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Bishop Hubbard went to Africa recently in his capacity as chair of the U.S. bishops' International Committee for Justice and Peace. Read the first three parts here: (Part I) (Part II) (Part III)

THURS., SEPT. 2

We departed the cooler and less humid air of Jos for the more uncomfortable weather of Abuja.

Traveling along the road, I was struck by how many tiny churches dotted the highway. Most were pentecostal or evangelical with names like Living Faith Church (a.k.a. Winners Chapel), the Lord's Church, the Deeper Life Church, United Full Tabernacle, Christ's Holy Church International, Summit Bible Church, the Lord's Chosen, Rapture Gospel Church, the Church of the Redeemed and so on.

Ofttimes, the church itself was little bigger than two rooms, housing 10 to 15 at most. There is no question about the fact that faith is an integral part of Nigerian life. However, the mainstream Catholic and Protestant congregations must now compete with the more charismatic churches.

As we drove along the highway, both sides in each little town we passed had their version of strip malls, with merchants displaying their products for all to see - usually with someone waving for passing drivers to stop and shop.

There were always a gaggle of 20 to 30 motorcyclists hovering near the highway. I was initially puzzled by the fact that each town had its own motorcycle club - until our driver informed us that they form the local taxi service.

Another striking feature was that internet cafes and cell phones were omnipresent, even in the most rural sections.

Halfway point
Midway on our five-hour return trip to Abuja, we stopped at the town of Akwanga to visit Our Lady of the Apostles Hospital, which is run by Our Lady of the Apostles Sisters in conjunction with the local Diocese of Lafia.

This hospital is a secondary healthcare facility with a bed capacity of 118 and a staff of 32, including four doctors. The facility has been involved in HIV/AIDS prevention since the early 1980s; but, with the help of the PEPFAR Program (the President's Emergency Plan For Aids Relief), it is now a major player in HIV/AIDS treatment.

We met with Sister Mary Bulus, the dynamic hospital administrator, and with members of her staff and a number of patients. They spoke about the PEPFAR program, which has a two-fold component: hospital treatment and community-based care.

The hospital offers a comprehensive approach to HIV/AIDS treatment, which includes the prevention of mother-to-child transmission, abstinence/behavior change programs, HIV counseling and testing, anti-retroviral treatment, pharmacy and laboratory services.

The mother-to-child treatment program has witnessed the birth of 179 children, of whom none were HIV-positive. Currently, 1,496 clients and 119 children receive anti-retroviral treatment.

Preliminary results from the 2009 patient level outcome assessment show that more than 91 percent of patients on therapy for longer than 18 months have had their viral loads suppressed.

This result, compared with a target of 80 percent, plus the fact that many other facilities are performing in the 60 to 70 percent range, shows the excellent care OLA Hospital is providing.

HIV aid
The community-based care project consists of well-coordinated mobilization, sensitization, monitoring, counseling and testing programs and is rendered to people irrespective of their tribe, religious background or gender.

Presently, the program has 1,240 patients. The coordinator of the program - HIV-positive herself - told us that the most important challenge they have is to encourage people to come forward and seek treatment, because there is still a tremendous stigma associated with HIV/AIDS in Nigerian society.

Indeed, some clients come from as far as Jos and Abuja so that others will be unaware of their HIV status. I noticed a poster on the wall with a beautiful, smiling young woman saying, "I am HIV-positive; why is your approach to me so negative?"

After our meeting with the staff and clients, we had a tour of the emergency room, pharmacy, labs, X-ray facilities and accounting office. Quite frankly, the facility is in need of much updating. However, its inadequacies are more than compensated by the loving, personalized care the staff offers.

Our visit concluded by walking through the hospital wards, where we met and talked with several patients. One young woman knelt by the bedside of two children, her three-year-old boy and her four-day-old girl. She was one of the women who are part of the prevention of mother-to-child transmission program, and her child was born without the disease.

We also met a 15-year-old who has HIV/AIDS. Her father has ostracized her. Since she cannot stay at the hospital any longer, Sister Mary has met with the tribal chief in the girl's village to mediate her return, allowing her to be cared for by her mother without the father's intervention.

The spiritual nature of the program was articulated eloquently by the medical staff director, who quoted enthusiastically from Matthew 25 and the biblical parable of the "Good Samaritan" as being the underlying philosophy which permeates all that they do.

PEPFAR support
It should be noted that this program offered by Our Lady of the Apostles could not exist without the support of PEPFAR. We can be very proud of the role that this U.S.-funded program plays in addressing the AIDS pandemic in Nigeria and in so many other countries of the Third World.

I would also note that PEPFAR can only be conducted in Catholic facilities because of the advocacy of the U.S. bishops' Committee on International Peace and Justice and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to ensure that faith-based institutions like Our Lady of the Apostles Hospital are able to render care in accord with their religious convictions, and not mandated to provide services which are found to be morally objectionable.

After returning to the hotel in Jos, our delegation was hosted by Archbishop John of Abuja for a sumptuous buffet dinner. Plans had been made to serve the dinner in the courtyard of the archbishop's residence, where more than 40 people had gathered to thank our delegation for the assistance that the Church in the United States offers the Church in Nigeria.

