1- Introduction: Lead story
Soon after being ordained a Bishop by Pope Paul VI on Kololo hill in Kampala in 1969, while still a young priest, and was entrusted with taking over Diocese after his predecessor, a Muzungu bishop of the Missionaries of Africa (popularly known as White Fathers), Bishop Polycarp (a pseudonym – and by the way all the names in this article will be pseudonyms, to protect the identity of those being mentioned), rallied around him people who would help him smoothly govern the Diocese. Among those he chose and groomed is Blaise Katete, whom he gave the means, including material help, to train as an Architect. Katete studied and qualified as a competent Architect, and was employed by the Diocese, with an office, to make plans for the buildings and all to do with construction in the Diocese, a job he did faithfully and competently for close to 30 years until he retired. Blaise was a devout Catholic and a faithful son of the Church, respected by his Bishop and a cross- section of both Catholic folks and those outside the Church. Some time during his career, he got married in the Catholic Church and engendered a number of children, whom he and his wife raised Catholics. In fact, if one of his sons had not gotten involved in a motor accident and died, he would probably have continued his studies and formed to become a Catholic priest, taking after his maternal uncle, who was a priest. Unfortunately, this Seminarian’s life was cut shot, when the lorry transporting seminarians returning from a triumphant football competition was hit by another truck carrying Coca Cola crates on one of the fateful evenings, and the son died on the spot! His uncle also later took sick and died. In spite of the above double tragedy, one can have an idea of how devout and religious the family of Katete was.
However, as if the the tragic death of his son, and his brother in law were not enough, somewhere in mid life, and out of the blue, the life of Katete took an unexpected about turn that left him further frustrated and devastated. His wife quit the Catholic Church and joined one of the mushrooming Pentecostal Churches. And as it usually happens, the wife persuaded some of the children to join the Church she had embraced; however some of the other children stuck to their guns and chose to remain in the Catholic Church, the faith in which they had been raised, and to which their father was a strong and committed devotee. Naturally the family was divided! And after that Katete’s life was never the same again!
Even though Katete hung onto his religion of birth, he started living a shadowy life, walking around like a scarecrow, surrounded by a veil of gloom on his face. When the time of his retirement came around, he was given his gratuity (a package of appreciation for the work well done over the years). But perhaps, considering the mess that surrounded his family life, retirement wasn’t the best choice life could offer him at that stage in his life. Katete came face to face with the sour reality of witnessing groups of Evangelical radicals that his wife constantly invited to the home, praying and singing in strange ways, which Katete greatly detested, but towards which he could do nothing, since his wife prevailed over him.
It therefore came as no surprise that Katete got a massive stroke, from which he never recovered, in spite of the medical consultations with, and treatment from various medical specialists. Katete eventually died, a sad man.
At his funeral, which the writer attended, the whole atmosphere was a fiasco: the scene left many with an eerie and ugly feeling, to see a Catholic Bishop who had been Katet’s trainer, employer and mentor, seated in the congregation, while a self-styled Reverend conducting a funeral service, preaching a message that every attendant at the funeral could see was overboard and incoherent with the message of the Good news. The prayers and the singing were out of this world. And as Katete’s coffin was being lowered into the grave, many people were crying tears, not for the loss of Katete, since he had finally come to rest, but for the family that he had left behind – divided by Katete’s wife. Even though the children tried to brave it, one could read in their faces a sense of loss and troubling confusion. There were lots of question marks on their faces: Mom, why did you do this to us? Why, why, why... and what’s the worst next? Many people still suspect that Katete’s untimely illness and death were precipitated by multi-faceted tragedies, including his wife’s renunciation and apostasy from the Catholic Church. So, goes the story of Polycarp Katete!
There are several reasons and arguments that people pose justifying themselves for leaving the Catholic Church. The list is long, and we may not exhaust it in a short article like this one. But we shall attempt to identify some few crucial and key arguments, to which the reader may agree or may dispute. Perhaps it is from the background of some people abandoning the Catholic Church that John Maina wrote his book, “Who is Stealing our Sheep?” In his book, Maina postulates many arguments and reasons as to why some people apostasize, that is crossing from one religion to another – our emphasis in this paper is focused on the Catholic Church.
