Of worship centres as campaign platforms

The admonition by Catholic bishops against the use of the pulpit for partisan politics is timely and speaks directly to the danger of using religion to promote political tension, or to engender hate speech in a way to undermine the polity. This despicable practice has lately become a regular habit of some clerics, much against the law and core religious principles; and it is only proper that religious leaders concerned be made to realise the folly of their action. Religion, in this instance the Church and the Mosque, certainly has a crucial role to play in checking the excesses of a bad government, or promoting the welfare of the people, but a line must be drawn between that role and flagrantly using places of worship for political campaigns.

As political campaigns takes on a frenzied dimension, with parties deploying every arsenal in their disposal to amass prospective voters, the use of religious leaders and worship centres as campaign spots is a development that should be discouraged if not totally condemned. For an already religiously polarised country, political campaigns of this order are capable of unimaginable catastrophic consequences.

Which is why recalling the warning by the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) to Catholic priests against the use of the pulpit for partisan politics speaks to this unfortunate event. Governor Hope Uzodinma, whose state capital, Owerri hosted the plenary meeting of the bishops’ conference, the other day, had also urged the church leaders to caution priests against the use of the pulpit for partisan politics.

The admonition of the Catholic bishops is very instructive both for the benefit of the polity and in safeguarding the constitutive nature of religion itself. Nigeria’s highly politically charged state and the way religion is being used in fanning the embers of hate, division and fear, gives credence to the bishops’ statement. The groundswell effect speaks to the fusion of religion and partisan politics as a dangerous recipe for disintegration.

Furthermore, the essential nature of religion as a relationship between man and a supreme being, makes religion a spiritual and private matter since there are many avenues to expressing that relationship. On this ground, the priest or cleric is primarily spiritual, namely, to announce the good news of salvation, and not to become conduits for the agendas of politicians.

However, while the intrigues and bickering over power that characterise partisan politics should be left to the politicians, the spiritual work of salvation also has social and political implications. While the pulpit should not be used for political campaigns, proclaiming the word of God is relevant to upholding justice, truth and peace. In history, political consciousness, faith-based social engagement and even violent uprisings against the status quo have arisen as a result of the interpretation of this gospel verse. The often cited case of Liberation Theology, where a radical Marxist inclined section of the clergy in South American countries mobilised the people and took up arms, is classic example. Owing to obnoxious policies leading to pressing societal and political problems, priests felt a moral duty to speak up and save the masses from further strangulation.

Put in proper context, while it may be surprising that the Catholic bishops warned against the use of the pulpit for politicking as if re-echoing Mr. Uzodinma’s directives to the bishops, it is not inconsistent with the social doctrines of the church to be involved in political matters affecting the people. Various encyclicals and recent pastoral letters from recent popes encourage the faithful to be actively and pro-actively involved in politics.

Given the foregoing analysis, the social conditions and political issues in Nigeria should warrant commentary from priests as leaders in the society. They ought not to be aligned to political parties or particular candidates, but they should be bothered and critical of social malaise, structural injustice, political ineptitude, systemic moral deficiency and financial mismanagement in the system. There are lots of atrocious and despicable happenings going on in the system. Impunity has taken over the place because there is no one to justifiably enforce the law; politicians are engaged in self-seeking adventures to the criminal impoverishment of the people; everyone has become a law unto himself and the country is paying dearly for it. Leaders, be they priests or community actors, should not turn a blind eye on this; they should be critical of them and be able speak on behalf of the people.

This country is blessed with lots of outspoken clerics that speak truth to power without being linked to partisan politics. Many of them have been greatly admired and others have been misunderstood and vilified. But in their social engagement and prophetic role, the priests must ensure that they do not become tools in the hands of politicians. Nigerians are aware of self-acclaimed clerics whose public political allegiance changes according to the direction of the pecuniary call.

Since the greater import of the CBCN and Uzodinma’s caution border on the separation of religion and state, the primary meaning of that separation is directed at the state. Being the culmination of society, the state, as an aggregation of social multiples and differences, has no business putting up a religion or favouring one religion against another. In the same vein, to avoid conflict of interests, the new Electoral Act prohibits use of religious centres for political campaigns, just as the law forbids politicians promoting themselves in religious places.

It follows also from the separation of religion and state thesis that a religion cannot also put up a state for it is below the state in the hierarchy of society. It is therefore inelegant and ignoble when religious leaders, whether Muslims or Christians, use the mosques and churches for political campaigns or to endorse parties or to denigrate candidates.

Nevertheless, while clerics should not give a bad name to a noble calling, there is nothing morally wrong and legally reprehensible in condemning bad leadership with its negative effects on the polity. In fact, it is service to the country when genuine and concerned clerics come out, as the conscience of the people, to courageously speak truth to power.