But, as the old saying goes, "Man proposes, God disposes." Apparently, God did not want us to eat in the courtyard that evening: A violent thunder and lightning storm broke out during the benediction for the meal.

What a sight to observe everybody scrambling to grab their plates, pile them with food and rush indoors before becoming like drowned rats.

FRI., SEPT. 3

We commenced our last day by meeting with the general secretary and staff of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, which assists the bishops and people of Nigeria to fulfill the mission of the Church in this part of God's vineyard.

The secretariat's organizational structure is similar to that of our own U.S. Catholic Bishops' Conference. It is the organ of unity, communion and solidarity for the 30 million Catholics spread across the 36 states of Nigeria.

The 19 priests, six women religious and 56 other staff in the secretariat are committed to promoting pastoral care, human dignity and social justice throughout Nigeria. The secretariat is divided into four departments and one directorate.

Departments
The Pastoral Affairs Department promotes prayer and worship, catechesis, retreats and pilgrimages and is presently involved - as we are in the United States - with preparing for the linguistic changes in the Mass which will take place with the introduction of the new Roman Missal.

The Pastoral Agents Department oversees the formation of seminaries and novitiates and the ongoing support for the priests, religious and lay leaders of the Nigerian dioceses. Most of their lay initiatives focus on promoting youth ministry and developing the role of Catholic men and women in civic and political life.

The Department of Mission and Dialogue coordinates the sending of religious, priests and laity to other nations to do the work of evangelization. It also facilitates ecumenical and interfaith dialogue, with an emphasis on non-violence and peace-building, such as we experienced in Jos earlier this week.

The Department of Church and Society promotes the social teaching of the Catholic Church and its application to contemporary issues in Nigeria: human rights, especially the right to life of the unborn; the exploitation of natural mineral and oil resources; agricultural development; health care and family life.

This department educates people on these and other critical social issues and advocates with the government on behalf of the Church and the common good.

The Directorate of Social Communications is the public relations arm of the Nigerian Catholic Bishops' Conference. It has the responsibility for all publications of the conference, provides radio and TV programs, and offers workshops on communication skills for local diocesan leaders. This directorate was a recipient of a grant from our U.S. bishops' Solidarity Fund.

We also heard about the Catholic Caritas Foundation of Nigeria, which assists social services throughout the dioceses of Nigeria. It is anticipated that this foundation will take over the AIDS relief program currently under the aegis of CRS and its partners.

Downtown sights
Leaving the Secretariat, we went to downtown Abuja, which is truly a cosmopolitan city. Construction is everywhere, expanding upon the modern corporate buildings, governmental offices and residences already occupied.

The purpose of this short side trip was to visit the National Christian Center, an enormous cathedral completed in 2006 and supported by all the Christian denominations in Nigeria. The architect was a Nigerian from Lagos and the construction was done by an Italian firm.

The cathedral, with its sparkling bronze roof and 300-foot tower crowned with a cross, dwarfs all the other edifices in this part of town and seemingly outshines the central mosque on the other side of downtown.

The cathedral has set seating for 6,000 people and, with movable chairs, this arrangement can be expanded to 10,000. No Sunday worship services are conducted at the cathedral, to respect the fact that it belongs to no one Christian denomination. Otherwise, it is available to all Christian groups for liturgical services, weddings, prayer gatherings and concerts.

At the center of the cathedral is a revolving altar. It houses a huge pipe organ made in Germany. Etched in the stained glass windows on either end of the Cathedral are five symbols: a fish, which is an ancient Christian symbol for Christ, coming from the Greek word for fish ("ictus"); a cross, the universal Christian symbol; a burning bush, a reminder of God's appearance to Moses in the Hebrew Scriptures and of our connection to the Jewish community; a star, representing the guiding light which led the three wise men to Bethlehem; and a dove, the Christian symbol for the Holy Spirit.

The cathedral is certainly an impressive testimony to unity which should exist among all members of the Christian family.

We then journeyed a short distance to the other side of downtown to the gold-domed mosque. We were unable to enter this impressive structure because it was Friday, the Muslim equivalent to our Christian Sunday, and worshippers were already engaged in their service.

What was phenomenal, however, was that from this side of town, looking across to the national cathedral, the mosque appeared to be the dominant structure and the cathedral cast in its shadow. Maybe this illusion is symbolic of the fact that, in Nigerian society, neither faith tradition is dominant and adherents must learn to live together in peace and harmony.

As we drove back to the hotel, I was conscious of the urbanization taking place in Nigeria at an exponential pace, akin to the move from rural America to the cities during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Nigeria's economy is moving inexorably from agriculture, which previously was its largest export, to a commercial, financial and technological society. This presents tremendous opportunities as well as enormous social, economic and political challenges.

Africa is truly a continent with amazing natural resources, destined to become a major player on the world stage by the end of the 21st century. Such progress, however, will only come with the attendant social issues associated with human growth and economic development.

