It was John Paul II who described Globalization as a many-faceted reality in which the various parts of the world are increasingly drawn into a tighter configuration through the increasing volume and rapidity of the flows of money, goods, people, information, technology, and images, to form just one global village.328 Many thanks to globalization for all the good it
326 Uwaezuoke O.P., "Science, Religion and the Conflict in the Quest for Relevance", in WAJOPS West African
Journal of Philosophical Studies, p. 36
327 Njoku R.A., The Advent of the Catholic Church in Nigeria: Its Growth in Owerri Diocese, Owerri: Assumpta
Press, 1980, pp. 307 – 308
328 John Paul II. Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation on the Encounter with the Living Jesus Christ: The Way to
has brought to our society: the quantum leap in communication and transportation, the impressive global markets, availability of global financial institution for borrowing etc. The means of communication are more rapid, distance between men has been more or less conquered, people in every part of the globe have become as members of a single family.329 John Paul II admits that globalization offers the advantage of bringing peoples and cultures closer together; it does make available an infinite number of messages. His message for the celebration of World Day of Peace, given on 1 January 2000 is worth mentioning: "Globalization ... offers exceptional and promising opportunities, precisely with a view to enabling humanity to become a single family, built on the values of justice, equity and solidarity." 330 Similarly, John Paul II does not overlook the Internet, which is rightly described as the prime engine of technological globalization. Hence, he admonishes that just like other communications media, "The Internet can offer magnificent opportunities for evangelization if used with competence and a clear awareness of its strengths and weaknesses. Above all, by providing information and stirring interest it makes possible an initial encounter with the Christian message, especially among the young who increasingly turn to the world of cyberspace as a window on the world."331 Indeed, Globalization has really integrated the world such that interactions become quicker and easier, and what happens in a local neighbourhood becomes easily influenced by factors operating at an indefinite distance away from the neighbourhood itself. Nowadays, communication is really not a problem. Within a twinkling of an eye; through such means like Skype, What's up, Viber, Facebook etc., what happened in the USA or Australia can get across to the remotest part of Africa and vice versa.
John Paul II while acknowledging the positive values of globalization does not, however, lose sight of its side effects. Hence, he criticizes the current global economy by insisting that:
329 Vatican II Document, Apostolicam Actuositatem, no. 8
330 http://sedosmission.org/old/eng/mbila.htm
331
It does not in itself guarantee a fair distribution of goods among the citizens of different countries. What happens is that the wealth produced is often concentrated in the hands of a small group of persons that bring about a further weakening of the sovereignty of national states.
... The decisions concerning the future of the whole planet are taken solely by a small group of nations. Other nations either succeed to concord those decisions with the interests of their citizens, or, as it happen with the weakest countries, they try painfully to cope with the situation.
... Economic globalization has also worked to the detriment of the poor, tending to push poorer countries to the margin of international economic and political relations. In reality, the wealth produced often leads up to a global system governed by a few centres in the hands of private individuals. And many nations from the Southern Hemisphere are not strong enough to hold their own in a global market economy.
... The current globalization does not favour a process of discernment and mature synthesis, but fosters a relativist attitude which makes it more difficult to accept Christ as the way, the truth and the life for everyone. There is, in fact, a great danger for globalization to be just another name for absolute relativization of values and the homogenization of lifestyles and cultures. The internet as an illustration, being a forum in which practically everything is acceptable and almost nothing is lasting, favours a relativistic way of thinking and sometimes feeds the flight from personal responsibility and commitment.332
The negative influence of globalization in Igboland - Nigeria as well as in Africa cannot be overemphasized. It has led our society, through its evil of mono - culture, into a misunderstanding of civilization as technological and infrastructural progress devoid of human integrity, values and sound morality. The family and marriage institutions seem to be the worst hit by the negative influences of globalization, with humanistic manifestoes that emphasize negative freedom: absolute autonomy and relativism. Thus, family where life, love, peace and harmony should reign supreme has unfortunately become a home of acrimony, hatred and
greatest threat to life.333 Hence, the XIII Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the "New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith" has this to say:
The coalescing of social and cultural factors - conventionally designated by the term "globalization" - has initiated a process which is weakening traditions and institutions and thereby rapidly eroding both social and cultural ties as well as their ability to communicate values and provide answers to perennial questions regarding life's meaning and the truth. The result is a significant fragmentation of cultural unity and a culture's inability to hold fast to the faith and live the values inspired by it. The effects of such a negative environment on experiencing the faith and on the various forms of ecclesial life are generally described in the same manner in all the responses, namely, a weakening of faith in Christian communities, a diminished regard for the authority of the magisterium, an individualistic approach to belonging to the Church, a decline in religious practice and a disengagement in transmitting the faith to new generations. These effects, found in almost every bishops' conference response, indicate that the whole Church cannot overlook this cultural climate.334
The African family is currently in a deep crisis. The inter-play of cultures and civilization had obfuscated and upturned African cultures as a whole and family life in particular. The old habit of care for the aged, the poor and the helpless has been eroded and replaced with the Western - type attitude of selfishness and self-centeredness. African communalism has given way to individualism. In the traditional African Society, the extended family institution was highly cherished. The care of children was the responsibility of the whole community i.e. the Ujamaa Spirit.335 The problem of unwed mothers, the phenomenon of foster homes and the presence of
333 Obi M.C., "In Defense and Preservation of our Sole Foundation", in: Focus Magazine, Volume 16; December
2014 -December 2015, p. 4
334
The XIII Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops: “The New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith, pp. 14-15; Cf. also Vatican II Documents, Gaudium et Spes, nos. 1&4; Lumen Gentium, no.2
335 In trying to bring back this traditional African “work - spirit”, Julius Nyerere has proposed the philosophy of
Ujamaa. Ujamaa, in the literal sense means “togetherness” “Familyhood”. Family here does not depend on consanguinity. It depicts a “community spirit” of togetherness which considers all people as “brothers”. In Africa, brotherhood is real and concretely based on family - hood, that is, it is situated in the family where the welfare of
street children which are all too common in Africa of today, would have been considered a sacrilege in the pre-European African World.
The practice of parents having to first seek the consent of their children before paying them a visit was alien to African life. Care for the aged and the infirm was the norm. In turn, the training and nurturing of children was the responsibility of all. It was uncommon to find children abandoned in or on the roadside. Where such ever happened the culprits were fished out and appropriate sanctions applied to stem such social misconducts. Kinship and family life were strong bonds that welded the people into one strong chord that was not easily broken. This explains the opinions of people like Uwaezuoke that the incidence of the desecration of the extended family system is what has led to the crises we are now experiencing in many homes in modern Africa. Many African communities are witnessing a tremendous increase in the incidence of divorce and re-marriages; there is the neglect of children issuing from such marriages; there is also the problem of school drop-outs, child-prostitution, drug addiction, violent crimes, etc. These are all resultant effects of a befuddled family life. The violence, chaos and social disorder in ... Nigeria, the religious riots and destruction of lives in ... Nigeria, the phenomena of tribal militias ...in Nigeria, etc., are offshoots of collapsed or collapsing family institution.336 All these problems saw the light of the day through the birth of globalization and they are really a serious challenge to effective catechesis in Igboland.
2.4.2 Secularism and Secularization and their Impacts on the Church in Igboland