By Fr. Anthony Godonu and Neta Nwosu
A major editorial to be published in this Sunday’s edition of The Catholic Herald is expected to reignite national conversation over the role of the Catholic Church in Nigeria’s democracy following the Presidency’s criticism of John Cardinal Onaiyekan over his comments on the recent meeting between President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN).
The editorial, titled “Silencing the Bishops? Why the Presidency Is Wrong on Cardinal Onaiyekan,” examines far more than the exchange between the Presidency and the Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja.
Instead, it raises a fundamental national question:
Can the Church still speak truth to power without being accused of partisanship?
Drawing extensively from Catholic Social Teaching, Vatican documents, the history of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria and democratic principles, the editorial explores the prophetic mission of bishops, the constitutional place of independent moral institutions and the responsibilities of governments in responding to criticism.
It also revisits decades of CBCN communiqués under successive military and civilian administrations to ask whether the Nigerian bishops have ever departed from their longstanding tradition of holding every government accountable according to the same moral standards.
The forthcoming editorial further reflects on the increasingly confrontational style of political communication in Nigeria and whether democratic governments strengthen or weaken themselves by responding to criticism through personal attacks rather than engagement with the issues raised.
Without taking partisan positions, The Catholic Herald asks whether disagreement with government should automatically attract allegations of political motivation whenever concerns are raised by respected national institutions.
The editorial also draws upon Scripture, the Second Vatican Council, the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, Canon Law and the teachings of recent Popes to explain why the Church has consistently regarded speaking on issues of justice, poverty, human dignity, elections, peace and governance as part of her evangelical mission.
As debate continues across the country over the relationship between faith and politics, Sunday’s editorial promises to provide a thoughtful, historically grounded and deeply reflective contribution to one of Nigeria’s most important public conversations.
Readers can find the full editorial in the Sunday, August 10 edition of The Catholic Herald, www.catholicherald.org.
Very Rev. Fr. Anthony Godonu is the Director of Social Communications, Archdiocese of Lagos, and Director of The Catholic Herald, the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Lagos. Lady Neta Nwosu, LSM, an accomplished media practitioner, is the Editor of The Catholic Herald. They can be reached on 08060572439 and 08023390640, respectively.
