Meet the “courageous cardinal” at the synod

Nicknamed by some the “courageous cardinal,” Dieudonné Nzapalainga is one of the rising figures of the Catholic Church in Africa. Created cardinal in 2016, at just 49 years of age, the archbishop of Bangui (Central African Republic) is taking part in the Synod on Synodality, which concludes in Rome this October. 

Speaking to I.MEDIA, he explains why security in his country has improved with the Russian presence. He also tells how his “Interreligious Peace Platform” launched in the Central African Republic with an imam and a pastor is a source of inspiration for the Synod.

Believing that the Church in Africa can express itself with great freedom, he says that one of the major challenges of the process underway in Rome is the search for unity of the Church around the Pope. 

The Central African Republic has been the scene of terrible violence over the past decade. Against a backdrop of social, ethnic, and religious tensions, you explained in a book two years ago that your country had experienced chaos. What is the situation today? 

Card. Dieudonné Nzapalainga: We can see improvements in terms of security. A climate of peace has returned and this is enabling us to carry out our pastoral work, to create and visit parishes that were previously located on rebel-held land. I can say that 95% of the country is now under government control. Yesterday’s rebels have become a sort of highwaymen. They no longer stop cars because they’re afraid. But they still rob motorcycles and pedestrians. 

In Bangui, the capital, security has returned. Here’s a sign of it: planes can now spend the night at the airport. This was previously impossible. It’s not idyllic yet, but we’ve come a long way from chaos and nothingness. It will take time to rebuild bridges and schools. My role is to be vigilant and to ensure that the funds allocated to reconstruction are well used. I’m lucky enough to be able to talk to the president and to be listened to. I have a great deal of freedom of speech. 

Has the arrival of Russian troops in your country helped to improve the security situation? 

Card. Nzapalainga: We have to tell the truth: the cause of the change is indeed the Russian presence in the Central African Republic. The rebels are afraid of the Russians! As soon as they hear about them, they flee. 

So this presence is beneficial? 

Card. Nzapalainga: In the recent past, we’ve seen mass crimes. I wept when I saw men and women of the future disappear because of barbaric violence. It’s true that the situation has changed with the Russian presence. But I’m not fooled. They’re not choirboys. They have their own way of operating, and I will always condemn violence. 

We also know that they came to drive out the rebels who were occupying territories rich in diamonds and gold. We could say that the government is buying security by letting the Russians exploit resources. 

Do you have any contact with the Russians? 

Card. Nzapalainga: No. When I travel, I do so unescorted. On several occasions, the government, rebel groups, or the United Nations have offered to escort me. But I refuse. Two years ago, I was stranded for 24 hours in a rebel-held town in the north. That ended well. 

In response to the security chaos in your country, you set up an “Interfaith Peace Platform” with the pastor and imam of Bangui. The three of you criss-crossed the country to defuse conflicts. Does the platform still exist? 

Card. Nzapalainga: Of course it still exists! But our mode of action has evolved, because with the return of security, we’re more in touch with our communities. And then also, the platform’s intuition developed. Local pastors, parish priests, and imams are now working together. 

However, we are still called in when a situation goes beyond them. For example, four months ago, I went with the pastor and imam from Bangui to Yaloké because some youths had vandalized a mosque and looted Muslim property. We stayed there for four days and left once the situation had calmed down.

Currently in Rome, 368 members of the Synod from a wide range of priorities are debating the future of the Church … Does this “Interreligious Peace Platform” resonate with what’s being played out here in Rome during the Synod on Synodality, in which you are taking part? 

Card. Nzapalainga: In the Central African Republic, this peace platform experience enabled me to get out of my community, to go and meet someone else, to welcome them, to listen to them, and to look with them for ways to save lives. At the Synod, with “conversation in the Spirit,” we are also asked to step outside ourselves, to listen to others, and to seek with them ways for the Church. I’ve found that the search for peace comes when we go beyond ourselves and don’t try to impose the last word. 