This awareness was reinforced during our lunch at the hotel. We were joined by James McAnulty, the counselor for political affairs at the U.S. embassy in Nigeria; and Ann Flynn, the U.S. embassy's human rights officer.

Both of these dedicated public servants have a rich background of various postings with the U.S. Foreign Service. Mr. McAnulty, for example, was involved in the relocation of the now famous "Lost Boys of Sudan."

Refugees still
Ms. Flynn had just returned from visiting two refugee camps near Lagos, which were set up nearly two decades ago to handle those fleeting from unrest in Liberia. They have subsequently been joined by refugees from Chad and the Congo.

Officially, the camps are now closed, but some 5,000 refugees remain, and their ultimate destination is uncertain. For example, some Liberians who have been living in camps for more than 15 years have been given the option of becoming Nigerian citizens or returning to Liberia.

But many say they want to emigrate to other countries - in particular, the U.S. or Australia - and are refusing to leave the camp until these options are made available. The refugees also can be very insistent about receiving the health and educational opportunities which they believe the international community should continue to provide.

Now that the camps are closed formally, it remains uncertain how these issues will be resolved.

Ms. Flynn spoke about the deplorable way prisoners are being treated in Nigeria. Research shows that 91 percent of those in prison have never been convicted of any crime, but must wait as long as six or seven years to receive a trial.

Even then, the evidentiary rules in the trial courts are limited and, often, the ultimate disposition comes from a prisoner's confession - which not infrequently is coerced by law enforcement officials.

Society today
Mr. McAnulty commented on the vast inequalities that exist within Nigerian society. The wealth from the oil reserves is enormous, but the dividends are shared by a relatively few, mostly government officials and corporate leaders. The affluent live in mansions with lavish lifestyles, while the vast majority of Nigerians lack the basic necessities to live with human dignity.

Corruption is rampant both in the government and corporate world, not only in Nigeria but throughout many African nations.

Mr. McAnulty also underscored that there are deeply rooted antagonisms between the federal and regional governments which contribute to the dysfunction in the delivery of services.

A critical moment in Nigeria's history will be the forthcoming elections. There is an unusual political arrangement in Nigeria coming from a so-called "gentlemen's agreement," known as zoning or power sharing, whereby if the president is a Christian, then the vice president must be a Muslim.

Conversely, when the Christian president's term expires, the new president must be a Muslim, having a Christian vice president.

Recently, a bizarre incident occurred in the transition of presidential power. On Nov. 23, 2009, sitting president Umaru Yar Adua was flown from Nigeria to Saudi Arabia for emergency medical treatment.

After a prolonged absence, on Feb. 9, 2010, the Nigerian National Assembly passed a resolution that transmitted presidential power to vice president Goodluck Jonathan, giving him the title and responsibilities of acting president.

In the midst of this turmoil, President Yar Adua was flown back to Nigeria in the middle of the night and reclaimed the presidency. However, no one outside of his family and immediate political aides was allowed to see him or have access to his medical condition.

The situation was finally resolved with his death, and on May 6, 2010, the Nigerian chief justice swore in Goodluck Jonathan as Nigeria's president.

Elections are scheduled for this coming January. Mr. McAnulty suggested that the process for the election is still far from ready, so he believes a postponement is highly likely.

No matter when it occurs, Mr. McAnulty thinks it will be fairer than the two previous elections, which even President Jonathan agrees were severely flawed.

Conclusion
When we hear about Africa on the evening news, often it is about ethnic, tribal or religious rivalries which have resulted in terrible massacres. One can easily wonder why it is taking the people of the African continent so long to resolve their problems and to create a safe and secure civil society.

However, we should recall our own U.S. history: Our nation was born of a bloody revolutionary war. While our founders had remarkable foresight in conceiving the great democracy our nation has become, it took a long time for some significant issues to be resolved: the rights of Native Americans, who ultimately became the victims of imperialism and broken treaties; the methodology by which our people would be represented, trying to balance the needs and concerns of large and small states; and, of course, slavery.

The latter contentious issue would polarize our nation for its first 80 years, erupting in the Civil War of the 1860s, which killed more than 600,000 Union and Confederate soldiers.

Further, it would be another century before African-Americans gained their full civil rights. And the vestiges of racism still remain: for example, Bishop Ricard, our delegation leader, mentioned that recently in a letter to the editor in his local Florida paper, the author described the Civil War as "the Northern aggression."

Women in the United States only received the right to vote less than a century ago. How representatives are chosen continues in contemporary debates about the fairness of the Electoral College for the selection of the president or the gerrymandering that takes place in determining districts at the federal and state level.

Even how ballots are cast and counted remains an issue, as the presidential election in 2000 and the new technological system for voting, which will be available at the polls for New Yorkers this November, remind us.

If we are tempted to be critical of African nations for not having resolved their basic social and political problems, we must put into perspective that most African nations have only had their independence for 60 years or less. Hence, their struggles are not all that dissimilar to what we have experienced throughout our history.

This entire trip reinforced for me the tremendous blessings we have in our country, especially security, due process, an institutionalized democracy, and a social safety net - blessings we take for granted, but for which we should be most grateful.

(10/28/10) [[In-content Ad]]

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