allAfrica.com: Milingo's Exiled Life Revisited

April 16 will precisely mark the first anniversary of the controversial decision by the Vatican to recall to Rome the maverick Roman Catholic Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo.

The curia's decision has adversely affected the running of the church especially in Lusaka and Kabwe where several parishes have refused to recognise his successor late Bishop Elias Mutale. In the 300 days that the archbishop has spent in Rome, many things, nasty things, unexpected to come from Christ's own servants and more so from the senior priests have surfaced. Some have even written to the Pope urging him to use his influence not to let the archbishop to go back to Zambia.

The curia has not come up with a definite charge nor had it given out convincing reasons to continue keeping him in Rome. In the absence of official statement, this has given vent to the people's anger who fear for the 52-year-old archbishop's life. Seeing the archbishop addressing the few Zambians at the embassy, it was easy to deduce that nothing had changed. Archbishop Milingo still possesses the candour and frankness that earned him the shackles. His oration was indistinguishable from that of the pulpit in the Lusaka Cathedral of the Holy Cross that the Zambians were so accustomed to.

Accordingly, the archbishop's dilemma started, as we all know, from his faith healing which seemed a direct confrontation with the Vatican policies. This was enflamed by his reformist ideas to give the church the African image. Though to the layman this seemed to be the reason, it has become known that for several years the Vatican had kept tabs on him. He cited immense dossiers that contained his speeches and addresses at international fora.

"I was surprised to find in Rome every speech that I have given at international platforms or at home," he told the little audience.

Among the prominent ones he quoted were the television interview with an American television in Milwaukee eight years ago; his speech in Bonn, West Germany where he was forced to defend his stand on politics and his address in Lusaka at his 50th birthday anniversary. But even as he recounted these sinful acts by the church, he seemed far from being cowered. Radiantly, he animatedly talked of his feelings and why there was need for reform.

"We ought to find our own identity because without that we are lost," he beamed.

In his view, and an apparent driving force, an African always had been God fearing and a firm believer in traditions.

"Even as a priest, I feel ashamed when I think of how little I know about our heritage." He vividly remembers his childhood days.

"In those days when a girl became of age, she became the pride of the family. She was expected to behave in order not to disgrace her parents.

"My mother could never allow my sister, six years older than me, to walk alone. But each time we come back, she could ask me and not my sister, short sharp questions from which she could conjure up the events.

"That is a knowledge which I still admire. There is my mother who has no education but what she does in the ways of God is amazing," Archbishop Milingo recalled. The reminder of his absence from home could be deduced from his reference to the country.

"Zambia is my country, my love for her is deep. There are many people who love the country, politicians and so forth but each one of us must be allowed to show his patriotism." In this regard the archbishop thinks the greatest contribution he could do for Zambia was to write a book about her. He feels even as a high priest being a Zambian was the first.

"I've roots in Zambia, unlike Alex Haley who had to search for his from the United States, I don't have to search for them. I only wish they could let me write a book about my country," he said. The archbishop said he knew how much the country's name and the Zambians had suffered from this debacle. And for that reason he did not wish to serve anywhere else or stay in Rome but to go back home. During his stay in Rome the archbishop might have seen the pontiff only once and at which he was told not to talk to him. He was, however, convinced that Pope John Paul ll, was aware of his case and his presence in the Vatican.

"For example, when I met him last year he asked me if I was looking forward to my language course in France." The archbishop spent three months in Rome learning French and one month at Les Sables d'Olonne in France.

"At least I can now say mass in French." But then what has become of his faith healing? The idea to detain him in Rome was to reform him. However, the holy surroundings of the Vatican have not yet managed to diminish his power. They even appear to have been sanctified. This was amply demonstrated during the pope's trip to Zaire last year.

Following a stampede by people running into the stadium to see the pontiff, a number of them were trampled. Unknowingly but out of curiosity the archbishop who was in the papal delegation saw on the pavement a pile of what looked to be human forms covered with white clothes. He strayed from the bishops' line, uncovered one to find a body of a young woman.

"I felt for her pulse and slowly I could hear her regaining her consciousness. I could have gone on but I thought of what others might think when they noticed my absence. But it's good to think that I, at least saved one soul. I gave that young woman a chance to live again." What, therefore, has the curia achieved in the year that they had kept Archbishop Milingo in internment in Rome? But their fear is to release him now when Bishop Mutale was still looking for patches to mend the rent Holy See as doing so would be glorifying the archbishop.

However, that would be a trivial reason. As even under "persecution" the archbishop still revere the church. This was manifested in his recent appeal to his family not to take it hard after being in Rome for 10 months in which period he had not written them. He feared his treatment by the Vatican could lead to a situation where parents would be reluctant to allow their children from being ordained as priests, apprehensive of the affair. More and more people in Europe have become atheists, non-church goers, and therefore, the church counts more on the simplest of African faith to keep the banner of Christ alight, and Milingo's reformist policies are then seen as a threat.


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