The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Hassan Kukah and the leadership of the Order of Catholic Knights of St. Mulumba of Nigeria, have expressed concern over the rapid decline in family values and the extended effect on the stability of marriages and the society at large.
They also want urgent action against trends of social violence that thrive in the guise of “modernisation”, which they said result in human rights abuses and create disharmony among Christian homes.
These concerns were expressed at the 38th Supreme Council Convention of the Knights of St Mulumba, held at St. Leo’s Catholic Church, Ikeja, Lagos over the weekend.
The event, with the theme, “Family values, human rights and the challenges of modernisation in Nigeria” was attended by delegates from 240 sub-councils in the nine Metropolitan Councils of the Order across Nigeria.
Bishop Kukah who delivered the key note address titled, “The Catholic family and the crisis of modernity: Some thoughts on the future of Catholicism in Nigeria”, said the Catholic Church was threatened by the rapid influence of modernisation embraced by its members, warning that the trend portends threat to the stability of the Church, Christian homes and the society at large.
He maintained that the Catholic Church that had existed for over 2,000 years ought not to be pressured into submitting to trends of “modernisation” which today youth and other categories of worshippers embraced in response to societal challenges considered unhealthy to the Church.
Bishop Kukah, who anchored his speech on Ecclesiastes Chapter 1:1-6, noted that the crisis in today society stemmed from the failure by most people in understanding that life and all about it is Vanity.
“If we accept this proposition, namely that life itself can be summarised as Vanity, then the issue is to identify the coping mechanisms designed by any given generation to live out its challenges. It would mean that a society’s ability to survive the waves of change would be determined by what mechanisms or moral anchor it has designed to cope with the times”, he said.
The clergyman whose address dwelt on the nature of Catholic teaching on marriage, the greatest challenges the Catholic family faces today and some key teachings of the Catholic Church regarding the building of a good society, identified ways of coping with the unavoidable challenges that occur in the aftermath of modernisation.
“Marriage as a universal institution, has always been part of human existence, and has always been subjected to the strains of human civilization. In many societies, the rules and regulations on marriage are relaxed and subjected to time tested cultural norms and experiences.”
He drew attention to the concept of Catholic Marriage which he said derived its relevance from the distinctions known in the Catholic Church as the “properties of marriage”, including Unity and Indissolubility.
He explained that the distinct nature of every society has some influence on the “properties of marriage” and that the growing trend of modernization seems to have created conditions he described as severe and frivolous.
“Marriage as a universal institution, has always been part of human existence, and has always been subjected to the strains of human civilization. In many societies, the rules and regulations on marriage are relaxed and subjected to time tested cultural norms and experiences.
“Whether in Polygamy or Polyandry, marriage happened between male and female for the purpose of procreation. Since most societies have tended to be patriarchal, male superiority was too often taken for granted and divorce was at the instance of the man with conditions for it varying from the severe to the most frivolous.”
Addressing key challenges before today Catholic marriage, the Clergyman drew attention to the dangerous inroad of modernisation through the acceptance accorded to Biblically unacceptable practices such as divorce, same-sex marriage and immoral acts like pre-marriage sex and extra-marital acts.
Bishop Kukah said: “Today, we live in a world that hangs precariously on a balance. Nowhere is this manifested more clearly than the crisis that the human family now faces. The family is the first unit of society that suffers disproportionate violence when any society is in crisis.
Whether this crisis is economic, social, or political, the effects are the same: it is fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, sons or daughters that lose jobs, fight wars, or fall victims to social violence. Once the threads of family are torn, the larger society suffers the consequences severely.”
He described as astonishing the marriage vow that requires marriage partners to accept to be together with one another in good times and in bad times till death do them part. “This is an astonishing commitment to make, but commitment is what separates Catholic marriage from others which have exit clauses that tend to focus only on conveniences.”
“Catholics do not live in isolation. They occupy the same universe and face the same challenges that everyone else faces. The issue is how they should respond to these challenges in a dynamic, ever-changing world. In the face of these challenges, the Catholic Church’s teachings have come under severe assault both from its own members and from those outside the Church itself”, the clergyman said.
He said members must return to the words of scripture and follow the Catholic teachings on marriage as a way of warding off the challenges of modernization on families. He advised Catholic fateful to become more confident, return to the words of scripture, know the teachings of the Church, and insist on preaching the Word of God.
“This means that parents must find the time to educate their children on Catholic family values and prepare them for life in the larger society. We must begin this campaign and deliberately seek to make Catholic parenting and family values something to be cherished”, he stated.
Earlier, the Acting Supreme Knight of the Order of the Knights of St. Mulumba Nigeria, Sir Diamond Ovueraye, had told Journalists at the pre-Convention media briefing that the group had played supportive roles in restoring the decline in family values through evangelism, educational support and lectures.
Dignitaries that graced the occasion include the Ecclesiastical Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Adewale Martins and Bishop of Abeokuta Diocese, Peter Kayode Odetoyinbo. Lagos governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, was represented by a senior official of the state government, Mrs. Grace Ituesele.
