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To bongos and bass guitar, pope calls Africa an 'immense spiritual lung'
by John L Allen Jr on Oct. 04, 2009
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Printer-friendly versionSend to friendPDF versionBy JOHN L. ALLEN JR.
Rome
Here’s something you don’t see every day: St. Peter’s Basilica, typically a showcase for traditional and sober forms of Catholic worship, rocking to the beat of bongo drums and bass guitars, as a Congolese chorus belted out catchy African hymns such as “Nakoma Peto” and “Yamba Makabu”.
Such was the scene in St. Peter’s this morning, during an opening Mass for the second Synod of Bishops for Africa, which is set to run Oct. 4-25 in Rome.
Pope Benedict XVI led this morning’s liturgy, joined by almost 240 bishops, most of them Africans taking part in the synod. Concelebrating the Mass were the three co-presidents of the synod, Cardinals Francis Arinze of Nigeria, Wilfrid Fox Napier of South Africa, and Theodore-Adrien Sarr of Senegal, along with Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana, the “relator,” or general secretary, of the synod.
If the musical tone was upbeat, Pope Benedict struck a more sober note in his homily this morning. The pope praised the dynamism of the faith in Africa, where the Catholic population grew during the second half of the twentieth century by some 7,000 percent, soaring from 1.9 million Catholics to an estimated 160 million today.
The pope called Africa “an immense spiritual ‘lung,’ for a humanity that appears to be in a crisis of faith and hope.” Later, during his midday Angelus address, Benedict praised the "extraordinary human wealth" of Africa.
Nonetheless, in his homily Benedict warned that Africa faces two serious threats, suggesting that the synod should carefully ponder responses to both.
The first threat, Benedict said, is a “practical materialism, combined with relativistic and nihilistic thought.” Those philosophical currents, he suggested, are reaching Africa from the West.
“The so-called ‘first world’ has exported and is still exporting its toxic spiritual refuse,” the pope said, “which infect the populations of other continents, especially in Africa.”
“Colonialism is finished in a political sense,” the pope said, “but it’s not completely gone away.”
The second threat Benedict identified is “religious fundamentalism, mixed with political and economic interests.”
“Groups with diverse religious affiliations are spreading themselves throughout the African continent,” the pope said. “They do so in the name of God, but according to a logic opposed to that which is divine. They’re not teaching and practicing love and respect for liberty, but intolerance and violence.”
The pope also made clear reference to the social ills that continue to scar Africa, citing “exploitation, conflicts and corruption,” as well as “poverty, injustices, violence and wars.” He called upon the church in Africa to be a source of “prophecy and ferment of reconciliation among the various ethnic, linguistic and religious groups, within individual nations and across the entire continent.”
In his Angelus remarks, Benedict likewise noted that life in Africa is marred by "so much poverty, and still suffers under heavy injustices."
The synod’s official theme is “The Church in Africa at the Service of Reconciliation, Justice and Peace.”
The pope recalled his trip last March to Cameroon and Angola, saying the experience left him with a “grateful and moving memory.”
Benedict XVI acknowledged the presence at this morning’s Mass of several representatives of other Christian denominations, including an Orthodox Patriarch from Ethiopia, His Holiness Abuna Paulos.
The Synod for Africa begins tomorrow morning with a speech from Turkson, formally known as the Relatio ante disceptationem, intended to set the table for the discussion to follow.
The first week or so will be largely occupied by brief speeches from most of the synod participants, before small groups begin working on propositions to be adopted by the synod and submitted to the pope.
Odd isn't it that the pope
Odd isn't it that the pope allows this music of Africa, however he heavily criticized against American music like jazz influenced, or American mass and religious songs. He instructed for his visit of U.S.A that he wanted Mozart, and latin singing, instead and none of the American music to happen at masses he was at on his visit.
Yet the pope is not denouncing African music or African music instruments to be used in this case. He is hypocritical and lashes out at American music and American instruments, like guitars, lashes out at what he calls "relativism", "secularity" and yet he does not lash out at Afican music. Does he show sensitivity to Africa because it is a new source of growth and vocations for the church, or because he feels he may get accused of racism? Not good that he will not show similar sensitivity to the indigneous music of United States of America too.
Thank you very much, John
Thank you very much, John Allen, for your good articles about the African church and today´s opening mass of the African Synod .
