Abstract:
The New Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis (RFIS), the document of our reference presents the guidelines for the formation of priests and religious that can be applied according to socio-cultural and ecclesiastical peculiarities. Africa has its own unique socio-cultural milieu with various pastoral, spiritual and even social needs that require a relevant formation program for her mission. This calls for a quality formation needing serious-minded agents of formation to achieve. The first part of formation called ‘initial formation’ goes with; the propaedeutic year, the philosophy and theology studies encompassing human, intellectual, spiritual and pastoral dimensions for integral formation. The second part of formation referred to as Ongoing formation is also necessarily important and will be explored much later by this paper. To continue to produce quality pastors, not only quantity pastors for Africa, we need a sustained quality program of formation that synergizes the two important aspects of the initial and ongoing formation.
INTRODUCTION: The process of building or preparing priests and religious for the service of God and humanity is called priestly or religious formation. The church through the congregation for Clergy finds it fitting that priestly formation be taken seriously, revamped, renewed and restored according to historical, socio-cultural and ecclesiastical conditions. The opening line of the Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis (RFIS) reads: “The gift of the priestly vocation, placed by God in the hearts of some men, obliges the Church to propose to them a serious journey of formation.”[1] The Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis in other words, “The Gift of Priestly Vocation” was promulgated January 6, 1970, to provide guidelines for the formation of priests and religious. It was amended March 19, 1985, by the ‘Congregation for Catholic Education’ in the light of the promulgation of the code of Canon law (25 January 1983). The new RFIS prepared by the congregation for Clergy was published on December 8, 2016, considering the rapid evolution of society with changes in socio-cultural and ecclesiastical circumstances.
In preparing the new RFIS, inspiration was drawn from Pope Francis’ teachings in the area of spirituality, touching on temptations connected to money, the authoritarian use of power, rigid legalism and vainglory. The new RFIS has a lot to offer in the field of building pastors and evangelisers for the Church. There is the ever-increasing need for the Church in Africa to adequately prepare her priests and religious in response to the emerging challenges of evangelization today. Formation in Africa must be integrally grounded in community and missionary spirit.[2] In this paper, we shall present the new RFIS, look at our African context, examine the agents of formation, look at initial formation, discuss the four dimensions of formation, examine the ongoing part of formation, present challenges and recommendations and conclude.
THE NEW RATIO FUNDAMENTALIS INSTITUTIONIS SACERDOTALIS:
The RFIS finds its origin in the first article of the conciliar decree Optatam Totius. It establishes general norms that will subsequently be applied to different cultural contests, according to the reality of each country. The focus is on the dialogue between the universal view of the Holy See and the specific perspective of the conferences of Bishops. The raison d’ètre for this dialogue lies in the conciliar determination that envisages priestly formation with a pastoral objective. The document is intended to set forth those fundamental principles, the implementation of which would be determined by respective Episcopal Conferences. The RFIS is spread into eight parts. After the introductory section, part one provides the general norms in the organization of formation. These general norms address the need for the Ratio Nationalis, pointing out the right and duty of the conference of bishops to prepare their Ratio Nationalis in accordance with the RFIS.[3] The Ratio Nationalis is to be reviewed from time to time based on changing times and accumulated experiences. Part two of the document deals with priestly vocations through the minor seminaries and other forms of accompaniment for adolescents. It considers mature vocations arising among indigenous people and vocations of migrants.
The third part of the RFIS treats the very foundations of formation looking at priestly identity as the basis and purpose of formation and pointing out configuration to Christ as key to the journey of formation. Part four touches on the aspects of initial and ongoing formation. The initial part involves the propaedeutic state, the philosophical or discipleship stage, the stage of theological studies or configuration, and the pastoral or vocational synthesis. The fifth part of the document discusses the human, the spiritual, the intellectual and the pastoral dimensions of formation. Part six outlines the agents of formation (The diocesan bishop, the presbyterate, the seminarians themselves, the community of formators, the professors, the specialists, the family, parish, other ecclesial communities, and the Trinity as the primary agent), consecrated life and laity in formation. The seventh part sets out an organizational structure of studies with propaedeutic materials to be studied first, philosophical studies to be undertaken, then theological studies to be followed with ministerial subjects and lastly, specialised studies. The eight and last part of the RFIS talks about criteria and norms. It talks of the various forms of the seminary, pointing out the norms of admission, dismissal, and departure from the seminary and the requirements of good physical and mental health. This part also touches on seminarians coming from other seminaries or institutes of formation, discourages the admission of people with homosexual tendencies and encourages the protection of minors and the accompaniment of abuse victims.