In Bangui, the most important thing was to save lives. Here, it’s the unity of the Church around the Holy Father that we’re seeking. All the members of the Synod come with their own particular contexts. We must not neglect them. That situation is our starting point. But we mustn’t be slaves to it either. We need to open our eyes to the context of our neighbor, who is also our brother. With the Word of God and the Eucharist uniting us, we move forward. 

Last year, the Synod began in a turbulent atmosphere. A few days before the opening of the session, some cardinals expressed their doubts to the Pope about certain sensitive issues. Is the atmosphere within the assembly more peaceful this year? 

Card. Nzapalainga: Yes, and that’s because we’ve gotten to know each other better. There were some great reunions at the beginning of October. In my language group, there’s only one newcomer compared with last year, a Haitian. It’s easy to integrate him! Of course, there are some difficult questions, but we’re moving forward together in an atmosphere of respect and dignity.

Has the fact that the Pope set up external commissions in February to deal with sensitive issues lightened the “mental load” of the synodal assembly? 

Card. Nzapalainga: Undoubtedly, although we continue to dialogue with these working groups. This has enabled us to call in specialists to delve deeper into the issues at hand. In the assembly, we can speak from the heart. I think it’s a good thing to go even deeper into subjects, to take the time to look into history, anthropology, the Bible, theology, and so on. These specialists make a valuable contribution. 

At the start of the October session, the Synod preacher, Cardinal-designate Timothy Radcliffe, returned to the Fiducia supplicans declaration issued by Rome last December. He spoke of a sense of betrayal among some members of the Synod. Bishops around the world, particularly in Africa, had distanced themselves from the text. Do you feel that this unexpected declaration has left its mark? 

Card. Nzapalainga: To answer this question, I’m going to talk about a subject that concerns Africa: polygamy. What pastoral response can we give to a convert who has several wives? This subject is currently being studied by a commission headed by Cardinal Ambongo, archbishop of Kinshasa. At the start of the session, he presented the state of our thinking to the entire assembly, explaining our specific context. Once the commission’s work is well advanced, we’ll come and submit the elements and pastoral proposals to the Holy Father. So there will be a back-and-forth with Rome. This is undoubtedly what was lacking with Fiducia supplicans. 

Furthermore, the reception of this text in certain regions of the world was not sufficiently taken into account beforehand. In some societies, this declaration is not applicable as it stands. So there was a methodological problem. I think everyone understands, and I don’t sense any tension here. We continue to move forward, dialoguing and learning. 

With regard to the place and role of women in the Church, some bishops consider it appropriate, given their context, to move towards the female diaconate. Can we adapt to the needs of local Churches while maintaining the unity of the Church? How can this be done? 

Card. Nzapalainga: This specific question arises above all in Europe. I believe that, first of all, European bishops’ conferences should take the time to reflect on the subject and try to map out a way forward. Then, this reflection should be presented to the other Churches so that feedback can be provided. Finally, it’s up to Rome to guarantee unity. In the Church, you can’t go it alone, nor can you generalize about a particular case if it jeopardizes the unity of the Church. 

At the Synod on Amazonia, the question of the ordination of viri probati [married men judged to be of proven virtue, editor’s note] caused quite a stir. In the end, Rome decided not to go any further in this direction. In Africa, women are very active in the life of the Church. Are they unhappy?

What’s special about Africa in this synod? 

Card. Nzapalainga: In Africa, we take the time to talk things over, and we respect our elders. Have you heard of the palaver tree? It’s the place where we get together as a society and get things off our chest to find solutions to problems. At the end, once everyone has spoken, the chief and his advisors come back to settle things. We have this culture. 

Catholicism in Africa is growing and represents a large part of tomorrow’s vocations. Nevertheless, some people observe that Africa is not sufficiently present in the Roman Curia or in the College of Cardinals. For two years now, there has been no African prefect of any dicastery in Rome. And the number of African cardinals has grown little since 2013 compared to the number of Asian cardinals. Does African Catholicism suffer from a lack of representation? 

Card. Nzapalainga: We think that way too and bring it up. Of course, it’s not up to us to choose cardinals or prefects! The Pope always has the last word. The Church in Africa has things to say, and I believe it’s saying them today with great freedom.

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