My hope, my prayers and my thanks for so many good African friends go to God in these days.
I know you are the wrong adress for the following complaints, but perhaps you could pass them to others as something to think about.
I think,there are many people, Christians and Non-Christians in the world, who would like to share this event much more and closer in our modern media like internet, telvision, radio.
The bishops, priests, nuns and lay people in Rom are the representatives of our brothers and sisters in Africa. There are 160 million only catholics today- as you write in your article. Why is the information about their synod, about their lives, their gifts and problems so poor and so late in the world´s media, specially in the catholic media?
Are such events not important enough to spend more interest and budget? Or has the information about them first to be controlled out of theological or diplomatic precaution or out of the interests of special groups?
I am a Catholic and I am dissapointed. The Vatican doesn´t seem any more to open really the windows, sharing with the ordinary people of God.
My only hope is the Holy Spirit, who speaks to the heads and hearts of journalists and all those responsibles in the media -
greetings!
Your article is very
Your article is very informative, Mr. Allen. However, I think you exaggerate the "rocking to the beat of bongo drums and bass guitars" a bit. The times in which native African music was used were at appropriate, specific moments but did not intrude or overpower the liturgy as a whole, which has been unfortunately the case in other liturgies in the presence of the Pope or at Masses in the United States. The Mass itself was celebrated in Latin and Gregorian chant was used for the parts of the Mass. In short, the Mass that took place this morning was quite typical of most of the Papal Masses and not much different from the usual solemn Sunday Mass at St. Peter's, except for the fact that the Pope and many, many bishops and cardinals were present.
That said, this Mass goes to show us that yes, elements unique to a specific culture can be employed during the Mass but need not be a "performance" or an "in your face" overload. This was a very refreshing experience, properly showing the universality of the Church, and yet, still very much the ROMAN Catholic Church.
How very fortunate we are
How very fortunate we are that you were there to correct our professional journalist to the Vatican, Mr. Allen.
And yet you do not deny the presence of bongos and electric bass guitar? How are they "elements unique to a specific culture?"
I am glad you found it "refreshing" as long as, for you, they stay in their place? How refreshing indeed to read you found this "not much different from the usual solemn Sunday Masses at St. Peter's" you attend so regularly in Rome.
Hey, does anyone still have a copy of that great Misa Luba?
Interesting that the pope is
Interesting that the pope is not condemning African music or African indigenous music instruments yet he did denounce American liturgical music , American indigenous music (a lot of which had its origin in Africa, by the way !), and American indigenous music instruments were all decried by the pope. Instead the pope wanted Mozart and latin hymns to be at American masses, even on his recent visit to U.S.A.
BXVI is showing way more sensitivity to Africa than America. "Securalism" and "relativism" I suppose the pope claims they only exist or originate in U.S.A. and Europe. He refers to "toxic spiritual refuse" exported by the 'first' world.
The pope: Condemning the 'first" world, rejecting the Catholics and population of the 'first' world and pitting one world against the other, the us and them, the bad and the good dichotomy. Playing 'first' world against 'third' world just as he pits men against women, clasifying women as forever less spiritual, not suitable, not representative of Jesus and forever not to be ordained. He sure does not sound like Jesus in his negative views of so much of humanity, and his lack of neighbourly love, lack of mercy, compassion and hope to so much of the world.
The pope rejects the 'first' world. Jesus saw it as one world, humanity, to help all, that we are together in this world to love one another, serve each other, serve one another in love. (1st Peter) BVI shows lack of respect of liberty and lots of intolerance, lack of love , lack of justice, lack of compassion, in how he interacts with theologians, clergy and religious, any who share new solutions and ideas for the church problem solutions he rejects, silences, condemns . His message is divisive , causes disunity and fragmentation, dissonance. Is that his intent? Is his faith so weak, and his spiritual vision so small that Jesus, God and the Holy Spirit are crowded out by his anger and his hate of so much of the world.
Did the Pope not mention the
Did the Pope not mention the terrible scourge that has killed so many and left so many children orphans? Did he not mention AIDS at all?
Dear Ms. Oliver, Please see
Dear Ms. Oliver, Please see the excellent Mr. Allen's later article on this very disturbing topic.
Would anyone still have a
Would anyone still have a copy of the great Misa Luba?
How about that African Misa used as background music for Pasolini's Gospel according to Saint Matthew?
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