By Tony Adibe
The 4Th Enugu Diocesan Synod commenced on Sunday with the Catholic Bishop of the Diocese, Most Rev Dr. Callistus Onaga, declaring it open. The objective of the week-long synod is to address the challenge the church is facing, and to deepen the faith of the faithful in God Almighty, according to Onaga.
Thoroughly researched papers were presented by some Catholic scholars – papers that focused on deepening faith through proper catechesis, holistic education, utilising social media and Artificial Intelligence technology, as well as the appropriate formation of candidates for the Catholic Priesthood.
However, preaching the homily during the opening ceremony, held at the Holy Ghost Cathedral, Enugu, SouthEast, Nigeria, Bishop Onaga said the synod was scheduled to run for one week, from Sunday, November 16 to Saturday, November 22, 2025. Onaga recalled that on 19 May, 2024, he convoked the synod themed, “Faith & Practice In Enugu Diocese: Opportunities & Challenges,” and appointed Very Rev Fr. Prof. Christian Anieke, as Chairman of the Organising Committee.
A synod is an ecclesiastical assembly convened by a diocesan bishop to provide him with counsel on matters of faith, morals, and the discipline and mission of the local church, according to Onaga. He remembered that the First Enugu Diocesan Synod, convoked by the then Bishop, Most Rev Michael Eneja in 1983, was held from 26 to 29 April 1984 at the Parish Hall of Sacred Heart Parish, Uwani, in Enugu South Local Government Area within Enugu metropolis. He said that the Synod was themed, “Faith and Morals.”
He also recalled that the Second Synod, convoked by Most Rev. Anthony Gbuji on “Mission Sunday”, 22 October 2001, at the Holy Ghost Cathedral, took place at Sacred Seminary Nsude, in Udi Local Government Area with the theme, “Evangelisation and Renewal in the Church of Enugu Diocese in the Third Millennium: ‘You Shall be my Witnesses”(Acts 1:8).
Onaga said that the Third Synod of Enugu Diocese, convoked by Most Rev. Callistus Onaga, was held at St. Bernard Seminary Hostel, Nchatancha Nike, in Enugu East Local Government Area from 4 to 23 November 2013. The theme was “Renewing the Mission and Identity of the Church in Enugu Diocese at the Service of Integral Education, Reconciliation, and Human Development.”
He said that the Enugu Catholic Diocese has 545 priests, 53 Religious Bodies, and 14 new priests will be ordained next Saturday. That means the diocese would have 559 priests after the ordination on Saturday, all things being equal, NewsBits learnt.
Bishop Onaga outlined some challenges the church is battling, which included “social media and Artificial intelligence problems, youth empowerment, problem of burial rites, osu and ohu (caste system), and others. He said he was optimistic that the “synod will address the issues, and strengthen the church.”
Earlier, the chairman of the Synod planning committee, Very Rev. Fr. Prof. Christian Anieke (Relator General) in an opening remark, said: “Ten years after the Third Synod, and after prayerful reflection and extensive consultations. our Bishop, Most Rev. C.V.C. Onaga, convoked the Fourth Synod to open new doors of hope for fulfilling the Church’s mission in Enugu Diocese and to reflect on all forms of changes in society, especially as they affect the Church and practice of our faith.”
Anieke said that the Fourth Synod of Enugu Diocese, “gives us the opportunity to reflect on our practice of faith, inspiring awareness of the opportunities and challenges we face today in practising our faith.”
He further said: “Considering the enormous challenges in the practice of the Catholic faith in Enugu Diocese in recent times, His Lordship, Most Rev C.V.C. Onaga, on the Solemnity of Pentecost on 19 May 2024, convoked the Fourth Synod, which we are beginning today. The theme is “Faith and Practice in Enugu Diocese: Opportunities and Challenges”.
“The Fourth Synod was convoked against the backdrop of enormous challenges in practising the Catholic faith in the Enugu Diocese. Its goal, therefore, is to deepen our faith and address the numerous challenges as well as reveal the opportunities for practising the faith in the light of various topics and themes to be handled by many experts,” he explained.
