By Okhueleigbe Osemhantie Amos
In a breathtaking homiletic oration that echoed with both theological brilliance and pastoral tenderness, Archbishop Augustine Obiora Akubeze, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Benin City, broke his silence following the death of Pope Francis. This came during the opening Mass of the 39th Annual Convention of the Catholic Theological Association of Nigeria (CATHAN), held at St. Paul Catholic Church, Airport Road, Benin City.
The Archbishop, addressing a distinguished gathering of theologians, clergy, and religious, delivered a soul-stirring message themed, “The Risen Christ is the Source of Hope.”* His homily, however, became an emotional crescendo when he paused the theological rhythm to pay tribute to the late Pope Francis, who passed on, on Easter Monday, April 21, 2025, at the age of 88.
“The Lord has truly called home His servant,” Archbishop Akubeze declared, his voice layered with reverence and depth. “Pope Francis was not just the Bishop of Rome; he was the world’s pastor of mercy, the Church’s conscience in the margins, the face of tenderness in a time of fracture.”
As the Church enters the Jubilee Year of Hope, the Archbishop called on Nigerian theologians not to mourn as those without faith, but to proclaim the Resurrection louder than ever before. He likened the Nigerian condition to the road to Emmaus—a place of disillusionment—but reminded the audience that “the Risen Christ walks even on roads of despair, and reveals Himself in the breaking of the bread.”
In an electrifying moment, he invited the congregation to observe a minute of silence in honour of the Holy Father. The church fell into sacred stillness, pierced only by the weight of memory and the whisper of prayer.
He then offered a powerful reflection on the late pontiff’s 12-year papacy:
> “Francis of Rome walked like Francis of Assisi. He stripped the papacy of pomp and clothed it with purpose. He dared the world to care for creation, opened the doors of the Church to the wounded, and summoned bishops not to thrones but to the trenches. From Laudato Si’ to Fratelli Tutti, his words were rivers of mercy carving justice into the deserts of our time.”
Archbishop Akubeze’s words did not merely echo in the sanctuary—they landed in hearts. His message was not just a eulogy but a theological challenge. He charged Nigerian theologians to guard the deposit of faith, but also to let it breathe in a world suffocating under the weight of injustice and fear.
“The Emmaus road is ours,” he said in closing. “And like the disciples, we must let our hearts burn again. For Christ is risen—not just in doctrine, but in the living Church, in the Eucharist, in the poor, and in the pulpit.”
As the Mass concluded, there was no applause, no clamor—just a solemn awe. It was the kind of silence that speaks.
In a time of global transition for the Church, Archbishop Akubeze did not just preach, he prophesied. And in doing so, he placed CATHAN not at the periphery of Church life, but at the very heart of its Resurrection hope.
“The Risen Christ is our hope,” he thundered. “And because He lives, theology must never grow weary of lifting up the broken world.”
