A história revela que o envolvimento dos jovens na obra da Igreja no Benin é tão antigo quanto a sua implantação no país. “Aprendendo com o fracasso dos Franciscanos e dos Capuchinhos que tentaram, no século XVII, evangelizar certas regiões do Daomé (antigo Benin, Ed.) E que centraram a sua ação na direção dos reis, em particular de Ouidah e Allada, cujas ações foram em vão, os padres da Sociedade de Missões Africanas (Sma) antes, ao chegarem, tomaram como alvo principal, os jovens ”, explica o professor Jérôme Alladayè.
“Eles compreenderam, acrescenta o historiador das religiões, que os jovens são, por um lado, almas mais maleáveis, e, por outro lado, que esses jovens, uma vez evangelizados e convertidos, seriam fermentos em seus ambientes de vida”. O professor universitário assinala que “isto explica porque a implantação das escolas foi uma estratégia importante da implantação missionária no país”.
Com efeito, a 10 de fevereiro de 1862, menos de um ano após a sua chegada, os primeiros missionários fundaram no Forte português de Ouidah, a primeira escola católica do Daomé, que se ocupará da formação de jovens que se tornarão as primeiras elites. do país. De 1960 até hoje, a ação dos jovens na Igreja foi se fortalecendo gradativamente.
Na Conferência Nacional realizada de 19 a 28 de fevereiro de 1990 (que deu origem à democracia no Benin), a Igreja foi representada por quatro pessoas, incluindo o Bispo Isidoro de Souza, que chefiou o presidium dessas reuniões. Alain Adihou, que representou os jovens católicos do país nesta delegação, lembra-o com grande emoção: “Foi, para mim, uma grande honra e uma inestimável responsabilidade histórica”.
Já na casa dos 60 anos, ainda tem presente o compromisso insignificante dos jovens dentro da Igreja da época: “Na minha juventude, os jovens católicos não queriam ficar satisfeitos com a compreensão dos leigos antes do Concílio. Vaticano II: o “não clérigo” ”. E acrescentar: “Como jovens, não tínhamos medo de ser reconhecidos como católicos”.
Por sua vez, o Padre Clément Marie Bonou, Franciscano da Imaculada, 51 anos, que representou os jovens da diocese de Cotonou nas Jornadas Mundiais da Juventude na França em 1997, recorda o fervor dos movimentos juvenis dos anos 1990: “Quando jovem, estive muito envolvido nas atividades eclesiais, no escotismo e nos movimentos de ação católica”. Ele testemunha o que este ambiente lhe trouxe: “A animação das escolas de fé e de oração da capelania juvenil diocesana de Cotonou deu-me um“ redil interno ”que me conduzirá, posteriormente, à vida religiosa”. Mas ainda hoje, os jovens católicos do Benin enfrentam vários desafios.
“O principal desafio que assumo ao nível da juventude católica do Benin e, neste caso, de Cotonou, é o desafio da profundidade espiritual”, indica o Padre Francis Adimou, capelão da juventude diocesana de Cotonou: “As nossas igrejas estão cheias dos jovens, mas, nos momentos de dificuldade, não hesitam em seguir outros caminhos, o que mostra que a sua vida espiritual tem de se consolidar mais e é nisso que estamos a trabalhar a nível de capelania ”.
Yannick Noulekoun, o principal animador da juventude diocesana de Cotonou, corrobora afirmando: “Nós, jovens, devemos descobrir, nutrir e manter a nossa identidade cristã, apesar das dificuldades que às vezes enfrentamos ao frequentar a escola dos mais velhos em a fim de melhor dar os passos em face das realidades de hoje ”
Mas é pela própria redescoberta da Igreja que o ex-ministro católico Alain Adihou pede: “Os jovens católicos africanos devem conhecer melhor a sua Igreja, amá-la, amar a África, defendê-la a tempo e fora de tempo. Que responsabilidades e quais desafios ! “.
