The chaplaincy of Chortles-upon-Whereitsat

Cameras at the ready

On many occasions, I find myself taking funny orders, inconspicuously traipsing the streets of Manchester, and accosted by some who commend my sartorial taste to the extent of being asked to be photographed.

I was in a conversation on my phone at St Peter’s Square when a man decked out in full Rastafari garb, lots of Jamaican colours from head to toe came into my purview and as I remonstrated that I was otherwise engaged, with hand signals and gestures, I obliged a picture. Then he sat beside me while his partner snapped away, then he gave a wave and left.

Dressing up is an art

On a Sunday afternoon, I could acknowledge five variations of dapper or looking good from the hat to the whole ensemble, it is like I cannot dress down. Interestingly, if I do have to visit an office, in my life of work where I have had many suits, shirts and ties, I would rather wear them than leave them to feed moths.

For all the easing of formalities, having once worked in the city, the business capital of the United Kingdom, I am quite a reminder of a bygone age, with a bowler hat too for the cold and frigid winter days.

A chaplaincy I assume

This evening, I was at church for the valedictory service in honour of the outgoing Archdeacon of Rochdale, it was a well-attended event with all the trappings of Anglican traditions and all the extant clergy of the diocese and beyond. Quite a fine service before a small reception of hot beverages and cake.

As I was making my way to the table to be served, I was approached by a parson who I had met before at another event, he came with the familiarity of a bear hug, before he began to discuss clerical opportunities in the diocese, I guess I was being confused with someone else. I however could not reject such due consideration for the chaplaincy of Chortles-upon-Whereitsat.

A chortle we did have when I suggested, I could consider taking holy orders, as for where and when, I would have been expected to wear a dog collar for the event rather than a day cravat, or had I inadvertently converted one into the other? A conversation about doppelgangers ensued, they look nothing like me, and an unfortunate case of prosopagnosia becomes more humorous than to be maligned.

Coronavirus streets in Cape Town - LIV

Electric menace with stupid

There is nowhere in the world where the riding of e-scooters is not a menace. In fact, any electrically powered vehicle that shares a pedestrian walkway or a pavement and in this case the promenade has usually inconsiderate riders whizzing past oblivious of others with literally no control or direction.

I had to jump out of the way of one hurling down at speed and in 10 metres, he crashed and fell. Whilst he got up and dusted off himself that we onlookers did not have to ask if he was alright, there have been casualties and fatalities after such accidents. The only word that came to mind was stupid, and we all to an extent have a proclivity for stupidity when the circumstance presents.

Desmond Mpilo Tutu

This morning as we contemplated and vacillated about going to church, which we eventually did not do, as I had a rotten night and his own was hardly any better with insomnia, we learnt that Archbishop Desmond Tutu had passed on, at the age of 90.

So many things will be written about Archbishop Desmond Tutu, I would leave that to the eulogists. To me, he was an exemplary man of God, who understood that his calling and cause was greater than self to the service of humanity, challenging the entrenched, the absurd, the hidebound, the acceptable, the untenable, the reprehensible, the unnecessary, the prejudiced, the judgemental, and the bigoted to see a greater value to our common humanity rather than our diminished individuality in the church, in our communities, and in society.

He enters the pantheon of the exceedingly illustrious, in the class of Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr, and Nelson Mandela. Our world was by all means blessed by his ministry and empathetic wisdom in his life and living in our time, that his passing, though a loss cannot expunge his footsteps in the eternal sands of time as a record of human history.

In the seat of his priesthood, his archbishopric, and in his heart, he gave Christianity a beating heart, a human face, a loving message, a welcoming sign with embracing arms, revealing divine purpose in mortal and flawed vessels. Rest in peace, Archbishop Desmond Mpilo Tutu and may eternal light shine upon thee.

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For church and normalcy

On an easel in the cathedral.

Back to church indeed

Church, a place for Sunday or maybe a Sunday place to meet, whichever way you look at it, this Sunday was not one where I had decided I would be out of bed and ready for joining a congregation some 20 minutes’ walk from home for the Sung Eucharist, but against expectations I did.

One of the shifts about not needing to plan for this was we have moved to a post-pandemic stage of not having to register on the Eventbrite app to attend. The church had returned or assumed a new normalcy and having not attended service for a while because of other engagements as extended rest or being out of town, I was in for a surprise.

The changes I noticed

At the processional hymn, the procession had the clergy as usual and the full choir, not just a cantor and supporters, before then, the Dean came for a general chat to the congregation pointing us to events and programmes in the church week and a particular insert in the service pamphlet before announcing the banns of marriage for two couples. I have not heard the banns for years; surely young congregants are getting married somewhere.

During the service, the laity took the readings of the Word from the pulpit apart from the Gospel that includes ceremony and address attended to by the clergy. Even if I got more involved in church activities, I doubt I would readily take the offer to do a reading from the Bible. I dread the amplification of my voice; it sounds alien to me that I have shied from microphones. If I cannot project my voice naturally to a listening audience in a smallish place, I won’t be straining it in a hall. A public speaker, I am not.