2- Attempts at Some Answers
a) The Argument based on the so-called the Catholic Church’s Rigidity
In the first place, a number of people who choose to leave the Catholic faith/religion allege that the Catholic Church has the tendency of being extra traditional, conservative and rigid in its structures, life of discipline and prayer life, to say the least. They say that instead of being a flexible church; that in many ways it is mostly a Church of “don’ts” and not of “dos”!
Some people for instance have issues with the Church’s hierarchy, right from the Holy See (the Pope and his entourage of Cardinals and Bishops). The discomfort emerges from the Church’s teaching about faith and moral/ethical issues, a case in point about contraception, abortion, and the right to life – where the stand view of the Church is “Roma locuta, causa finita (when Rome has spoken, the case is closed, without further discussion). Some Protestants and other Evangelical Churches, and their adherents even within the Catholic Church, posit that celibacy is a discipline that is harsh and severe on those who are “obliged” embrace it, and eventually end up not honouring it, telling from the aberrations and abuses that are currently rampant among the clergy – pedophilia and other hideous acts. Some of the critics, however, forget that such erroneous practices do not come as a result of the discipline of celibacy itself, but the mere inclination of human beings to sin. For, even such abuses are not uncommon among Pastors of other religious denominations who are married, and in families, where parents have been reported to engage in practices like incestuous relationships, fathers or mothers sexually abusing their children, and related abominations taking place in families and neighbourhoods.
Some people, moreover, are oblivious of the fact that “Practice makes perfect”, meaning that those who are used to having regular or frequent sexual activity, are bound to having a yearning for it, more than those who are unmarried. How can we quickly forget that Jesus, the Son of God, who was born from a family, chose not only to live a single chased life, and even taught that some people, those who can manage, embrace being eunuchs for the sake of the Kingdom (Matthew 19:12). How could St. Paul, a true Jew, a renowned theologian, choose not to marry, and go on to recommend celibacy for those who could manage it? “Yet, I wish that all men were as I myself am. However, each man has his own gift from God, one in this manner, and another in that” (1 Corinthians 7:7). He was even radical in his teaching: “But this I say, brethren, the time has been shortened, so that from now on those who have wives should be as though they had none...” (1 Corinthians 7:29). However, with time who knows, this discipline might later be lifted or at least adjusted, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the teaching Church.
Another area of contention is the Catholic teaching about polygamy. Basing on the Scripture, especially the Book of Genesis, Jesus’ teaching, and Church tradition, the Catholic Church has vehemently been at the forefront of upholding the discipline of monogamy, one man one wife. “For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24), a teaching that is reiterated and ‘stamped’ by Jesus himself (See Matthew 19:8; Mark 10:5). Actually, the discipline of monogamy was first largely embrace and even legalised in the Euro-American societies, even though behind curtains some elements of successive polygamy (through numerous devices and re-marriages), still exist, much less simultaneous marriages (marrying many wives at the same time), all of which are constitutionally illegal in Western countries. However, in most African societies, both successive and simultaneous polygamy, plus concubinage are still widely practiced in African societies, sometime hideously or openly. And I suspect that is why conversions to Islam are on the increase, since Islam allows, polygamous marriage (at least up to four wives for a good Moslem. To say it bluntly, Islam tolerates, or is lax about polygamy, the reason why some Catholics or Christian women have resorted getting married to Moslems – a phenomenon that is on the increase in Africa, and Uganda is no exception.
