Come Holy Ghost Creator Come
From Thy bright Heavenly Throne
Come take possession of our Souls
And make them all Thy own.

WELCOME:
I wish to begin addressing this august assembly with this ancient prayer and rhyme of the invocation of the Holy Spirit, which throughout the centuries, beginning from the early dates of the Church till today, has formed the proximate preparation for the people of God as they gather for any deliberation affecting their lives as God’s family. With this invocation of the Holy Spirit therefore, I welcome you all to this historic occasion of the Second Diocesan Synod of the Catholic Diocese of Orlu, and with that invocation, I enjoin you to open up to the workings of the Spirit.

THE IDEA OF SYNOD:
Throughout the history of the Church, beginning from the remote Apostolic and New Testament Times, the Church has always sensed the need to come together, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, who will teach her the complete truth, to discuss and deliberate on the issues bordering on faith, morals, worship, organization and discipline as the times presented the need. Even before the Jerusalem Council in the apostolic age, which is taken to be the first Council of the Church, the Church had already had to wrestle with emergent problems and came together to solve them in some form of collegiality or synodality. After the ascension, before the descent of the Holy Spirit, the problem of replacement of Judas in the Apostolic College came up and was collectively given solution (Acts 1: 15 – 26). Shortly later, there was this famous complaint by the Greek speaking converts because their women were neglected in the daily distribution of foods, leading to a general consideration of the disciples and the decision to appoint the seven deacons to take care of those table ministrations (Acts 6: 1ff).

With the spread of the Church to the Gentile world, came the problem of the conditions under which non Jews could be admitted to the faith. This problem which was both theological and cultural/racial led to the convocation of the first general council of the Church, the Jerusalem Council, headed by St. James. With this council, the Church gave a note that has continued to play determinant roles in subsequent councils in history: “God is no respecter of persons, but in every age (and race), everyone who fears God is acceptable to him” (Acts 10: 34 – 35). Since this first Council, the Church has made a total of twenty one general councils, each meant to address specific needs and resolve specific issues. Most of the earlier councils like the Nicea (325 AD), Constantinople (381 AD), Ephesus (431 AD), Chalcedon (451 AD) were mostly theological: to address heretic irruptions arising from the Trinitarian controversies of the time; either to define or redefine the divinity of Christ, the hypostatic nature, the divinity of the Holy Spirit, and most of these councils gave the creedal formulas that we still use in our liturgical worship and prayer today, like the Nicean Creed.

In the Middle Ages, when the growth of the Church implied close and diplomatic relationship with the state, most of the councils had to respond to the problem of ways of relating with the secular state. Again, the expansion of the Church entailed the foundation of many other local Churches and dioceses. The Church, therefore, needed to straighten issues on the relationship between the Churches, on the Papal and Episcopal authorities and powers, on ecclesiastical discipline, bureaucracy and diplomacy. The Lateran Councils I (1123 AD), II (1139 AD), III (1179 AD), IV (1215 AD), among other things, abolished the right claimed by lay princes, of investiture with ring and crosier to ecclesiastical benefices and dealt with Church discipline and recovery of the Holy Land from the infidels. Council of Lyons I (1245 AD) and II (1274 AD) effected a temporary reunion of the Greek Church with Rome. The word filioque was added to the symbol of Constantinople and means were sought for recovering Palestine from the Turks. It also laid down the rules for Papal elections.

At the beginning of the modern age, the greatest challenge facing the Church was the onslaught of the wave of Reformation. Thus the Council of Trent (1545 – 1536 AD), the longest in duration of all Church councils, under five Popes, was convoked to examine and condemn the errors promulgated by Luther and other Reformers, and to reform the discipline of the Church. Finally came the two Vatican Councils, the first (1869 – 1870 AD) and the last (1962 – 1965). Besides important canons relating to the Faith and the constitution of the Church, the First Vatican Council decreed the infallibility of the Pope when speaking ex cathedra, i.e when as a shepherd and teacher of all Christians, he defines a doctrine concerning faith or morals to be held by the whole Church. The Second Vatican Council, more pastoral than ever, sought, in the words of John XXIII, to open the windows of the Church for fresh air, in the spirit of the technical word aggiornamento, meaning updating. With a total number of 16 major documents in form of constitutions or decrees, it seeks to read the signs of the times and redirect the Church to respond adequately to these signs of the times; be it in the Church’s self definition, in the renewal of her sacramental life, or in her relationship with the secular world, non Christian religions, non believers. For the first time, the Church decreed that cultural plurality is no inhibition to the spread of the gospel, decreed in favour of religious pluralism, and encouraged ecumenical movements, for example.

