INTERVIEW/DISCUSSION WITH MONS. DENIS ISIZOH, VATICAN OFFICIAL FOR AFRICAN SECTION OF THE PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR INTERRELIGIOUS DIALOGUE, 31 JULY 2013.
 
1. On Pentecostal/Charismatic influence on Nigerian people’s way of worship in diaspora.
          I hope I understand what you mean by “Pentecostal/Charismatic influence”. You are probable talking about what may be called “freestyle worship” that is different from the rigid way in which, for example in the Catholic Church, the Holy Mass is begun with solemn introit sung in Latin, then both the Priest and the People follow set down rules (rubrics) for worship found in the liturgical books. Under “Pentecostal” influence, worshippers express themselves whichever way they feel; and there is little or no control. People speak in tongues; sing, or do I say shout, on top of their voices, and pray invoking immediate presence of God and powerful spirits. Some people say that this vibrant form of religious expression is from the Americas, particularly United States of America but it has its roots in Africa.
          The “freestyle” religious expression offers something attractive to the Africans/Nigerians. There is a desire for God’s immediate intervention, here and now! “Let the lame begin to walk.” “Let the blind open his/her eyes and begin to see immediately.” “Let every sickness disappear.”
          The feeling of God’s immediate presence has biblical foundation. In the Old Testament God is shown to have acted immediately in response to people’s prayer. God is invoked to act immediately to strike down the enemy and defeat all evil powers. It is precisely for this reason that in the Charismatic model of worship, prayer is offered with certain expectation that the Supreme Being will definitely answer. That is why we see such tendencies, like the invocation of “Holy Ghost fire” to consume those on the other side of the divide.
In the New Testament, Jesus and, by his power, some of his disciples performed such “immediate” miracles!
 
2. On the Justification of connection of Charismatic worship to culture.
          In Igbo culture, there are many celebrations: birth, maturity, marriage, death, etc. Each stage of life has different celebrations to mark it. These celebrations are almost always expressed in the context of worship and human-divine interaction, that is, religion. The word religion has no direct translation in most African languages. It is a way of life. Every human activity has its religious implication.  Africans, in this case Nigerians, express who they are in the way they worship. They express their joy. They celebrate their lives. They present to God their challenges in life, their difficulties, their successes, their failure, everything. They are not in a hurry to leave God’s presence. So sometimes, worship in Nigeria takes several hours. They are disposed to give a good part of their “Sunday time” to God. They are not in a hurry to rush out of the Church to go to, say, the seaside to relax or home to watch television. They simply give their time to God. Whether one is talking about Igbo religion before the advent of Christianity or Igbo religious expression within the context of Christianity, it is the same full engagement - commitment.
 
3. Worship performance by Nigerians in foreign land therefore becomes a negotiation of cultural identity.
          Wherever people go, they carry along an “invisible baggage” which contains several items, including worldviews, languages, cultures and religions. These items in the baggage are displayed when groups and individuals settle in a new place. Nigerians go with their own baggage of religion, which includes their peculiar way of worship that is highly expressive. When they pray, they expect immediate results. There is the attitude of “do ut des” (I give in order to get). This is typified in one of the Igbo songs: Inye ya ihe di mma, o ga enyekwa gi ozo – (If you give him good things, he [God] will repay you).
 
4, On the opposition by the Clergy and Educated class to Pentecostal way of worship.
          I would not say that there is opposition by the clergy because some of the priests actually champion this Charismatic/Pentecostal way of worship. It depends on where some people grew up. Those who have remained in Europe for a very long time tend to find it difficult to support lengthy worship, endless songs sung in very high volumes. Such people say that there is something lacking somewhere. They hold that Charismatic worship “performance” has no profound theology. They say that it thrives on impoverished theology. For example, the concept of God as a rich-God, expounded by one Nigerian Pentecostal pastor, relegates to the background the question of poverty as a real life experience of some of the worshipers. Further, the proclamation of prosperity for all avoids the question of the place of redemptive suffering in the Christian experience of life. Nevertheless, more can be benefited by the expressivity of Charismatic groups if theologians and priests pay close attention to illuminate and deepen the knowledge of some doctrines of Christianity that tend to be glossed over by the lightweight “charismatic” leaders.   
 
5. On the Preponderance of Call-Response singing in worship performance by Nigerian Catholics.
          Nigerians seek to create a joyous air of worship instead of a gloomy solemnity. Usually the performance of “call-response” singing and dancing during Masses is often limited to the time of offertory “procession”.
For Nigerians, offertory is a time of joy, a time of dancing, a time for glorifying God with every amount of expressivity. Nigerians do not go to Mass with the intention that it will last for 20 minutes or 30 minutes. They do not want a very short Sunday liturgy. They want to spend their time in an intensive and energetic worship of God. There is atmosphere of sober reflection after Communion.
          While it is true that the Second Vatican allows inculturation of peculiar cultural and traditional ways of Christian worship, it is the task of the Catholic Church leaders to ensure the application of the principle of inculturation: compatibility with the Gospel and communion with the Universal Church. This will help non-Nigerians to be able to participate in Nigerian community worship without their patience being unduly tried.
 
6. Are not some of these choruses simply banal?
          Some of them could be banal. That is not the ideal. The ideal is that the words should be rich and convey messages with solid contents – drawn from the Bible and based on sound theology. Songs during worship should be good tools for catechesis.
 
7. Some of these songs apparently use vulgar language but on a closer look seem to reveal a depth of human experience, devotion and spirituality, like the one that says “Why I no go make shakara”. 
          I understand that by vulgar you do not mean “dirty” language but common folk expressions.
Irresponsible words and expressions, “dirty” terms, et cetera, have no place in true worship. There is no doubt that such should not be allowed because it will be making mockery of religion and religious worship.
Use of common folk expressions in worship is different. We all did not attend Cambridge University or University of Ibadan. Most of us are ordinary people who did not go to any secondary school. We speak our local languages and use common folk expressions. In Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Cameroon, most people understand and speak Pidgin English. There is nothing bad about using that language in the Church. When first I heard “Kumbaya my Lord Kumbaya” I asked myself what that would mean. I have come to learn that it was first from Gullah a Creole word that has found its way to West African Pidgin English, meaning, “Come back here”.  So when I sing it, I am only saying “Come back here, my Lord, come back here” What a beautiful song for the period of Advent!
          To determine the suitability of songs for Worship, in addition to the work of Musicians, there is need for the contribution of Theologians and Experts in languages and communication.
 
8. On Singing during sermons/homilies.
          Styles of homily differ. One can use songs as a pedagogical tool. However, it is improper to use singing to keep the congregation physically awake because it suggests that the homily is boring or too stretched. Good homilies are prepared on bended knee in the chapel and long sitting on a hard chair behind a study desk. In ten minutes, the message of a good homily is communicated!