Thus, since the Catholic Church forever upholds the institution of monogamous marriage, and insists that full participation in leadership circles be a reserve for those who are monogamous and receive sacraments, a number of Catholic believers who have “fallen by the wayside” (abari omu nshanga), find themeselves in cold. No wonder, some have opted to join other faiths that are less stringent on this discipline. Some religions accept to re-wed couples who once got married in the Catholic Church, even though such weddings would, in the strict sense be called valid marriages. As an aside, even some religious denominations re-baptise believers who join their Churches, even though the Sacrament of Baptism is meant to be once and for all, since it leaves an indelible character on the candidate – what an aberration!
Another issue on which some Catholics point an accusing finger on the Catholic Church is the matter of mixed marriages. It seems the Catholic Church is the single Institution where Catholic women or men are required to have a dispensation to get married to a person from another religion; and even then the Catholic Church puts on the couple the obligation of signing a document that after engaging in a mixed marriage, the couple have to make sure that their children are baptised in the Catholic Church, a rule that some denominations rebuff, and do not always respect. They include such a measure among those things on which the Catholic Church is rigid.
The Sacrament of Confession or Reconciliation has also come under public scrutiny by other Christian Churches. They object the need of having a mediator between God and His people in the confession of their sins. The opponents and protestors against private confessions to a priest, and who advocate for public confessions in testimony, often quote St. James: “Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much” (James 5:16); and again, as James says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and cleans us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Thus the claim is that forgiveness of sin, does not necessitate a priest, moreover, a “human being, also a sinner, to listen to the sins and faults of a penitent to be forgiven by God. Obviously this mentality contravenes the legacy and mandate given to Peter, the Apostles and their successor, regarding the forgiveness of sins. To Peter, Jesus said, “I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:18; see also Isaiah 22:22), and the Lord does not set boundaries on this mandate, both for him and those with whom he shares governance of the Church. Again, to the Apostles, and those that would share the administrative powers, Jesus said: “If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained” (John 20:23). So those who criticise the Catholic Church and say that there is no need for private confessions, are proved wrong by Scripture; and they should not use it as a reason for quitting the Catholic Church. Moreover, it has happened that in some of the Protestant and Evangelical Churches, open confessions have ended up becoming a source of conflict and disharmony in their congregations.
Another reason which those who quit the Catholic Church and chose alternative faith beliefs is the allegation that the Catholic Church is too demanding, especially financially, which ends up creating “donor fatigue”. There is a fee to be paid by those who seek to be baptised, or to have their children baptised; there is a fee levied on those to receive the Sacrament of Confession; a fee required of couples to get married... These are on top of the regular tithe demanded from each baptised Catholic, if not seasonally, annually. “The financial demand is endless,” they complain. Yet when they go to other Churches they are required to pay at least 10 percent of their belongings or savings, annually. In the Mormon faith, adherents to this faith belief have to sacrifice a lot of their material belongings to contribute to that religion. Actually, the Catholic Church is labelled for being notoriously being the Church of the poor. Therefore, those who leave it may have to think of another argument as to why they quit its membership. So, the Catholic Church is often labelled by the quitters as a rigid Church; but is it?
At any rate it is in the face of such criticisms and accusations that Karl Barth, a German theologian challenged the Catholic Church to revisit its nature and mission: “Ecclesia semper reformanda est” (a Latin expression for “the Church must always be reformed”, often – as usual in Latin – shortened to Ecclesia semper reformanda), a phrase first greatly popularised by the said German theologian in 1947, allegedly deriving from a saying of St. Augustine. It refers to the conviction of certain Reformed Protestant theologians that the Church must continually re-examine itself in order to maintain its purity of doctrine and practice. (See http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecclesia_semper_reformanda_est).
