"We need to decolonize Christianity in Africa" Prof Simon Aihiokhai's Synodal Proposals for a Church in Africa that liberates God's People

Prof Simon Aihiokhai makes a compelling case for the decolonization of Christianity in Africa. He proposes that the starting point for the Church in Africa during this synodal process is the recognition and reaffirmation of the rights of all of God's people to full participation in the life of the Church and in the mission of God by virtue of their baptism. He worries that new forms of class system have settled in the Church in Africa creating different kinds of ecclesial, and social hierarchies that hinder the mission of liberating God's people. His call for a decolonization of the Catholic Church is bold, but it is consistent with the decentralization of the Church being implemented today by Pope Francis as part of the reform and renewal of the Catholic Church in the spirit of Vatican II. The main concern for Prof Aihiokhai is whether African church leaders are up to the task of thinking and acting differently to meet the African-specific challenges and opportunities facing God's people in the African Motherland today, without constantly seeking directions and taking orders from Rome and the West.