PRIESTS AND PARTY POLITICS: REVIEWING A PERSISTENT ILLUSION

Abstract

The letter of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria on the prohibition of Catholic priests from engaging in party politics raises afresh the pristine question of priests and politics. What easily comes to mind from the bishops’ admonition is the last gubernatorial election in Benue State where a priest was elected as governor making the state first and second state in which a priest was elected as governor. This essay inquires whether the nature of the priesthood runs contrary to party politics. It also explores the socioeconomic circumstances that seem to compel the quest for priests in politics as well as the history of this participation. While concluding that the theology of the priesthood does not contradict partisan politics, the history of priests’ involvement has generally not been without serious problems. It argues that the outright prohibition of priests from partisan politics is a pragmatic decision that takes account of the possible discomfort of politics to the ministry of priests in the human community and notes that so long as the socioeconomic situation in Nigeria is not ameliorated, the quest for possible messiah will continue to lead to the quest for priests’ involvement in partisan politics.