Objectively speaking, the Catholic Church is one of the major religions that has given a good example of being at the forefront of reading the “signs of the times” and adjusted accordingly amidst life’s changes, from one generations to the other. The Catholic Church is always reforming, following the dream of St. Augustine of Hippo, to whom we referred earlier. One of the radical reforms was ushered in by Vatican Council II, which became a turning point in the history of the Catholic Church. With Vatican Council II a lot of changes were introduced in the Catholic Church, symbolised by the priest at Mass facing the people, instead of facing the wall: the Catholic Church became a Church which faces the people and dialogues with them, rather than one whose priest faces the sanctuary and leads them to God, without looking them in the face. With Vatican Council II, the Church opened up to having other languages be used in liturgy and Church life, hand to hand with Latin which still remains the official language in the Catholic Church, but mainly used in the official publication of the Holy See’s pronouncements. The Church became open to the use of native languages in liturgical dress and celebrations. It allowed the translation of the Word of God (the Bible), into other languages other than Latin. The hierarchy (through Episcopal Conferences of Bishops) was given more powers to govern local Churches, following customary laws, according to the principle of subsidiality, as the guidelines they pass do not contravene the Commandments of God and the laws of the Universal Church. Vatican Council II opened so many doors, and in some circles was criticised for going to the extreme. There is no other Church or faith belief that has ever taken that extra mile in adjusting to the needs of the various cultural traditions on this earth we call home. It seems to me Protestant reformation stopped at cutting the Protestant Church and its siblings from the traditional Catholic Church, but up to recently (at least in Uganda), many aspects in those Churches have remained the same. Islam is adamantly stuck to the Koran, which is written and read in Arabic; even cycle of their feasts are followed in the manner their ancestors celebrated them. So if anyone uses the argument of quitting the Catholic Church, allegedly because it is rigid and not flexible, should realise how much this Church continues to be adaptable and flexible, to cater for the needs of the different cultures of its members, within the changing circumstances.
b) The Argument based on the Alleged Scandals in the Church
Towards the end of the year 1990, a priest happened to be asked to be part of the preparatory team for the meeting of Bishops. At that time, Patrick Mwesigwa (also a pseudonym), was still a seminarian still in formation towards being a Catholic priest. When the meeting came about, a number of religious congregations were asked to release nuns to be part of the pool that would would help take care of the Bishops and other members who had come to participate in the meeting of Bishops. The areas of work in which the nuns would get involved included preparing for and facilitation in the preparations for the liturgy, housekeeping, and catering (ensuring that the Bishops and the attendants of the Conference), making sure that good meals were served, and several other sectors. It is during that Conference that Seminarian Patrick Muhereza came to meet and become friends with one of the nuns. Even though the nun could not make it to the diaconal ordination ceremony of Muhereza, she managed to come and visit him soon after. The newly ordained deacon received her with delight, took her to his home, introduced her to his family, events that sealed the bond of friendship, not only between Muhereza, but also with members of his family.
A year later, when Muhereza had been ordained a priest and posted in one of the institutions to teach, the brother to his nun friend also came and paid Muhereza a visit. Muhereza and that brother to the nun friend had delightful company, visiting other friends of Muhereza, including taking him to Muhereza’s home, where they spent some days merry making. Mark Lukwago’s visit (his names are also pseudonyms), would later result into a long lasting relationship: he later got married to a niece of Muhereza!
Fast forward, Muhereza who was at the time studying abroad, on the America continent where Lukwago had managed to go for eye treatment and stayed, and later became a citizen, happened to go back home to Uganda, his motherland. During that brief visit, Muhereza was asked by Lukwago to travel on the same plane with Joy Kihembo (also a pseudonym) his lover, and bring her to Lukwago, and witness to their wedding before returning to his (Muhereza’s) place of further studies. From that moment Muhereza and Lukwago’s bond of friendship became even deeper. Later, Lukwago’s sister also came to the United States, where his brother Lukwago was by then a permanent resident. And the nun chose to quit religious life and remain in the States with her brother, and the niece to Muhereza to whom Lukwago had gotten married. It was natural for Muhereza to frequently travel from the neighbouring country, Canada, where he was studying to pay courteous and friendly visits to Lukwago’s family, where former Sr. Suzanne was staying. The intimate love and relationship between Fr. Muhereza and Suzanne soon became a source of controversy. Lukwago gradually misinterpreted their dealings as love affair that was scandalous, even when that relationship had nothing to do with any sexual involvement. As a result, and with time, basing on false allegations, Lukwago decided to quit the Catholic Church, alleging that the the relationship between Muhereza and Suzanne was a source of scandal and a bad example to him, his wife and two children. Lukwago then joined one of the interdenominational non-commital Churches. The sad thing is that he forced his wife and children also to quit the Catholic faith and join that Church – even though Lukwago continually denied that he had left the Catholic Church, but that if was only a by-pass religion. He insisted that if his wife and children later attain the age of majority (if they became 18, that is), and chose to return to the Catholic Church, it would be their choice. To date Lukwago and his family allegedly live happily in the United States, and practice the faith that is not of their family background. The strange thing is that Lukwago was born and raised Catholic, by devout Church goers. He studied mostly in Catholic schools and institutions. He at one time had the desire to become a cleric, or at least a religious Brother. Is it not therefore a shame that Lukwago would renounce the faith of his ancestors and choose some strange religion?!