Besides these general councils, termed ecumenical, the Church has also lived and renewed herself through synods, which one might say, is a council of a limited horizon. The word synod comes from Greek σύνοδος meaning “assembly” or “meeting”, and it is synonymous with the Latin word concilium meaning “council”. A synod historically is a council of a Church, usually convened to decide an issue or issues of doctrine, administration or application. In modern usage, the word often refers to the governing body of a particular Church, whether its members are meeting or not. It is sometimes used to refer to a Church that is governed by a synod. The Church or a local Church convokes synods accordingly as the need arises. In 1994, we had the first synod for Africa, a synod whose sub themes have informed most of the subsequent diocesan synods.

OUR TASK AND GOAL:
With gratitude to God, our Diocese is now 30 years old. At 18, precisely in 1999, we had the first synod. Many of us here may have been present at the plenary sessions, or played various roles at the preparatory stages. We can still testify to the positive fruits that the synod brought to the life of the Diocese. Due to the fast evolution in the Church and in the society, another synod was planned 10 years later in 2009, thanks to our Bishop Emeritus, Most rev. Dr. Gregory Ochiagha, but with the events of the Episcopal Ordination and transition to the new administration, I postponed it till now. Here we are and you are most welcome. You can agree with me that we as a Diocese need to reorganize many issues to respond to the needs of the time. The Church lives by self renewal. The deposit of faith is unchangeable but the expression adapts itself to times and places. We have one God, one Lord, one baptism, one faith, but this one faith has to be kept alive and meaningful in each emerging circumstance.

We have come to discuss on Service and Renewal in the Church under these five sub themes: Proclamation, new avenues of proclaiming the good news today, especially the young people. Dialogue, Inculturation - meaningful ways of allowing Christianity to permeate our cultural values. Justice and Peace, explore how our Church can further advance her role as means of reconciliation. Social Communication: in this era of electronic and internet communication, how can the Church avail herself of these new developments to spread the gospel message? Our local Church is coming of age. We must look inwards and propose reliable means of sustaining our Church. All of these themes have universal relevance, but each local Church has a particular relation to them. As the Igbos would say, the occupant of a house knows where it is leaking. Without my delving into these themes individually in the address, it suffices to say that these issues are pressing in the circumstances that are ours today in our Diocese. The particular circumstances of each local Church determine the way these issues are to be pursued. I invite everybody to make his or her earnest contribution to the issues. Our goal is one: the best way to move the Diocese forward.

Sometimes there might be the need to take courageous and positive decisions for the good of our faith. We must not shy away from such situations; all I call for is sincerity and openness. The synod is not a sentimental affair or popularity contest but a meeting of selected persons to chart a new course for our Diocese based on our common Christian values and socio-cultural context.

Providentially, this second synod of the Diocese comes at the heat of the preparation for the Centenary celebration of the advent of the faith in our Province, Owerri Ecclesiastical Province whose grande finale will be next year 2012. There is therefore no other better way to live this celebration of thanksgiving for the Diocese than self-renewal in the spirit of service.

Few remarks or admonitions need to be made concerning this gathering. In the first place, let us remember that what we have come for is a spiritual activity. The spiritual dimension of a synod implies that it is not simply a reunion or a meeting neither is it conference nor seminar. The Holy Masses we celebrate and the prayers are the core sessions of the synod. The Psalmist asserts: “If the Lord does not build the house, in vain do the builders labour; and if the Lord does not watch over the city, in vain do the watchmen keep vigil” (Psalm 127: 1). We do not pretend to believe that the Church is run purely on human and administrative acumen.

Secondly, synod (σύν-οδος – sun ‘odos) by way of etymology, means one road (sun means together, odos means way or road). We have come to walk together on a common road. Remember, we have not come to represent the parochial or narrow interests of our various constituencies, but in the general interest of the Diocese. I call for objectivity and for the discipline to follow the laid down rules. When it is question of voting, my conscience is my guide, and the good of the Diocese is my goal.

APPRECIATION:
The gathering for the General Assembly in a synod marks one of the final but very crucial stages of a synod, but indicates also the amount of work that has been done in   preparation. I hereby wish to thank the Secretary General, Very Rev. Fr. Finnian Nwaozor together with the various sub-committees. Their dedication to work has made it possible that we gather here today. I equally thank the Parishes for their input in the preparations for the Lineamenta and the Instrumentum Laboris. May God bless you all who have shelved off your engagements for the week to retire within this enclosure for the purpose of discussing the way forward for the Diocese.

Most Rev. Dr. Augustine Ukwuoma
Bishop of Orlu.