I was just reading my friend Paul's blog (here) where he mentions that the canonization process is in place for Julius Kambarage Nyerere the African ruler who brought about the creation of Tanzania.
Paul links to an article from the Sunday Monitor which provides some details. Click here for that article.
I find this potential canonization very interesting. While I do not know a whole lot about Africa or the political happenings there, I do find it interesting that the church would consider canonization of a person who rose to political power via a military coup and who seems to be just a political figure.
I guess I don't have as many thoughts regarding this as I do questions:
- Is this the work of liberation theologians that are striving to carry their legacy through the Catholic church via the remembrance of political saints?
- Does this political figure truly represent sainthood? We have other political saints such as Constantine in the east and the many political/religious popes in the west, but these individuals were not just political ideologues they also served as guardians of the faith.
- Is political achievement enough to merit sainthood? How does this fit with the way that the early Fathers viewed the Christian's role in government?
This is surely and interesting case and it will be interesting to see if the process is completed. If I hear any more information on this I will pass it on, especially if I am able to find anything about this person's spiritual qualification for canonization.
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4 comments:
while I share some of your questions here, Nyerere worked for peaceful change in Africa, was appointed Prime Minister at independence, and was democratically elected as it's first president. While he did allow Tanzania to serve as host to a number of more violent independence struggles, I'm not sure what your reference to him attaining power via a "bloody military coup" refers to. I think that Nyerere is regularly lauded for his leadership and peacefully stepping down and supporting peaceful elections. His socialist experiment was a major disaster, however he publicly apologized for this fiasco. I wish this sort of humility was more common in the political world. And while I cannot substantiate this claim, I've heard that Nyerere was a committed follower of Christ who hoped that the Ujamaa socialist experiment would be a closer expression of African values, a family-like structure that would look after the orphans and widows. As I mentioned, when this system failed, he apologized publicly. Maybe not worthy of canonization, but I think a deeper and more nuanced figure than your blog acknowledges.
trying to comment on your site made me realize that I didn't have a link to you on my blog. Now I do. :-)
Thanks for the insight Paul. I merely assumed his ascent to power was violent since the article described it as a military coup.
I also was impressed that the article noted his public apology for the failed socialist reform. That shows both great humility and love for his people.
I agree with you that he is undoubtedly a more nuanced figure than I describe because basically I vastly ignorant in African history.
From what I read, I do no doubt his credentials for canonization, I just find it interesting that he is primarily a political figure as described by the article. I'm sure that Rome has many more reasons than just his political advancement for starting the canonization process with him. I just wonder what those reasons are. There may be great and many laudable reasons that he deserves canonization or it may be a small pocket of Catholic liberation theologians trying to move an agenda. Either way it doesn't detract from the great political things you and the article mentioned. Most of this was me just wondering aloud.
- Ben
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