Lukwago is not the only person who alleges that scandal and bad example lead some people to quit the Catholic faith: “since leaders who are supposed to lib rsn upright life do not, we are out of here!” they say! It is true that there have been occasions of scandal in the Catholic Church, a phenomenon that has sometimes marred her image. It is an undeniable fact that from the time of the Apostles, scandal has has continually happened, and will still continue. Peter, the Prince of the Apostles, who later became the first Pontiff of the Catholic Church, denied his Master. During the crisis of Jesus’ arrest and eventual crucifixion, Peter denied him: “I know not of this man,” Peter said when he was cornered by a servant girl (Luke 22:57; read the whole story of denial in Luke 22:55-60). Judas Iscariot, also one of the Twelve betrayed his Master. The Gospels are rife with accounts of Judas Iscariot’s betrayal of Jesus, the man from his own inner circle, who lived, walked along with him, and shared meals with him at table (John 13:46), was the one who later betrayed him with a kiss (Luke 22:46-48). Are those cases empty of grave scandal?
There is no doubt that in the Gospels, Jesus condemns scandal, especially towards the little ones, the innocent: “...but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea” (Matthew 18:6; Mark 9:42). Of course scandalous life in the Church has led many believers to stumble. But the Catholic Church is not unique in this regard; scandals have happened and continue to happen even in other Christian Churches and other faith beliefs. Therefore, I find it a lame excuse for one to leave the Catholic religion, or even another Church, simply because he or she has had a bad experience in a particular religion. As I always say, “Better the devil you know than the angel you don’t know!” There are testimonies galore from those who had quit the Catholic faith, saying that their experience of leaving the Catholic faith was like “jumping from the boiling pot to throw themselves in live fire embers!”
I personally believe there are several reasons as to why some have chosen to leave the Catholic faith. For some, it is because of their soul cry for a religion that can satisfy their hunger and search for meaningful existence on this cosmos. For some it is frustration: having tried this and that by human efforts and failed, they begin shopping around for any type of “salvation” that comes around. For others it is an attempt to escape from the unfairness and bitterness of life, having tried this and that avenue that has not worked out for them. A good example is that one of Lukwago, whom we referred to earlier: he lost his father when he was still a baby/child; he was raised by his mother, together with his other siblings in very difficult circumstances and dire need; he lost his sight in the middle of adolescence, and actually sat for his O’Level (fourth year of high school) examinations using Braille as a totally blind student, although he was later rescued by a by a religious priest who sponsored him and took him abroad to have his cornea replaced through an eye transplant, so much so that he was able to regain his sight and sit for his A’Level (sixth year of high school); his very and only brother died in unexplainable circumstances; two of his sisters who were nuns have quit religious life; his mother passed away, surrounded by whispers of murder allegedly engineered by one of her daughters....Why would such a man not panic and rummage around for some religion that would bring him peace of mind?
