Should Popes, Cardinals and Bishops Use "Coded Language"?
The title of the text: "Should a Cardinal use coded language?"
Cardinal Kutwa's resignation speech continues to be commented on and interpreted, writes Djéréké: "Some people believe that a cardinal cannot say things openly". Djéréké does not share this view.
He asks why people "who are dressed in white [in Africa the clergy wear white cassocks], who are well fed and who supposedly have no family (wife and children)" do not have the courage to tell it like it is.
Djéréké explains that a layman can use diplomatic language because he has children to bring up and a job to protect.
But "this should not be the case for a person who claims to speak in the name of Christ, who, as everyone knows, was mistreated and crucified for speaking the truth to the rich and powerful of his day, for publicly criticising the scribes and Pharisees (Mt 23:1-33), for calling King Herod Antipas a fox (Lk 13:32)".
Jesus Christ "was considered a dangerous man by the religio-political establishment because he was outspoken and because he was not in the habit of secretly rebuking people who deserved it (Jn 18:13-27)".
Some prelates' speeches are so ambiguous and vague "that one no longer knows who the speaker is talking to or about".
For Djéréké, "a bishop who makes such speeches is both a coward and an accomplice of those who rob and terrorise the people of Africa".
He stresses that "the great problem in our Church in Africa is that some people [= bishops] want money, titles and honours without the cross".
These bishops "love the advantages of office but hate the disadvantages". But: "The way Jesus chose is the way of the cross".
His conclusion: "The bishops and cardinals who shun the cross, let's not be afraid to call them impostors".
Picture: Jean-Pierre Kutwa © wikicommons, CC BY-SA, #newsSkqgyoenjb