Of things not imagined

For Communion, rather than the warden doing the ushering as has been the case for most of the last two years, we have two ladies from the congregation helping for order and at the end of the service, we gathered for teas and coffee, indoors where we socially interacted with other congregants. The only vestige of the pandemic left was a majority wore face masks during the service.

Whilst I have attended church a few times since July, this year marked the 600^th Anniversary Celebration of the Collegiate Church and Queen Elizabeth II came to visit the church on the 8^th of July on one of her first major outings since Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh passed on. I was not present as I learnt of the event after the fact, but the plaque she unveiled as on display and now the whole church was open to visit including all the chapels within the main cathedral and so there was much to display and see. [Manchester Cathedral: Her Majesty’s visit to Manchester Cathedral]

Lest I forget, the processional hymn did not end in a crescendo but in the almost quiet of the context of the words we sang, for in these troubled pandemic times, nothing could be more comforting than this:

Speak through the earthquake, wind, and fire,
O still small voice of calm!
[The New English Hymnal NEH 353 Dear Lord and Father of mankind]

Academic theologians creating Islamic disquiet

The Purview and the voice

The Archbishop of Canterbury and Pope Benedict XVI are superb intellectuals and formidable theologians – it would be far from me to suggest with my little learning and experience the ability advice on any matter that decides to offer an additional erudite perspective on their pronouncements.

However, I can recall that when the Pope gave an academic lecture at Regensburg University in September 2006 entitled Faith, Reason and the University: Memories and Reflections; he touched on a topic that should probably entertain the purview of the learned but not the voice of the powerful.

Debate and reason

There, he alluded to the seventh conversation between a Byzantine Emperor and a Persian scholar on the subject of the truth of Christianity and Islam.

Emperor Manuel II Paleologus said “Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.”

This was a conversation recorded in the 14^th Century and I am sure the Persian scholar would have reasoned intelligently and probably answered with views and ideas that validate Islam and Muhammad positively whilst trying to broaden the view of the Emperor to an enlightened perspective of Islam.

Unfortunately, very few would have taken time to put this all in context of the 14^th Century conversation or the academic lecture of the 21^st Century.

Whilst that question or statement should have offered the opportunity for those most concerned to reflect and offer a “gospel” of Mohammedanism that makes that view insignificant, many rose to the gathering of the mob and gave credence to that contention.

Stirring troubled waters

The wisdom of the Pope in giving voice to a latent view of the violence of Islam is still a matter for debate and history; in the end, he was able to placate the offended and make peace with those who mattered.

Lessons should have been learnt from the fact that Christian leaders are better suited to commentary on their areas of specialisation than on their appreciation, understanding or even ignorance of other religions where they hold no offices.

For Sharia Law relevance

Whoever the advisors of the Archbishop of Canterbury are, they surely must be pensioned off because in an academic lecture - Civil and Religious Law in England: a religious perspective - delivered to lawyers in London preceded by an interview (BBC audio) on Radio 4’s World at One the archbishop did touch on viewing aspects of Islamic law in a favourable light but it has created another set of unintended consequences.

It is quite revealing not a squeak has been heard from any of the major Anglican Archbishops in England in support of Dr. Rowan Williams, he might just weather this storm with the voice of support from the Presbyterian Prime Minister .

Considering the furore this has created, this great knight of the Anglican faith might just fall on his sword.

Allowances of the law for conscience

One cannot dispute the fact that certain aspects of conscience or conscientious inclinations by reason of religious belief are given the benefit of exception from legal duress in civil law.

However, the primacy of civil law must remain when a conflict arises that either removes the premise of equality before the law or religious law allows for illegal or unlawful actions.

Sharia law might be used to settle disputes for adherents of that faith but in cases where the female sex does not have equal access, evidence and representation before those courts; it becomes incompatible to existence in broad Western democratic societies as the interviewer stated when chatting to the Archbishop.

The popular Sharia view is scary

Obviously, the concern that has drawn the greatest opprobrium has been the vision of the more dramatic Sharia law judgements that include floggings, amputations and beheadings – these definitely have no place in the Western criminal justice systems, they should for all intents and purposes of a modern civilised world be consigned to history.

Meting out those punishments are considered deterrents that instil fear in the general populace acting as an opiate of contrived civility though they are as cruel and as barbaric as anything dragged out of the darkest ages.

Failed to convey understanding

Dr. Williams whilst understanding these complexities in his interview failed to demonstrate those differences clearly enough for people to appreciate the facts and temper their reactions to the possible visitation of the presumed evils of Sharia on our liberal Western comforts.

As one commentator stated on one of the Daily Telegraph columns; it is amazing that a man whose job it is to be clearly understood failed to convey understanding that he has become so misunderstood and left many seriously displeased.