I know of some clergy men, and some religious women who left the Catholic Church out of ambition. There are some of those who hoped to be raised higher in the rungs of the Catholic Church, but unfortunately could not make it; so they quit their Church and started other sects, ending up in disastrous circumstances. One of the sects still lives on in Uganda; no one is sure how the leaders and its adherents will end up!
Someone wrote an article saying that when you hear of a priest who has left the Catholic faith, “chercher la famme”, meaning that oftentimes it is because that man most probably had a woman in his life, with whom he fell in love and to whom he committed his life, so that they get married. This usually happens when someone is struggling with the discipline and virtue of celibacy. Some religious nuns also end up getting pregnant out of suspicious and clandestine relationahips, perhaps innocently trapped into relationships, not premeditated, but something like “accidents” in life! So, if such persons end up succumbing to the temptation of quitting the Catholic Church, one would not be surprised.
c) The message of the Cross: a stumbling block
The message of embracing the cross, preached by Christianity, especially in the Catholic Church is a source of scare to many. Yet, Jesus’ words are stack and clear: “And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. Mark 8:35 For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it” (Mark 8:34-38; Luke 9:23). St. Paul reiterated Jesus’ words saying that 1 Corinthians 1:21 “For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (1 Corinthians 1:21-25).
While other faith beliefs, including Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism, continually preach the religion of peace, empty of the message of the cross, Catholicism has continually emphasised the message of “No cross, no resurrection!” And while the Protestant religions have preferred to use the cross with no corpus on it, alleging that Christ died and rose from the dead, and therefore there should be no icon of Jesus on the cross, the Catholics have rightly maintained having a crucifix, that is the cross with an image of the crucified Saviour on it. Even earlier than the time of Jesus, Jeremiah had this to say: “The prophet who prophesies of peace, when the word of the prophet comes to pass, then that prophet will be known as one whom the Lord has truly sent" (Jeremiah 28:9).
The cross is not just an image; it is real! The experience of life has shown that the cross is not just wood; it is an on-going, sometimes excruciating struggle. Therefore, the religions that preach peace without struggle seem to “empty the message of the cross”, as St. Paul says. Yet, that is the kind of life that prefer to seek in other religions: easy life, devoid of the cross! They forget that suffering and pain are part and parcel of life; even the Son of God had to go through this reality. So, if some Christians quit the Catholic faith, hoping to take refuge in religions that preach peace and not the cross, they may end up being disillusioned and frustrated. The cross is real, and they had better embrace it to the end of their lives.
d) The Hunger and Search for Greener Pastures
In the Book entitled the Confessions of St. Augustine there is written the following phrase: “Lord, you have made us for yourself, and our hearts cannot rest until they rest in you.” The human heart has been endowed with the hunger and longing/craving to search for meaning and satisfaction, that can never be satisfied by any realities or life’s struggles here on earth. This hunger is often expressed in religious circles, through institutional and emerging faith traditions.
In the attempt to satisfy the said hunger, some people have taken issue with and criticised the Catholic Church’s celebration of the liturgy and the preaching of the Word of God. Its critics say that Catholic liturgy tends to be mere routine, formulas and prayers repeated over and over again, year after year. The liturgy and celebration of the Sacraments end up being boring and lack deep meaning. In addition, clerical preachers in the Catholic Church, some people claim are too formal: their homilies, sermons, and preaching lack spontaneity and depth; they are not down to earth and are often irrelevant to contemporary situations, an approach that leaves a void in the hearts of the listeners. Is it therefor a wonder that some Catholics run to other Churches where Church Services and preaching are more charismatic, vibrant, and adapted to contemporary circumstances?
