of Musoma (Tanzania), is one of Africa's best-known Catholic theologians. He has taught theology in Africa and America and he is currently involved in pastoral work in his home country African Scribe is guest on PeaceLink web site