Is there a place for laity in Catholic theological debates?

The laity play an indispensable role in the development of the Catholic Church in Africa, particularly in Ivory Coast. This no longer needs to be proven.

The 1995 post-synodal apostolic exhortation, Ecclesia in Africa, recognizes this. 

The papal document describes the Church as the Family of God and says evangelization is its primary task (cf. EA 53; 88), especially by the baptized faithful. 

However, in view of what is being experienced throughout Ivory Coast, in the dioceses and institutions, it appears that to this day, the theological sciences are the prerogative of priests and religious, both in terms of the formation acquired and the teaching to be given.

Lay women and men remain on the margins. Therefore, there is no explicit theological contribution from the Ivorian laity. But if they could take their place in the field of theology, the laity would contribute significantly more to the mission of evangelization.

From general observation, it can be affirmed that theology is a domain reserved for clerics in Ivory Coast.

Can it be said that the Church here is still clerical, or that it’s the laity who are not aware of their place in theology?

The laity, passive recipients?

The laity may sometimes seem to be the passive recipients of the theological discourse, but in reality, their expectation, their aspiration modifies a discourse on God, who they want to be creator and adapted to reality. Their behavior is a word and it says something theological.

In our churches and communities, there is a great interest in the Word of God. The laity are very attached to the Word of God, thirsty to listen to preaching.

By doing so, they provoke reflection.

Their behavior participates in the development of a theology and thus they contribute to the formation of a theological discourse. They help the professional theologians to understand that they must never forget that they do not have a monopoly on intelligence and the expression of faith.

The laity help the theologians to understand that they must resist the temptation to shut themselves up in their disciplines, their scientific traditions and their specialized subjects, since practicing theology consists in working so that each human situation and each culture can call itself Christian.

The history of spirituality teaches us that the laity, through their devotion, have made theological reflection evolve; in this sense, the laity makes a real contribution.

They help the theologians to remember that they are at the service of the theological value of every search for meaning and every human expression.

"Theology is indeed the sacrament of that ability for every human word to be speaking the mystery of God. It works to reveal the Gospel value of every human word, which has become the Word of God in Jesus Christ," writes R.M. Roberge ("La régulation de la foi: une fonction sacramentelle", in J.C. PETIT, J.C. BRETON, Enseigner la foi ou former des croyants? Montreal, Fides, 1989, p. 92).

It is possibly from the side of the life of Christian communities that a significant theological contribution of the laity in Ivory Coast can be seen.

That said, the question of the active contribution of the laity remains open and needs to be investigated.

Is there a difficulty for the laity to take part in the theological debate?

What could possibly pose a problem for the theological involvement of the laity?

There are many reasons that can explain this difficulty. We venture to put forth some hypotheses that can be considered under two headings.

First, it seems important to us to question the conditions of access for the laity to a formation that is at the same time qualifying and leading to a diploma, and secondly that their formation achievements are valued.

At present, in spite of all the formation projects mentioned above, can it be stated explicitly that lay people have unlimited access to all the formation bodies capable of making a career in theology?

How many lay people have already been oriented towards academic degrees other than simple certificates? Have they been sufficiently encouraged towards more theological ambitions?

If by some miracle they were, has there ever been an attempt to value the achievements of their formation in our churches, houses and formation structures? Is there not somewhere a tacit will to keep them well away from a circle that always wants to be closed?

There is a local proverb that says that there is no smoke without fire.

Sister Solange Sia is a professed member of the Congregation of Our Lady of Calvary