THE AFRICAN CONTEXT: The fact that in the span of almost two centuries, the number of African Catholics has quickly grown is an outstanding achievement.[4] And twenty-four years after the document Ecclesia in Africa, the growth of the church in Africa has even become more rapid. The growth of the church in Africa is evident in the noteworthy and rapid rise in the number of ecclesiastical circumscriptions, growth of native clergy, numbers of seminarians and candidates for institutes of consecrated life and the steady increase in the network of catechists. There is clearly a high percentage of indigenous bishops who constitute the continent’s hierarchy. There are tremendous achievements in the areas of inculturation, ecumenical and religious dialogue, in the fields of education and health services. We can see several missionary institutes founded in Africa that have grown and begun to supply missionaries not only for Africa but also for other parts of the world. Diocesan priests of Africa are increasingly making themselves available as fidei donum priests in the needy diocese of their countries and beyond. These are tangible manifestations of the maturity which the Church in Africa has attained.[5] This growth, however, has not come without challenges.
Some years ago, many African countries gained independence from colonial powers and this gave rise to high hopes with regards to the political, social, cultural and economic development of African peoples. Unfortunately, the situation has not consolidated in some African countries where violence has had and still has an upper hand. The first special assembly for Africa of the synod of bishops (April 10 April 1994 – 8 May 1994) presents the situation of Africa thus:
One common situation, without any doubt, is that Africa is full of problems. In almost all our nations, there is abject poverty, tragic mismanagement of available scarce resources, political instability and social disorientation. The results stare us in the face: misery, wars, despair. In a world controlled by rich and powerful nations, Africa has practically become an irrelevant appendix, often forgotten and neglected.[6]
Even though this does not call for generalizations in evaluating problems and proffering solutions, we must acknowledge that we have challenges and ask: In a continent full of bad news, how should the agents of evangelisation (priests and religious) be formed in order to enhance the spread of the Christian message ‘Good News’ for the African people? As the document Ecclesia in Africa (September 14, 1995) says: “Evangelization stands for many of those essential values which our continent very much lacks: hope, peace, joy, harmony, love, and unity.”[7] We need to efficiently form or train capable evangelisers for the church of Africa. The first special assembly for Africa of the synod of bishops points out some of the realities of Africa in these words:
It has been rightly noted that, within the borders left behind by the colonial powers, the co-existence of ethnic groups with different traditions, languages, and even religions often meet obstacles arising from serious mutual hostility. ‘Tribal oppositions at times endanger if not peace, at least the pursuit of the common good of the society. They also create difficulties for the life of the Churches and the acceptance of Pastors from other ethnic groups’. This is why the Church in Africa feels challenged by the specific responsibility of healing these divisions.[8]
Healing divisions as captured above will require forming healed and holistically healthy priests and religious. Africa is a continent where countless men and women, children and young people are lying on the edge of the road, injured, sick, disabled, marginalized and abandoned and are in dire need of good Samaritans to come to their rescue. That is why “the sons and daughters of Africa need an understanding presence and pastoral concern”[9] and well-formed priests and religious to help recoup lost energies to be put back at the service of the common good.
Africa has very positive values in her culture. Even though economically poor amidst rich natural resources, Africa remains endowed with a wealth of cultural values and outstanding human qualities. Africans have a deep religious sense and a profound sense of the sacred, a strong sense of the existence of God and of a spiritual world. There is respect and love for life, the family and children. Africans have a good sense of solidarity and community. These values can be explored and used to enhance the formation of priests and religious in Africa. How do we find the RFIS useful for the preparation of priests and religious for the church of Africa with her unique gifts and peculiar problems? Let us look next at those who are part of the machinery of formation.