Other critics of the Catholic Church have expressed dissatisfaction and frustration against the methodology of preaching in the Church. They claim that the Catholic Church leadership tends to be detached from the members of their congregations and Church attendants. The clergy’s manner of relating with the worshipers and Church goers tends to be indifferent, lacking connection and warmth towards worshippers. Church attendants last see the priest at the altar, after after Mass or any other ceremonies, the priest disappears in the sacristy through the sanctuary as the worshippers disperse and head to their homes. The priest rarely comes out to greet his flock after Church, to chat with them, so that he gets to know who is who, and they to get close to him and develop some kind of pastoral affection with him. In the end, to most Church goers the priest remains a superstructure individual, the holy man of God who keeps a ‘sacred’ space between himself and his sheep! He never gets to “smell the sheep’s odour; the shepherd should smell like his sheep,” Pope Francis says to the Clergy, recommending a pastoral intimacy between them and the flock entrusted under their care.
Is this not part of the reason that has led some Catholics to leave the Catholic faith and ran to other Evangelical Churches, where the pastors show more interest and affection towards the members of their flock? As Jesus says, “I know my sheep and my sheep know me; my sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they know me...”(John 10:15, 27). It is very true that the pastors of the Protestant Churches make an effort to get close to their adherents in various ways; their approach is more affectionate and caring. That’s what any church goers looks for in his pastor. So, why would some Catholics not turn to the religions where pastors care?
Furthermore, in the English language there is a saying, “A friend in need, is a friend indeed!” It is true that the Catholic Church leaders have a big heart and offer charitable services towards the poor who knock at their doors seeking for material and spiritual help – that is an undeniable fact. The Catholic Church is often ladled “the Church of the poor!” However, some Catholic leaders have sometimes, out of routine, forgotten Jesus’ Parable on judgement. Let us quote it en masse: “I was hungry and you fed me, thirsty and you gave me a drink; I was a stranger and you received me in your homes, naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you took care of me, in prison and you visited me... The King will reply, ‘I tell you, whenever you did this for one of the least important of these members of my family, you did it for me!’ I was hungry but you would not feed me, thirsty but you would not give me a drink; I was a stranger but you would not welcome me in your homes, naked but you would not clothe me; I was sick and in prison but you would not take care of me.’ “Then they will answer him, ‘When, Lord, did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and would not help you? The King will reply, ‘I tell you, whenever you refused to help one of these least important ones, you refused to help me.” (Matthew 25:31-46)
The celebration of the Sacraments by Catholic clergy aside, there is a feeling, right or wrong, against that some Catholic priests, that a number of them have failed to “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15). Yet, Reverends from other Church denominations set no boundaries, when it comes to the questions of reaching out to the suffering member, regardless of their faith beliefs: they find them on the streets, in the homes, in hospital, in prisons...visit with them and pray over them. Catholics should not be oblivious of the fact that crowds followed Jesus in multitudes, why? Because he cared to single out individuals in need of consolation and reach out to them, bringing them healing and wellbeing. And humans will naturally follow the religion where its leaders have a caring heart. Some people have again postulated that that is another reason why some Catholics leave their Church to join other Protestant, Pentecostal and mushrooming evangelical Churches, where they get caring consolation and healing. Where are you Catholic leaders in this regard? Is it not time to hit the breast and repent of the sin of neglect for the sheep? Unless the Catholic Church leaders revisit their pastoral methodology, she will continue losing her members who go to other Churches in search of greener pastures.
