THE ORIGIN OF THE DISUNITY AMONG IGBO CHRISTIANS: THE CMS (ANGLICANS) AND THE CATHOLICS AND THE WAY FORWARD

THE ORIGIN OF THE DISUNITY AMONG IGBO CHRISTIANS: THE CMS (ANGLICANS) AND THE CATHOLICS AND THE WAY FORWARD

First published 22.10.2021

1) The unfortunate discrimination, rivalry, rancor, and suspicion that exist among Christians in Igboland could have been nipped in the bud if the initial relationship between Anglicans and Catholics were maintained.

2) At the beginning of 1886, the Catholic missionaries who landed in Igboland towards the end of 1885 approached Obi Anazonwu of Onitsha concerning a piece of land where they wanted to erect their church. Unknown to them, the land in question had already been given to the CMS, which arrived in Igboland 28 years earlier.

3) As Fr. Joseph Lutz approached Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther, the head of the CMS Mission in Igboland, concerning the land (20 hectares), he said, “I acquired this piece of land for God’s cause. Take it.” It is on that land that the Holy Trinity Cathedral of Onitsha stands today. However, the cordial relationship between the two churches did not survive for more than a decade.

4) By 1896, competition for church membership and the rivalry led to hate, backbiting, suspicion, and envy. Both groups, employing every tool available to them, mounted extremely unchristian propaganda to bring down the other. Each group began to expose the weaknesses of the other to their members.

5) The Anglicans, who championed the development of Igbo language and grammar, derided and mocked Catholics in their Igbo leaflets and other printed Igbo works that were circulating everywhere in Igboland.

6) By 1903, the Catholics in turn had produced their own _Katekism nk’ Okwukwe Nzuko Katolik N’Asusu Igbo_, which they tactically used in repelling the Anglican assaults. Among other things, the Catholic catechism book forbade their members from reading books or going to schools or churches that were not Catholic.

7) To achieve these, the Catholics boycotted the ‘Igbo Izugbe’, which was being developed and championed by the Anglicans, and adopted the ‘Onicha’ dialect.

8) From 1896, Anglicans decided that all primary education must be given in the Igbo language. Catholics replied by forbidding their pupils and students from speaking Igbo in school because they believed that the Anglicans had hijacked the Igbo language and grammar to win over their members. This contributed to the neglect of the Igbo language today.

9) Both religions were, however, more hostile toward the Igbo traditional religion. Both constantly depicted Igboland as the kingdom of Satan. (Cf. Journal of Religion in Africa (lll) 1970, 210.)

10) In Onitsha and many other parts of Igboland, many converts were scandalized by this rivalry between the two groups, and not a few were said to have returned to their traditional religion.

11) By the time the Pentecostals joined as from the 1970s, the atmosphere in Igboland was fertile for the gospel of discrimination, which these new churches used effectively. They began to see only their churches as “living churches” and their members as “born again.”

12) If the initial good relationship between the two churches were maintained, it would have set a good example in Igboland that other Christian groups would have followed.

13) With the cacophony among Igbo Christians, the aim of the colonialists, which was to break the backbone of Igbo unity, was realized.

14) For how long are we going to continue living this way? Now is the time for Igbo Christians to pick up their principles of IGWE BU IKE and ONYE AGHALA NWANNE YA and unite as one family despite their religious, denominational, and ideological differences.

15) Now is the time to tutor the world on ecumenism and interreligious dialogue. Indeed, if there is one thing Ndigbo should teach the world, it is religious tolerance, because our forefathers may have quarreled over many things but never had a religious war or conflict. United we stand, divided we perish.