THE AGENTS OF FORMATION
The task of formation has been well spelt out by the RFIS thus: “The task of formation is to help the person to integrate these aspects, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, in a journey of faith and of gradual and harmonious maturity, avoiding fragmentation, polarisation, excesses, superficiality or partiality.”[10] The major agent of formation is the Most Holy Trinity. But as we know, the Catholic church subsists in particular Churches and formation has to take place in a context like this. The diocesan community where the bishop is the head shares in the responsibility of the formation of the candidate. The presbyterate, the seminary formators who give spiritual and pedagogical formation, the professors who provide the intellectual succour and guarantee integral formation, the administrative workers, the specialists, and professionals contribute their knowledge, and witness of faith and life to formation. All of these and the seminarians themselves are all invited by the RFIS not to forget their very important roles in nurturing vocations and formation.[11]
The RFIS says the bishop “should maintain frequent personal contact with those in charge of the seminary, placing his trust in them, so as to encourage them in their task and to foster among them a spirit of full harmony.”[12] The mission of priestly formation is a delicate one and formators as agents of formation need to be attentive to their duty. The RFIS says: Each formator should be possessed of human, spiritual, pastoral and professional abilities and resources, so as to provide the right kind of accompaniment that is balanced and respectful of the freedom and the conscience of the other person, and that will help him in his human and spiritual growth. [13] The formator is one that “offers a coherent and eloquent witness to the values that belong to priestly ministry.”[14] Unity among the formators and life of example are necessary.
INITIAL FORMATION: The document of the Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, Called to Love acknowledges that: “Seminaries and houses of formation are of great importance for the initial formation of seminarians and religious in the chaste, celibate living.”[15] Formation generally has the initial and ongoing aspects. The initial formation comprises of four stages. The propaedeutic stage, the stage of philosophical studies, the stage of theological studies and the pastoral stage. The propaedeutic stage undertaken within community life is the first part of the initial formation and is important as a time of vocational discernment which leads to a careful selection of candidates for the senior seminary. One of the remarkable innovations of the new RFIS is the propaedeutic period of not less than one year and not more than two years, meant to validate the vocation of the candidate. The stage of philosophical studies otherwise known as the stage of discipleship as the RFIS says, “Is intended to educate the person in the truth of his being, in freedom and in self-control. It is meant to overcome all kinds of individuality, and to foster the sincere gift, opening him to generous dedication to others.”[16] philosophical studies aid the candidate to be able to develop rational perspectives to issues. The seminarian is to be familiar with training his character and learn virtues such as “sincerity of mind, a constant concern for justice, fidelity to one’s promises, refinement in manners, modesty in speech coupled with charity.[17] These are very important and indispensable virtues in the life of the priest and religious.
The theological studies or configuration is a period during which formation focuses on the configuration of the seminarian on Christ so that united with Him, he can present his life as a self-gift to others. “This stage leads to making the relationship of the seminarian with Christ more intimate and personal and, also leads to awareness as well as the assumption of priestly identity.”[18] The pastoral stage which is the stage of vocational synthesis is the time that the seminarian leaves the seminary until his subsequent priestly ordination. The stage is twofold as it involves pastoral assignments and also a period of preparation with the help of a particular accompaniment for priestly ordination.[19] Before we go to the aspect of on-going formation, let us look at the four dimensions of formation.
THE FOUR DIMENSIONS OF FORMATION: The four dimensions of formation are spelled out in Pastores Dabo Vobis as the human formation, the spiritual formation, the intellectual formation and the pastoral and every one of these aspects of formation is aimed at assimilating the heart in the image of the heart of Christ.[20] The RFIS says no candidate shall be given credit for passing all exams without demonstrating human, spiritual and pastoral maturation.
- The human formation aims at helping the candidate to develop a mature personality by following the example of Christ in order to handle the difficult challenges of pastoral care. Humility, courage, common sense, magnanimity, right judgment and discretion, tolerance and transparency are important qualities in the pastoral ministry. According to the Bishops of Nigeria, the human formation helps the candidates to know themselves thoroughly – their physical, moral, religious, and emotional dispositions[21]. As the foundation of all priestly formation,[22] the human formation aims at the promotion of the integral growth of the candidate. We need more efforts in the area of human formation for the African priest and religious in order to produce gentlemen and women, scholars and saints for God’s mission.
- The spiritual dimension is concerned with the personal union with Christ born and nourished by prayer and communion with God. Spiritual formation is directed at the nourishment and sustenance of communion with God and with sisters and brothers in the friendship of Jesus and with the attitude of docility to the Holy Spirit.[23]
- The intellectual dimension of formation is aimed at giving the seminarian a solid competence in philosophy and theology, together with a broad educational preparation that is enough to enable him to proclaim the gospel to people of our time in a way that is credible and can be understood. This helps to open the seminarian up to a fruitful dialogue with contemporary society to enable him to uphold the faith using the light of reason.[24]
- The pastoral dimension permeates the priestly life with the pastoral spirit as it prepares the seminarian to be a shepherd in the image of Christ. Pope Francis tells pastors to smell like the sheep, an invitation to pastors to remain close to their people. He encourages pastors not to abandon their people.
