Senior Copy Editor, INNOCENT ANORUO, writes on the first Nigerian to be beatified by the Catholic Church and the campaign for his canonisation, which includes a movie by Pete Edochie
Blessed Cyprian Michael Iwene Tansi
In no time, the Catholic Church will recognise a saint in Nigeria. He is Blessed Cyprian Michael Iwene Tansi, a priest and Cistercian monk, who was born in Aguleri, Anambra State, in September 1903 and died in Leicester, England, on January 24, 1964.
What other auspicious time to honour a man who taught Nigerian women to fight for their rights than now that Nigerians and the whole world are collectively protesting the abduction of over 200 young women from a government secondary school in Chibok, a local government area of Borno State.
Tansi stood up against oppression of women within the traditional culture and advised women to fight back against those who would rape or mistreat them. On one occasion, a female parishioner was attacked by a group of pagan males, and she fought back against them, and Fr. Tansi, who was nearby, came on his bicycle and joined with her and fought them until they fled. He then encouraged her to bring the assailants to court. She did, and won the case against them, forcing them each to pay her four pounds. This case was a milestone in the establishment of women’s rights in Nigeria.
The canonisation campaign is in full gear. And the fever is everywhere among Catholic faithful, especially in Nigeria.
On his second visit to Nigeria in 1998, the late Pope John Paul II (now a saint) had beatified Tansi, whose remains were brought to the country.
Canonisation is the act by which the Catholic Church or Eastern Orthodox Church declares a deceased person to be a saint, upon which declaration the person is included in the Canon, or list, of recognised saints. Originally, individuals were recognised as saints without any formal process. Later, different processes, such as those used by the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church were developed.
In the Catholic Church, canonisation is reserved to the Holy See and occurs at the conclusion of a long process requiring extensive proof that the person proposed for canonisation lived and died in such an exemplary and holy way that they are worthy to be recognised as a saint. The Church’s official recognition of sanctity implies that the persons are now in heavenly glory, that they may be publicly invoked and mentioned officially in the liturgy of the Church.
Canonisation involves a decree that allows veneration of the saint in the liturgy of the Roman Rite throughout the world. For permission to venerate on a local level, only beatification is needed.
The movie
About a decade ago, Pope John Paul II told Francis Cardinal Arinze, who reportedly had been expecting a saint from his home country, to do a movie on Tansi. And Arinze, who hails from in Eziowelle, Anambra State, approached Nollywood, Nigeria’s movie industry. Trust Nigerians, there were so many flicks – the bad and the ugly. But none was good enough to represent what the bishops expected. As the Catholic Church knows what it wants, all were rejected.
Then, veteran actor, Pete Edochie, was met by Arinze to do a movie. Edochie came up with Avenge Me Iwene My Son, the true story of Tansi. The bishops eventually accepted the new movie and congratulated him. They then asked Edochie to take it to the ends of the country.
Directed by Andy Amanechi, the movie has Ejike Metuh as the lead character.
Edochie, who is the executive producer, is passionately focused on the Tansi Canonisation Support Campaign, which has the support of the Vatican.
“We shot in Enugu State in locations such as Akpugo, Ngwo, Abakpa Nike, and Ebe. The production of the movie caused us to make several pilgrimages to Aguleri, the birth place of Fr. Tansi,” he said.
It was during one of the campaigns that the one also known as “The Godfather” revealed the secret to his movie, which is selling like hotcake – at N1,000 for the four-hour movie, demand is still higher than supply.
According to Edochie, no one could have interpreted Tansi’s story better than himself, as his research revealed his closeness to the saint-to-be.
His words: “I made my research and was stunned with what I found out about him; that my father schooled with him, his mother came from my hometown and that he baptised my wife as a child. I did not even know that circumstances surrounding me reflected Tansi all the way.
“I did a script on him and sent it to Rome, to Cardinal Arinze to be precise; he read it and wrote a letter saying if I could do a film as good as the script, then the job is done. I did the film and sent a copy to Rome; Cardinal Arinze watched it in company of (Pope) John Paul II and agreed that that is the story.
“Progressively, the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) authorised me to take the film round the whole country along with other articles of devotion. This is my 10th year in the evangelism campaign, which is gathering much more momentum.”
According to Edochie, Tansi was in the business of saving lives and ensuring that families lived in peace. He added that all the women Tansi trained during his lifetime remained with their husbands till death.
On why he decided to do the movie, Edochie said he had told God, “If you found me worthy of working in your vineyard, then give me an assignment.” Though he did not know the form the assignment would come, years later, the task of doing a film on Tansi came his way.
But how soon is this canonisation? A Dominican priest, Rev. Fr. Christopher Nnamani, told TheNiche that canonisation is not an easy thing, as too many processes are involved.
“Tansi is now a Blessed,” he declared.
Process of canonisation
The process of documenting the life and virtues of a holy man or woman cannot begin until five years after death. This waiting period insures that the person has an enduring reputation for sanctity among the faithful. It can be waived by the Supreme Pontiff.
After the five years, or earlier if all or some of the period is waived, the bishop of the diocese in which the individual died can petition the Holy See to allow the initialisation of a Cause for Beatification and Canonisation. If there is no objection by the Roman Dicasteries, in particular the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the permission, or nihil obstat (nothing stands in the way), is communicated to the initiating bishop.
Once a Cause has begun, the individual is called a ‘Servant of God’.
Once the person’s Heroic Virtues have been recognised by the Pope, the person is called Venerable. After that, he becomes Blessed, which is the stage Tansi is now.
To proceed from there, Nnamani added, many miracles are needed through his intercession before the person is canonised a saint.
How did it all start? TheNiche learnt that many years after his death, some strange beautiful flowers started growing on the grave of Tansi. This raised suspicion, and his remains were exhumed. Lo, his remains did not decay – like every other mortal.
Signs are already manifesting to prove that God chose Tansi. The movie also contains the miracles that took effect through his intercession, according to Edochie.
Outside the movie, a suspected thief has reportedly died in Aba, six days after swearing with the name of Tansi.