e) The Methodology and Influence of other Faith Beliefs as Motivation for some to leave the Catholic Church
While one should certainly appreciate the influence and contribution of other Churches, especially in terms of teaching the Catholics to value the virtue of preaching the Word, and being a little more spontaneous in approach, it is also an undeniable fact that some of those faith beliefs have continually survived on critiquing the practices of the Catholic faith. Instead of preaching the Good News, some Churches have opted to draw crowds to themselves dwelling on the so-called weaknesses they allege are rampant in the Catholic faith. For instance, other Christian Churches accuse the Catholic goers of idolatry. “Catholics adore images,” something that is condemned in the Old Testament. Yahweh says to the people of Israel, “Deuteronomy 32:21 'They have made Me jealous with what is not God; They have provoked Me to anger with their idols. So I will make them jealous with those who are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation...” (Deuteronomy 32:21; 29:17; Leviticus 19:4; 26:1; 30). Such are the kind of quotations other Christian Churches use to attack the Catholics, alleging that they are idolators, worshipping images that Scripture abhors. Yet they forget one incident in the life of Israelites: when they were faced with a threat of poisonous snakes biting them, after they had complained against God. The Lord instructed Moses to mould an image that would save those bitten by the serpents. It is important that this text is quoted en messe: “The people spoke against God and Moses, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this miserable food.” The Lord sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. So the people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned, because we have spoken against the Lord and you; intercede with the Lord, that He may remove the serpents from us." And Moses interceded for the people. Then the Lord said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he will live." And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived.” (Numbers 21:5-9).This Israelite experience is later recounted by Jesus himself. It is useful that we again recall the Israelite experience from the lips of Jesus himself: “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:14-18). Certainly, in looking at the bronze serpent, the Israelites in the desert were not contravening Yahweh’s law, but were doing so, not as an act of worship, but an opportunity the Lord had given them for survival. The Israelites were not worshipping the serpent as their god, but as a medical remedy.
So, if Catholics reverence (not worship) icons of Jesus, Blessed Virgin Mary and the Saints, they are not doing so as an act of worship, but honouring representations of the God and the holy people they believe can lead them to wellbeing and connect to their God. So, should this be a matter of contention that would lead a Catholic to abandon his faith and embrace another religion? Certainly by wearing rosaries and using them to pray, Catholics do not worship Mary, but they do ask for her intercession to lead them to her Son, Jesus our Saviour.
We already hinted on the fact that the Catholic Church being traditional and institutional, simply because it is built on the foundation of the Apostles. What is wrong with that? Any Church that is merely founded on charismatic leadership is heading for doom: when its leader goes, that Church’s survival is compromised as well. When any Church ceases to recognise leadership and structure, that Church ends up being in disarray. If some people or religions are uncomfortable with the Catholic Church with the Pope as its head, quit the Catholic Church, and seek alternatives that tend not to have hierarchy and institutional structure, let them go; so be it!
f) “I am Coming Home!” Testimonies from Returnees
Many of us are familiar with the Parables of Jesus about the coin, the lost sheep, and the return of the prodigal son. Let us quote these in full: “So He told them this parable, saying, "What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety- nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbours, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!' I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. "Or what woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbours, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost!' In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents" (Luke 15:3-9). To this parable, Jesus adds another one on the the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32). The emphasis of these parables is on restoration after loss, and return after being lost.
One should not be quick to judge or even condemn those who quit the Catholic Church, to embrace other alternative faiths. We must realise that we are all on the path of the search for meaning in life. If one does not find meaning or satisfaction in one faith tradition, he or she has the freedom to move to another faith belief to satisfy the hunger and thirst of his/her life. But it has happened that after searching, and shopping around here and there, some have chosen to make an about turn and come back to the Catholic faith, their original religion and birthplace! Whenever I meet such people, either in the confessional or in other avenues, who say “I am coming back to my Catholic religion,” my spontaneous message to them is “Welcome home!” What a joy! To me such peoples’ return fulfils what Jesus explicitly said, “I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd” (John 10:16).
g) A Case for Unity of Believers
One crucial thing for which Jesus vehemently prayed, before his ascension to heaven, is the unity of Christians: “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me” (John 17:20-21). We may not hope for a united Church in the near future, but we have to continue to believe, keep on praying and hope for the desire of Jesus, to have unity of Christians fulfilled.
3- Conclusion
The stories of Blaise Katete and Mark Lukwago have a lot to teach and challenge us about our commitment to our faith. We must remember that Jesus’ love for us endures, even when we are blown left and right by the winds of the world, seeking for meaning and fulfilment in life. That is why I treasure the words of St. Paul, with which I wish to conclude this article – for there is nothing that can separate us from God’s love. “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, "For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered."But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the ove of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:31-39).
Fr. Bonaventure Turyomumazima
Nyabuhama – Biharwe
Monday, 12 August 2019