ONGOING FORMATION: The entire life of a priest from the beginning of his calling is that of continuous formation. “Ongoing formation is intended to ensure fidelity to the priestly ministry in a continuing journey of conversion, in order to rekindle the gift received at ordination.”[25] After some years of pastoral experience, “new challenges for the ministry and life of the priest can easily emerge.”[26] There are certain conflicts that may remain in the personality of the priest that can emerge over time that should be addressed. The priest should not be allowed to become isolated but should be supported and accompanied through spiritual or psychological means. The aspect of ongoing formation is very important in the life of the priest and religious. Pastores Dabo Vobis says:
Long-term preparation for ongoing formation should take place in the major seminary, where encouragement needs to be given to future priests that look forward to it, seeing its necessity, its advantages, and the spirit in which it should be undertaken, and appropriate conditions for its realization.[27]
The Church of Africa should always have designated places for ongoing formation and to give priests opportunities to spiritually and physically renew themselves from time to time. The priest can easily develop a feeling of being just a community worker or a dispenser of sacred things devoid of the heart of a shepherd and this feeling can make him only a functionary priest. There are many priests who since after ordination have never attended a renewal program.
There are some priests that have become aggressive, angry and bitter due to stress and strain. This has led some to take refuge in other ways of life like keeping unhealthy relationships that unfortunately constitute distractions to their ministry. Others have become simple social workers who just gather people for social displays devoid of spiritual depth. Some priests and religious are frustrated as to take solace in alcoholism just to keep their heads off the consciousness of their anxieties and challenges. Due to the absence of regular renewal programs, some priests and religious have become so disorganized that the management of their responsibilities and assignments have become heavy burdens to them. The priest after a long period of pastoral work can develop careerism, desire for wealth, the allure of power, attachment to position and obsession with marking out comfort zones exclusively for oneself resulting from outright lack of openness to the will of God.[28] After some time, the priest can encounter challenges in his celibacy, develop tiredness, physical weakness, frail health and burden of routine, that dampen his apostolic zeal and openness to self-giving to the pastoral ministry.
There are certain priests and religious of our mother Africa that can’t accept pastoral assignments in some parts of their pastoral territories because such places are too rural and underdeveloped for them to stay. These are all signs that on-going formation needs to be provided for such priests and religious in order to renew their missionary energies. Fraternal meetings, spiritual directions, retreats, and priestly associations are possible avenues for rejuvenation of priests and religious. “Formation comes about every day through interpersonal relationships, moments of exchange and discussion which result in the development of that ‘fertile soil’, in which a vocation matures concretely.”[29] Ongoing formation is important for all agents of formation. Pastores Dabo Vobis encourages that those who have been seminary formators and have acquired particular sensitivity and a rich experience could be able to help later in the ongoing formation of the clergy.[30]
CHALLENGES AND RECOMMENDATIONS: The formation of priests and religious in Africa is producing fruits but certain areas still need to be improved. The area of community life seems to be neglected. Community life needs more attention in the formation of priests and religious in Africa. Many priests and religious cannot stay with others without disagreements, quarrels and complains and this is quite alien to the communal character of the African people. Insensitivity to the cultures and feelings of others in the communities of priests and religious are serious issues to be addressed. There are challenges of extended family relations that put serious financial burdens on priests and religious in Africa. Priests and religious need to know that they cannot respond to every family need.
Sectionalism and tribalism sometimes can be visible among priests and religious of Africa and formation has to discourage this anomaly and emphasize unity in Christ. There are certain elderly priests and religious who instead of constituting models to the collective young men and women in formation, choose to be godfathers and godmothers to a selected few the exclusion of others. This embarrassing trend of favoritism and selective protection of godsons and goddaughters creates a challenge for the younger ones in formation, bringing in an air of exclusion and rendering the favored ones ill-disposed to the genuine demands of formation.
Some of our formation houses in Africa need more teaching and learning facilities such as libraries stocked with relevant and current books, good internet services for e-materials, good lecture halls, projectors, etc. Many formation houses need better infrastructure. The bishops and religious superiors of Africa need to be open to preparing formators for our houses of formation. Some priests and religious feel discouraged accepting the responsibility of being formators because of the poor welfare arrangements for those working in formation houses. As much as we encourage sacrifice and obedience on the part of the priests and religious appointed formators, we also encourage proprietors of houses of formation to look into the welfare provisions for formators and improve where necessary.
