Baptising but not making people Christian

Thursday, September 22nd, 2022

If the vast Catholic community in Africa is to truly become an “adult Church,” then “we must reimagine the participation of the laity”.

That’s the belief of Alain Clément Amiézi, a theologian who was appointed by Pope Francis last June to lead the Diocese of Odienné in northern Côte d’Ivoire.

Bishop-elect Amiézi, who has been a theology professor and parish priest since becoming a priest in 1999, will be ordained to the episcopate and installed as the Ordinary of Odienné on September 24.

Four days later this author of numerous books who got a doctorate at the University Urbaniana in Rome will mark his 52nd birthday.

La Croix Africa’s Guy Aimé Eblotié spoke with Bishop-elect Amiézi about the Church in Africa.

How do you see the state of faith in Africa?

The majority of our Churches in Africa have already celebrated the centenary of evangelization.

Logically, we should speak of an adult Church. But at the qualitative level, we realize that there is still a lot of work to do.

Today, in several African countries, after the great celebrations that accompany the reception of baptism, the percentage of those who continue and complete their Christian initiation through confirmation is very low.

The number of faithful who are truly committed to social or political action according to the virtues of the Gospel is infinitesimal. People are baptised without becoming Christians, the sacraments are given without evangelizing.

The responsibilities for this situation are shared. From my point of view, it is linked, on the one hand, to the fact that some catechumens ask for baptism for the wrong reasons and, on the other hand, to the quality of the formation received.

What should be the impact of baptism on the lives of African Christians?

There is essentially the prophetic commitment which has three dimensions.

First, a Christian coherence invites us to break with the dichotomy that often exists between the life of faith and everyday life, at work, at school or in the family.

Christian life is not a cloak that one wears when entering the church and removes when leaving.

The second dimension is courageous witness.

Our African countries need Christians who are able to get out of the logic of “everyone does it this way,” and then live their faith through their commitment at the social, economic and political levels.

The third dimension is to have a spirituality that allows Christians to face existential problems with courage.

There are forms of spirituality that make our Christians numb, that infantilize them through predictions and words of knowledge, to the point where their vital forces are annihilated.

Who is responsible for this prophetic commitment for an adult Church? The clergy or the laity?

Clerics and laity must work together for the good of the Church.

Clerics must fully play their role as formators, companions and guides. They must also collaborate fully with the laity so that there is what is called in the Church a common responsibility.

Since Vatican II, we are no longer in the era when the priest did everything and lay people were passive observers.

From a historical perspective, it is obvious that since the arrival of the missionaries, the lay people have participated actively in evangelization, especially through the catechists.

Today it is necessary to reimagine the participation of the laity in the life of the Church, taking into account the new realities.

In this regard, we must consider the phenomenon of new communities and fraternities, which can make valuable contributions but can also pose problems. Indeed, they sometimes plunge Christians into obscurantism and infantilize them.

It is imperative for pastors to help these prayer groups understand what it means to be “ecclesial”.