Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Rome (Fides Service)- “In Benin there has always been a spirit of tolerance and dialogue among people of different religions but in recent years we have noted with concern signs of creeping religious fundamentalism,” said Bishop Victor Agbanou, Bishop of Lokossa in Benin in a conversation with Fides. Bishop Agbanou is one of 118 newly appointed Bishops of missionary territories in Rome for a Seminar organised by the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples. Fides’ Africa desk spoke to Bishop Agbanou about the Seminar and about the situation in his country. “We have come from different continents to take part in the Seminar and it is an important opportunity to share experiences and learn more about the central church institutions in Rome. For us as Bishops of the universal Church, it is a time for mutual enrichment” the Bishop told Fides.
With regard to the religious situaiton in Benin, the Bishop said: “Sixty per cent of the population still follows traditional African religions (Animists), 25% is Catholic and 15% is Muslim although in recent years new religious sects have begun to appear.
Animists are open to Christianity and evangelisation found fertile ground among them. The faith has taken deep root. In my diocese, Lokossa, for example, the people take the faith seriously. Sunday Mass attendance is 90% and our people are very generous with material support for the activity of the local Church, in fact the diocese is self-supporting in most of its activities”.
With regard to interreligious dialogue, Bishop Agbanou said that Islam in Benin is traditionally tolerant and there has never been any trouble in relations with the Catholic community, however “in the past 5 or 6 years Muslim organisations from other countries have started funding Koran schools and social works while spreading a spirit of fundamentalism. We see customs changing. For example in northern Benin women are beginning to wear veils, something they never did before”.
With regard to new religious sects the Bishop of Lokossa said, “at first these beliefs were imported from other countries, but now we see new sects formed here in Benin. People are drawn to these pseudo religious groups which propose rather lax morality and promises of immediate remedies for troubles like sickness or unemployment. They use false promises to attract people in difficulty”.
A serious problem in West Africa is trafficking in human persons, children in particular who are sold and bought as slaves for work on plantations or as domestic servants for rich people. Benin, one of the poorest countries in Africa, also suffers from this plague. “The Catholic Church was the first institution in the country to denounce this trafficking and inform and warn people about it” Bishop Agbanou told Fides. “In effect families in need are easily convinced to entrust their children to strangers who promise them a better future. But nearly always the children are enslaved in heavy labour or sold to organisations involved in human trafficking. Thanks also to our efforts the authorities are on the alert with regard to this criminal phenomenon”. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 8/9/2004 righe 38 parole 521)