According to him, “Just like moons and like suns, With the incredible determination to rise above challenges is an expression of faith by God’s people who continue their journey like St. Paul who was never daunted by all the hiccups he encountered while proclaiming the message of grace and love of Christ.
“Some of the challenges, include abuse of priestly powers, the burden of burial ceremonies in Igbo land, liturgical aberrations in the church, administration of sacraments to “Catholics” in polygamous marriages, the problem of osu and ohu (caste system) in our communities, challenges of Neo-paganism, anti-clerical tendencies in the church, proliferation of prayer centres and the crises of faith and contemporary gender ideology of the LGBTQ+ Movement”
Anieke said that the discussions during the Synod will give the people of God in Enugu Diocese the opportunity to draw closer to one another and listen to the “voice of the Holy Spirit (Rev 3:22), who reveals Himself in our prayerful reflection.”
Synods provide an enormous opportunity for prayer, discussion, sharing of views, engagement in dialogue, promotion of peace and reconciliation, and reflection on our faith and daily actions, Anieke said, adding: “They also serve as a platform to build collaborative structures that enable us to work and journey together with the entire people of God, who are the true foundation of an authentic ecclesial communion and mission.”
The Synod Committee Chairman advised all clergy and participants to use their “listening skills to make others feel welcomed and at ease in an atmosphere of Christian dialogue.” Anieke further said: ” As we commence this Fourth Synod, we expect to unearth fresh ways to strengthen and embody our faith while protecting it from stupendous challenges.
“It is also our prayer that all discussions during this synod will help participants clearly understand what will be presented and debated.” The Catholic Bishop of Ekwulubia Diocese, Anambra State, SouthEast, Nigeria, Peter Cardinal Okparaeke presented the first lecture entitled, “Fostering and Deepening Faith Through Proper and Holistic Education.”
Cardinal Okparaeke emphasised that the Church should intensify its efforts in providing pastoral support for catechism instructors and individuals experiencing a drift from their faith, through catechesis that emphasises understanding over rote memorisation. He was unhappy about the lack of commitment in evangelism on the part of lay members of the Church.
“You realise that most of our lay people feel alienated. They still have the mentality of ‘uka but uka Father’ (the teaching of the scripture/evangelism is the business of the Priest alone). But that’s a very bad mentality. They are not deeply committed to learn and deepen the teaching of the gospel. It’s lack of commitment. And I begin to ask what makes the lay faithful feel somewhat shy of defending the faith?,” Okpalaeke said, adding: “We spend almost a decade in the seminary undergoing formation. The religious spend a number of years undergoing formation, yet we do not turn out faith-filled firebrands at ordination or profession. I ask, how much faith is there in the members?”
Okparaeke equally highlighted the need for consistent moral instruction in all schools, as a way of “deepening our faith” in God. According to him, children are the most important guests in the church. He called for proper upbringing of children noting that” a solid foundation laid in childhood endures”. He advised parents and guardians to listen to the children, hear them out, and train them well in order to inculcate good values in them, build their faith in Gof and build a better society.
He also spoke on catheisism and priests, maintaining that if a priest is not a good man, “he will find it difficult to be a good priest.” The Cardinal stressed the need to support teachers and formators in the seminaries while promoting an environment conducive to the training of candidates for the Catholic priesthood, who will subsequently serve to catechise and deepen the faith of the people of God.
Delivering a lecture on “AI and Social Media,” Director, Information Communications Technology, (ICT) Godfrey Okoye University Enugu, Dr. Chinedu Chibuzor, advocated for integration of social media and Al technology in the church. He said in this era of digitalisation, prayers, homilies, church teachings, should be posted on social media, while safeguarding the core values and the personal nature of evangelisation.
Chibuzo noted that the use of AI and social media should be properly guided as they have their negative impacts. He said that despite the jobs done with AI, AI cannot replace priests or any human being.
