The dialogue of the Catholic Church with African Traditional Religion WT-SST-KKD

The first meetings with traditional religions of Africa in Nubia or Ethiopia are not very well documented. In European relations of the 16th-18th centuries there is a clear lack of knowledge, and a depreciation, of them. The 19th century and first half of the 20th century were somewhat better. But at this time too—despite the first, broader reports and research—a fragmented and rather negative perspective is to be seen, expressed in the terminology used at that time for describing traditional African religions: “animism,” “fetishism,” “totemism,” “paganism,” “cult of ancestors,” and so on. It is necessary to note here that the first reports—and at the same time the first attempts at valuing African religions and cultures—came from the pens of missionaries. The Second Vatican Council marked a distinct breakthrough in the perception of traditional African religions by the Catholic Church. The series of documents of the Catholic Church that followed clearly appreciated not only the traditional African religions themselves, but also the numerous values they demonstrate.

1. African Traditional Religions in the history of theological reflection and in the teaching of the Magisterium of the Church.
2. Structures of local communities and ethos.
3. Magic and religion.
4. Hunting and shepherding rituals.
5. Agrarian rituals.
6. Purification rituals.
7. Theraputic rituals.
8. The phenomenon of witchcraft.
9. Birth rituals.
10. Rites of initiation.
11. Marriage rituals.
12. Funeral rites.
13. Spirits of ancestors.
14. The world of gods and heroes.
15. Supreme Being.