Like smart person knows well to stick to their own knitting; the leaders of the church should stick to matters that concern the church and stop peering over the wall into mosques with academic lectures that get delivered to select audiences but create an unedifying rumpus amongst the masses.

If he survives, the grace of God with the munificence of Allah does abound towards him, he might find mercy but he would need to do a lot for the forgiveness of men. I, for one can see their points but the wisdom in giving voice to issues that can be so easily hijacked, misinterpreted and manipulated for unintended ulterior ends leaves one rather suspect of their good judgement.

A dead man dishonoured

Still a murder most horrid

As it happened, the murdered Lagos State gubernatorial aspirant – Funso Williams was laid to rest on Friday, that event was not without controversy, a twist in a tale that looks a bit far from resolution.

Ayoke’s Exodus did reference a link with comments from the Inspector General of Police (IGP) suggesting the murder might not be political but the political dimension does offer a possible smokescreen to other motives – they are however, they are keeping an open mind – I would hope so too. Ayoke however touched on the amount of bloodshed in Nigeria, I am concerned issues this death reveals about Nigeria.

In the same light we were informed that 10,000 men would be deployed to keep the peace at the burial of the dead man.

There was a funeral mass and some other service in which the presiding priests had a lot to say, a good bit was true, one should not speak evil of the dead, it does not also mean that the facts should be distorted to help the grieving process, though burial services do present the opportunity for bold sharp talk.

A questionable legacy

So, in the midst of 10,000 deployed policemen for Operation Total Peace, the grieving family and the people who gathered to see off the man; there was a plan to have the man lie in state; extracting the coffin from the hearse would normally be the just of the undertakers or people selected by the undertakers to provide that service from the hearse to the catafalque.

A group of hoodlums called the Young Vanguard who are supposedly supporters of the peaceful dead man thwarted the “lying-in-state” plan by refusing to allow the professionals – the undertakers – to perform that service, arguing that this function should be their exclusive preserve. In the end, the man did not lie in state.

Now, one would surmise that consider that there could have been an amicable arrangement that would have fulfilled the primary purpose of letting the man lie in state, but if the people who supported him in life could not find the level of respect and deference to allow such an important last act to be performed in honour of their leader, one does wonder if the legacy he bequeathed was really that of peace and conciliation as we have been told all through.

A truthful assessment

Back to the funeral, the priest did highlight a few things that fetch true, the sense of security being so appalling that people cannot feel safe in their homes; the sense that so little premium is paid to the value of life that the country is becoming very much like the disorderliness of the animal kingdom.

The priest also mentioned the lamentable fact that we have required forensic expertise from the Scotland Yard to help solve the murder, though the IGP indicated that the investigation is purely a Nigerian one with backup from Scotland Yard. Well, backup could either mean substitute or support; a skeptic would probably plump for the former because the Nigerian Police does not have the best track record for resolving high profile murders.

One does need to ask what the function of bodyguards and orderlies are, that killers could gain assess to the victim’s home and commit a murder when they have conveniently gone to eat. One would think when sentry-keeping that post is never left unattended – this looks like a systemic issue of proper police discipline and understanding of responsibilities.

The praise that then went on to compare Mr. Williams to Jesus Christ was probably a bit off the script.

Obviously, the question of who the suspects are still looms as it appears the other gubernatorial aspirants are still in custody having voluntarily visited the police and then gotten detained since then without charge – that is small issue about rights which do get violated a lot in Nigeria.

Still unfinished business

The IGP also made reference to the murder investigation of the Minister for Justice – Bola Ige who was assassinated in 2001. The IGP did say the suspects were arraigned before the court but the whole case for the prosecution unraveled as witnesses recanted their testimonies that Bola Ige’s wife who had long served as a senior judge in Nigeria succumbed as the incredulity of it all finally left the suspects literally implicated of nothing.

Then, the excuse that the police cannot appeal is offered – I disagree, the police should have lawyers who liaise with some public prosecution department if the police believe they have a compelling case and they should either appeal or retry the case.

To buttress the case for a non-political motive, the IGP cited another case where the previously assumed motive became one where it appears family members and compromised guards colluded to kill the victim – hopefully, the case has been fully investigated that no innocent people are behind bars for that murder.

No Double Jeopardy

Besides, I am of the opinion that the Nigeria Crime-Justice-Punishment system is not mature enough for the double jeopardy rule, furthermore, as our criminal investigation methods are not exhaustive enough requiring outside assistance, to have acquitted someone of a serious crime of a bungled investigation and prosecution and then not be able to charge the person again on new and more sophisticated evidence would be a miscarriage of justice in itself.

Finally, the priest in sanguine reflection says 2007 might have delivered Lagos State to Mr. Williams but in his death he has gained world renown being mentioned on CNN and the BBC – Nigerians sometimes have a concept of grieving that could be interesting, but I’ll rather be a living man with little than a dead man talking.

References

Ehindero: Williams’ Killing May Not Be Political

Williams Buried, Cleric Berates FG

Williams: Detention of PDP Aspirants Faulted