We have a shortage of formators or professors in some of the fields of formation in Africa and that needs to be improved upon. There are cases where you find a dogmatic theologian having to teach liturgy in the seminary because there is no one trained and available in the area of liturgy. There are some formators who after being trained, refuse to accept the responsibility or the assignment to work as formators. This has been frustrating the efforts to establish and sustain continuity in the chain of professionals for formation.
The question of sex and child abuse is more prevalent in the western world, but Africa needs to watch out to prevent a repeat of the American and European experience. February 21-24, 2019, Pope Francis organized a ‘Child Abuse Summit’ and that explains how the issue of being attentive to admitting candidates free of such tendencies is serious. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria in their document titled, Called to Love, says: “Our bodies are sacred. Hence, all forms of sexual pervasions defile the sacredness of our bodies.”[31] Those in charge of admissions into the seminaries and those granting assent to the application to holy orders are requested to watch out that they do not take in those involved in criminal behaviors. The document, therefore, draws attention to the need for good protection of minors and vulnerable adults. This is relevant in these turbulent times where the effects of sex abuses have left scars on the image and integrity of many Church ministers.
The seminarian in formation should be trained to accept all people as one humanity under one God. There is bound to arise situations where the priest feels duty-bound to respond to all the financial needs of family members. The RFIS cautions against such tendencies but does not speak against genuine charity. Seminarians should be formed more than before to model their lives after Christ the simple good shepherd so that they can be shining beacons in a world very saturated with the culture of consumerism and what Pope Francis calls the throw-away culture. We need attention in our houses of formation on the areas of inter-religious dialogue in order to resolve the present crisis of religious intolerance and hatred along religious lines across Africa and beyond.
CONCLUSION: We have looked at the new RFIS surveying its fundamental principles. We have tried to draw out the picture of the African continent where the relevance of this document is applied. It will be important to note that the new RFIS is roughly three years and it is not yet ripe to consider its fruits in Africa, thanks to the Ratio Nationalis that takes consideration of the evolving socio-cultural and ecclesiastical circumstances. One of the remarkable innovations which the Nigerian church has already adopted is the propaedeutic period of not less than one year and not more than two years, meant to validate the vocation of the candidate. The RFIS promotes integral formation, by uniting in an encompassing manner, the human, the spiritual, the intellectual and the pastoral aspects of formation, by means of a gradual, personalized, instructional program. The Church in Africa needs an authentic formation of her priests and religious. In fact, formation is said to be authentic if it focuses on preparing candidates for lives of sacrifice in obedience, chastity, and poverty. The new RFIS should lead us to the actualization of this goal.
PROFILE: Fr. Joseph Pilla is a doctoral student of philosophy at The Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, Rome. He has a diploma in formation.
[1] RFIS, Intro. no.1
[2] RFIS, Intro. no.3
[3] Optatam Totius no.1
[4] Ecclesia in Africa, no.30.
[5] Ecclesia in Africa, no.30.
[6] Ecclesia in Africa, no.40
[7] Ecclesia in Africa, no.40.
[8] Ecclesia in Africa, no.49.
[9] Ecclesia in Africa, no.41.
[10] RFIS, n.28
[11] RFIS, n.127
[12] Apostolorum Successores, n.89: Enchiridion Vaticanum 22 (2006), 1780
[13] RFIS, n.49.
[14] RFIS, n.132.
[15] Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, Called to Love: Ethical Standards for Clergy and Seminarians, p. 15
[16] RFIS, n.63
[17] Optatam Totius, n.11: AAS 58 (1966), 720.
[18] RFIS, n.68.
[19] RFIS, n.74
[20] Optatam Totius, n.4: AAS 58 (1966), 716
[21] Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, Called to Love: Ethical Standards for Clergy and Seminarians, p.15.
[22] Pastores Dabo Vobis, n.43: AAS 84 (1992), 731-732.
[23] Presbyterorum Ordinis, n. 12: AAS 58 (1966), 1009-1011.
[24] RFIS, n. 166.
[25] RFIS, n.81.
[26] RFIS, n, 84.
[27] Pastores Dabo Vobis, n.71: AAS 84 (1992), 783.
[28] RFIS, n. 84c
[29] RIFS, no.50.
[30] Pastores Dabo Vobis, no.66: AAS 84 (1992), 772-774
[31] Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, Called to Love: Ethical Standards for Clergy and Seminarians in Nigeria, p.4.
pillajoseph 