07/09/2026
WEEKLY PERSPECTIVE | We Can Move Mountains
We start with a question. Can anyone say that the Church has not done much? Certainly, one cannot. The Church has done much; she has done so much, but that much is not enough given her ability, her endowment, her influence and her moral strength which are acknowledged, respected and feared by those seeking to be gods of men.
A good example is the not-too-long visit of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria to President Bola Tinubu during which the President was told the truths he would rather not hear. Unfamiliar and unexpected, their message remains the greatest gift to Nigeria and Nigerians in the past decade. It ranks with such great courage as the concession of President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015. All attempts by presidential spokespersons acolytes, and followers of anything in power, at challenging those truths fell just flat.
Not just this time, but for decades, the Catholic Church in Nigeria remains the only credible and consistent moral compass of a nation in distress. Prayer for Nigeria in Distress is a magnificent articulation of love, concern, contrition, hope and caution. It is a music of love. Also in Congo, in Guinea, in Cameroons, in Benin Republic, the Church sided with the people against the powers of mighty rulers.
So, what then is left to do? To answer the question, let us move the way of another proverb which teaches that blood will remain on the fingernails for as long as lice remain in the head. The Church cannot give up on humanity. She cannot give up on the weak who are being crushed by the powerful.
Who else will rescue humanity from the punishment of uncaring leaders? From removal of all things that make life easier for communities and individuals? From insane accumulation of stolen wealth while millions get poorer and many are giving up? No one should hold the knife and hold the yam: but who else can, and will, face the one who has the knife and the yam? Who else?. Thank God for the Church in Nigeria.
Therefore, let us praise the Church and appeal for more. It is a matter of a yin ni ke’ni o se omiran. Appreciation begets more good deeds. The reward for the good that the Church has done is more work.
The Church needs to get even stronger if she is to continue being effective. Such strengthening must begin inwards. We must rise to our challenges. As the body of Christ, we need to embrace and deepen what Cardinal Sarah calls the “Spirit of listening and dialogue”.
The clergy need to embrace dialogue with fellow priests and dialogue with the lay faithful. To be effective, dialogue must be respectful. It needs to be fruitful. It must be focused. It should lead to decision making that advances collective action. A one-way stream of communication cannot pass for effective communication. Synodality should be accepted and it should be demonstrated in practical manifestation.
The Universal Church is doing much to advance such needed communication. The second Vatican Council, documents such as Apostolicum Actuositatem, Lumen Gentum, Ecclesia in Africa, all point laypersons as well as clergy to embrace the opportunities for effective participation and collaboration in the salvific mission of Christ. There is only one ministry; Christ’s Ministry. It is the vineyard welcoming all that are willing.
At the local level, priests, nuns, laymen have a long history of collaboration. Councils, commissions, and committees have drawn membership from clergy and laymen. Yet, we can do more, until our more is enough.
The local clergy boasts of men who have received effective formation, who are highly educated not only in philosophy and theology, but in various fields of learning. Still, they do not possess all the skills required to navigate today’s environment. Neither do lay persons. Alone, the clergy can gather stones; alone, the laity can dig holes. Together we can move mountains.
The Church, with her over two thousand years of history and tradition, her contributions to human advancement, her universality and her sheer number and influence, has never been silent and cannot be silenced in the face of challenges facing the entire human race.
-Ayo Fasoro
Non Sum Dignus
