Enugu: At the 4th Enugu Catholic Diocesan Synod, ICT expert Mr Chinedu Chibuzor affirmed that artificial intelligence (AI) will never replace Catholic priests in their pastoral duties, stressing that while technology can aid research and evangelism, the sacramental role of clergy remains irreplaceable.
The ICT expert stated this at the 4th Enugu Catholic Diocesan Synod held on Sunday in Enugu with the theme “Faith and Practice in Enugu Diocese: Opportunities and Challenges”.
The first and second Synods of the diocese were held in April 1984 and October 2021, respectively, while the third one was held in September 2013.
The fourth Synod, which began on November 16 with a Holy Mass celebrated by His Lordship Callistus Onaga, the Catholic Bishop of Enugu Diocese, will conclude on November 22.
Chibuzor, the Director of ICT at Godfrey Okoye University, Enugu, added that the AI was not a threat to the Christian faith but rather assisted them in growing their faith.
Speaking on the topic “Social Media, AI, Technology And New Evangelism,” Chibuzor urged priests to embrace AI, saying that it would help them in their research within seconds and train youth if their teachings were online.
According to him, AI can never replace priests, but rather aid them in their pastoral work, suggesting that Christians’ task is to use social media and AI responsibly to support the Church in its evangelistic efforts.
The Auxiliary Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Most Rev. Ernest Obodo, added that AI would not replace priests due to the Church’s Sacramental reality.
The bishop stated that priests, as representatives of Christ in Holy Mass and mediators of love between God and humanity, would always be physically present.
“The only exception to these was during the COVID-19 pandemic when some restrictions and conditions were given,” Obodo explained.
Additionally, Bishop Onaga mentioned that issues such as social media, AI, Catechesis, neo-paganism, youth empowerment, and others would be the top topics for discussion at the 4th Enugu Diocesan Synod.
The clergyman, while acknowledging the blessings and accomplishments of the diocese, both human and infrastructural, since the last Synod, stated that Christianity was facing tremendous challenges.
According to him, the challenges cut across the modern world, with some being peculiar to the diocese and others more prevalent in both urban and rural parishes.
He listed the challenges to include Catechesis, issues related to social media, AI, youth employment, neo-paganism, and others.
“Social media today is a big problem, and artificial intelligence that some of us are using without knowing it is a big challenge to the issue of evangelism,” Onaga said.
He explained that Synod was the gathering of church members to discuss important issues and make significant decisions. At the same time, the diocesan Synod deliberated on topics related to the pastoral care of the people in the diocese.
“Initially, it was just a gathering of bishops under the presidency of the Pope, which helped the Church to move together in the same direction.
“We thank God that we are now gathered here for the opening ceremony of the fourth Synod of our diocese, centred on faith and practice, and we have enormous reason to thank God.
Twelve years have passed since the last Synod in 2013, and new questions and challenges concerning our faith are bound to arise. However, that is not to say that we do not have enormous reasons to thank God.
“The diocese has three bishops and 531 priests as well as many religious institutions,” he said.
Speaking on Catechesis, the Catholic Bishop of Ekwulobia Diocese, His Eminence, Peter Cardinal Okparaeke, noted that many people lost hope in Christianity because they were scammed and exploited by prosperity preachers.
He pointed out that some prosperity ministers lived in abundance as proof of God’s Blessings while engaging in fake miracles to deceive others.
The bishop, however, emphasised the need to deepen those aspects that broaden the Christian faith, urging priests to tailor their homilies so that they would have deep meaning in the lives of Christians.
“Priests should till, manure and water the hearts of people for it to bear abundant fruits and also the church should make way to teach Catechism to children occupied by school lessons,” he advised.
Earlier, the Chairman of the Synod Planning Committee, Rev. Fr. Christian Anieke, stated that the Synod was expected to unearth new ways to strengthen and embody the Christian faith while protecting it from significant challenges.
“I therefore invite everyone to be part of the journey of renewal and growth in the Church. We hope that our guest speakers will propose solutions to the faith-related challenges, taking into account the specific responses from God’s people.