The official correspondent of RECOWACERAO NEWS AGENCY, RECONA based in Cotonou, the capital city of Benin filed in this report. Benin is preparing to celebrate, on April 18, the 160th anniversary of the arrival in the country of the first missionaries, Fathers Francesco Borghero and Francisco Fernandez, of the Society of African Missions (Sma). As a prelude to this commemoration, La Croix Africa questioned Benin Christians about the role of young people within the Church in Benin, yesterday and today.
History reveals that the involvement of young people in the work of the Church in Benin is as old as its establishment in the country. “Learning from the failure of the Franciscans and the Capuchins who tried, in the 17th century, to evangelize certain regions of Dahomey (former name of Benin, Ed.) And who had focused their action in the direction of kings, in particular, Ouidah and Allada, which actions were in vain, the fathers of the Society of African Missions (Sma) rather, upon their arrival, took as the primary target, the youth” explains professor Jérôme Alladayè.
“They understood, adds the historian of religions, that young people are, on the one hand, more malleable souls, and, on the other hand, that these young people, once evangelized and converted, would be ferments within their living environments”. The university teacher indicates that “this explains why the establishment of the schools was an important strategy of the missionary establishment in the country”.
On February 10, 1862, in fact, less than a year after their arrival, the first missionaries founded at the Portuguese Fort of Ouidah, the first Catholic school in Dahomey, which will tackle the training of young people who will become the first elites. from the country. From 1960 to today, the action of young people within the Church has gradually strengthened.
At the National Conference held from February 19 to 28, 1990 (which gave birth to democracy in Benin), the Church was represented by four people including Bishop Isidore de Souza who headed the presidium of these meetings. Alain Adihou, who represented the country’s young Catholics in this delegation, remembers it with great emotion: “It was, for me, a great honor and an inestimable historical responsibility”.
Now in his sixties, he still has in mind the insignificant commitment of young people within the Church at the time: “In my youth, young Catholics did not want to be satisfied with the understanding of the laity before the Council. Vatican II: the “non-cleric””. And to add: “As young people, we were not afraid of being recognized as Catholics”.
For his part, Father Clément Marie Bonou, Franciscan of the Immaculate, 51 years old, who represented the young people of the diocese of Cotonou at the World Youth Days in France in 1997, remembers the fervor of the youth movements of the years 1990: “As a young person, I was very involved in ecclesial activities, scouting and Catholic action movements”. He testifies to what this atmosphere brought him: “The animation of the schools of faith and prayer of the diocesan youth chaplaincy of Cotonou gave me an “inner fold” which will lead me, subsequently, to religious life”. But even today, young Catholics in Benin face various challenges.
“The main challenge that I take up at the level of the Catholic youth of Benin and that of Cotonou in this case, it is the challenge of spiritual depth”, indicates Father Francis Adimou, diocesan youth chaplain in Cotonou: “Our churches are full of young people but, in times of difficulty, they do not hesitate to take other paths, which shows that their spiritual life needs to be established more and this is what we are working on at the chaplaincy level “.
Yannick Noulekoun, the principal animator of the diocesan youth of Cotonou, corroborates by affirming: “We young people, must discover, nourish and keep our Christian identity in spite of the difficulties which we are sometimes confronted while going to the school of our elders in order to better take steps in the face of today’s realities”
But it is for the very rediscovery of the Church that the former Catholic Minister Alain Adihou calls for: “Young African Catholics must know their Church better, love it, love Africa, defend them in time and out of season. What responsibilities and what challenges! “.
Le correspondant officiel de RECOWACERAO NEWS AGENCY, RECONA basé à Cotonou, la capitale du Bénin a déposé dans ce rapport. Le Bénin s’apprête à célébrer, le 18 avril, le 160e anniversaire de l’arrivée au pays des premiers missionnaires, les pères Francesco Borghero et Francisco Fernandez, de la Société des missions africaines (Sma). En prélude à cette commémoration, La Croix Afrique a interrogé les chrétiens béninois sur le rôle des jeunes au sein de l’Église au Bénin, hier et aujourd’hui.
