Ecclesiastical Ministries or Lay People in Nigeria: Problems and Prospects
Among the reforms made by Pope Paul VI was the introduction of official ecclesiastical ministries for lay people. In terms of implementing those ministries for lay people, the Nigerian church still lags behind; she has neither implemented the universal laws of the reform adequately nor made particular laws to situate the reform in her context. This failure is as a result of the influence of clericalism, the prevalence of non-formal ministries, conservatism and the fear of creating classes in the church. However, with an improved understanding of the true nature of the church and through catechesis, the reforms can be rightly implemented- with the novel introduction of the ministries of exorcists and catechists for the Nigerian church.
Keywords: ecclesiastical, lay, ministries, nigeria, people, problems, prospects