L’histoire révèle que l’implication des jeunes dans l’œuvre de l’Église au Bénin est aussi ancienne que son implantation dans le pays. «Apprendre de l’échec des franciscains et des capucins qui ont tenté, au XVIIe siècle, d’évangéliser certaines régions du Dahomey (ancien nom du Bénin, NDLR) et qui avaient concentré leur action en direction des rois, en particulier, Ouidah et Allada, dont les actions ont été vaines, les pères de la Société des Missions Africaines (Sma) ont plutôt, à leur arrivée, pris comme cible principale, la jeunesse »explique le professeur Jérôme Alladayè.
«Ils ont compris, ajoute l’historien des religions, que les jeunes sont, d’une part, des âmes plus malléables, et, d’autre part, que ces jeunes, une fois évangélisés et convertis, seraient des ferments dans leur milieu de vie». Le professeur d’université indique que “ceci explique pourquoi la création des écoles était une stratégie importante de l’établissement missionnaire dans le pays”.
Le 10 février 1862, en effet, moins d’un an après leur arrivée, les premiers missionnaires fondent au Fort portugais de Ouidah, la première école catholique du Dahomey, qui s’attaquera à la formation des jeunes qui deviendront les premières élites. du pays. De 1960 à aujourd’hui, l’action des jeunes au sein de l’Église s’est progressivement renforcée.
Lors de la Conférence nationale du 19 au 28 février 1990 (qui a donné naissance à la démocratie au Bénin), l’Église était représentée par quatre personnes dont Mgr Isidore de Souza qui dirigeait le présidium de ces réunions. Alain Adihou, qui représentait les jeunes catholiques du pays dans cette délégation, s’en souvient avec beaucoup d’émotion: «C’était pour moi un grand honneur et une responsabilité historique inestimable».
Aujourd’hui dans la soixantaine, il a encore à l’esprit l’engagement insignifiant des jeunes au sein de l’Église de l’époque: «Dans ma jeunesse, les jeunes catholiques ne voulaient pas se contenter de la compréhension des laïcs avant le Concile. Vatican II: le «non-clerc» ». Et d’ajouter: “En tant que jeunes, nous n’avions pas peur d’être reconnus catholiques”.
De son côté, le Père Clément Marie Bonou, Franciscain de l’Immaculée, 51 ans, qui représentait les jeunes du diocèse de Cotonou aux Journées Mondiales de la Jeunesse en France en 1997, se souvient de la ferveur des mouvements de jeunesse des années 1990: «En tant que jeune, j’étais très impliqué dans les activités ecclésiales, le scoutisme et les mouvements d’action catholique». Il témoigne de ce que cette atmosphère lui a apporté: «L’animation des écoles de foi et de prière de l’aumônerie diocésaine des jeunes de Cotonou m’a donné un« repli intérieur »qui me conduira, par la suite, à la vie religieuse». Mais même aujourd’hui, les jeunes catholiques du Bénin sont confrontés à divers défis.
«Le défi principal que je relève au niveau de la jeunesse catholique du Bénin et celui de Cotonou dans ce cas, c’est le défi de la profondeur spirituelle», indique le Père Francis Adimou, aumônier des jeunes diocésains de Cotonou: «Nos églises sont pleines des jeunes mais, en période de difficultés, ils n’hésitent pas à emprunter d’autres chemins, ce qui montre que leur vie spirituelle a besoin de se construire davantage et c’est ce sur quoi nous travaillons au niveau de l’aumônerie ».
Yannick Noulekoun, le principal animateur de la jeunesse diocésaine de Cotonou, corrobore en affirmant: «Nous les jeunes, devons découvrir, nourrir et garder notre identité chrétienne malgré les difficultés auxquelles nous sommes parfois confrontés en allant à l’école de nos aînés en afin de mieux prendre des mesures face aux réalités d’aujourd’hui »
Mais c’est pour la redécouverte même de l’Église que réclame l’ancien ministre catholique Alain Adihou: «Les jeunes catholiques africains doivent mieux connaître leur Église, l’aimer, aimer l’Afrique, la défendre dans le temps et hors saison. Quelles responsabilités et quels défis ! “.
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