Field Ruwe a US-based Zambian
media practitioner and author a PHD candidate with a B.A. in Mass Communication
and Journalism, and an M.A. in History.
They call the Third World the
lazy man’s purview; the sluggishly slothful and languorous prefecture. In this
realm people are sleepy, dreamy, torpid, lethargic, and therefore indigent
totally penniless, needy, destitute, poverty-stricken, disfavoured, and impoverished.
In this demesne, as they call it, there are hardly any discoveries, inventions,
and innovations. Africa is the trailblazer. Some still call it “the dark
continent” for the light that flickers under the tunnel is not that of hope,
but an approaching train. And because countless keep waiting in the way of the
train, millions die and more remain decapitated by the day.
“It’s amazing how you all sit
there and watch yourselves die,” the man next to me said. “Get up and do
something about it.”
Brawny, fully bald-headed, with
intense, steely eyes, he was as cold as they come. When I first discovered I
was going to spend my New Year’s Eve next to him on a non-stop JetBlue flight
from Los Angeles to Boston I was angst-ridden. I associate marble-shaven
Caucasians with iconoclastic skin-heads, most of who are racist.
“My name is Walter,” he extended
his hand as soon as I settled in my seat.
I told him mine with a
precautious smile.
“Where are you from?” he asked.
“Zambia.”
“Zambia!” he exclaimed, “Kaunda’s
country.”
“Yes,” I said, “Now Sata’s.”
“But of course,” he responded.
“You just elected King Cobra as your president.”
My face lit up at the mention of
Sata’s moniker. Walter smiled, and in those cold eyes, I saw an amenable fellow,
one of those American highbrows who shuttle between Africa and the U.S.
“I spent three years in Zambia in
the 1980s,” he continued. “I wined and dined with Luke Mwananshiku, Willa
Mungomba, Dr. Siteke Mwale, and many other highly intelligent Zambians.” He
lowered his voice. “I was part of the IMF group that came to rip you guys off.”
He smirked. “Your government put me in a million dollar mansion overlooking a
shanty called Kalingalinga. From my patio, I saw it all the rich and the poor,
the ailing, the dead, and the healthy.”
“Are you still with the IMF?” I
asked.
“I have since moved to yet
another group with similar intentions. In the next few months, my colleagues
and I will be in Lusaka to hypnotize the cobra. I work for the broker that has
acquired a chunk of your debt. Your government owes not the World Bank, but us
millions of dollars. We’ll be in Lusaka to offer your president a couple of
millions and fly back with a check twenty times greater.”
“No, you won’t,” I said. “King
Cobra is incorruptible. He is …”
He was laughing. “Says who? Give
me an African president, just one, who has not fallen for the carrot and
stick.”
Quett Masire’s name popped up.
“Oh, him, well, we never got to
him because he turned down the IMF and the World Bank. It was perhaps the
smartest thing for him to do.”
At midnight we were airborne. The
captain wished us a happy 2012 and urged us to watch the fireworks across Los
Angeles.
“Isn’t that beautiful,” Walter
said looking down.
From my middle seat, I took a
glance and nodded admirably.
“That’s white man’s country,” he
said. “We came here on Mayflower and turned Indian land into a paradise and now
the most powerful nation on earth. We discovered the bulb and built this
aircraft to fly us to pleasure resorts like Lake Zambia.”
I grinned. “There is no Lake
Zambia.”
He curled his lips into a smug
smile. “That’s what we call your country. You guys are as stagnant as the water
in the lake. We come in with our large boats and fish your minerals and your
wildlife and leave morsels-crumbs. That’s your staple food, crumbs. That corn-meal
you eat, that’s crumbs, the small Tilapia fish you call Kapenta is crumbs. We
the Bwanas (whites) take the catfish. I am the Bwana and you are the Muntu. I
get what I want and you get what you deserve, crumbs. That’s what lazy people
get-Zambians, Africans, the entire Third World.”
Having worked twice at the Nigerian Presidential villa and once at the British Parliament, if there is anything I have learned, it is that it is impossible to over inform a leader. You can under inform him, but no matter how much information you give a leader, you cannot give him too much information.
In today's world, strength and weakness are gauged differently than they were, say in 1984. In the millennial age in which we live in, information is power and lack of information is weakness.
My concern is that there are a lot of weaknesses in Nigeria's seat of power because not enough information is being given to President Muhammadu Buhari.
I, like other Nigerians, have heard or read reports of ministers in President Buhari's cabinet being afraid to challenge him or disagree with him. Perhaps unawares, the minister of state for petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, corroborated these reports in a recorded YouTube video now circulating where he revealed that the President ignores his ministers when they bring up issues that he does not want to discuss.
Having such anodyne personalities around you just means that you are living in a bubble, seeing things as you want them to be and not as they are.
On Friday, May 20th, 2016, Dr. Yemi Kale, the Statistician-General of the Federation and head of the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics revealed that Nigeria's economy had not grown in the first quarter of the year but had rather shrunk by 0.36%, the worst contraction in 25 years!
Since the announcement was made, there has been various reactions with pundits pointing at this or the other as being the cause of this setback.
But I am convinced beyond any reasonable doubts that this negative trend owes more to President Muhammadu Buhari's utterances on our economy and polity than to any other single causative factor.
The bigger problem is that even though I suspect that his ministers know that what I have just said is true, they would rather pander to the President and like Dr. Chris Ngige, say that Nigerians are lucky to have President Buhari (obvious Ngige does not know the meaning of luck).
In the last eleven months, the President had traversed the globe and has spoken about Nigeria's economy as if he was the chief undertaker of our polity rather than the chief marketer that he is meant to be.
Of what benefit is it to the President's agenda or to Nigeria's economic well-being for him to go to foreign nations and instead of highlighting the positive things that are happening in Nigeria, he begins to regale his hosts with the most unsavory stories about Nigeria.
And some of the stories the President tells are just that tales. They are not factual. At best they can be argued.
You go to India for a summit where other world leaders are competing with you for the attention of venture capitalists and foreign investors and while your counterparts are talking about how great their countries are, you tell the audience how everybody in your country is corrupt except you and oh, can they come and invest in your country?
Only a foolish investor would go and invest in a country whose President thinks his citizens are 'criminals' (as the President said to the Telegraph of UK in February) and whose officials are 'fantastically corrupt' (as the President said in agreement with British PM David Cameron when questioned by Sky News, BBC News and CNN Amanpour).
The President speaks on the Nigerian economy and polity without any filters and his comments are causing his chickens to roost with devastating consequences for all of us.
Never in the history of Nigeria has there been such a divestment of investment as we have seen in the past year.
Truworths has pulled out of Nigeria, Virgin Atlantic has closed up shop, Iberia is pulling out, RenCap is pulling funds from Nigeria, both Alquity Investment Management Ltd. and, Duet Asset Management Ltd. are divesting their Nigeria holding.
Zenith Bank laid off 1,200 staff, FCMB sacks 700 employees, Ecobank sacked 50% of its top management staff. The President of the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Tony Ejinkeonye revealed that in just two months 50,000 staff were laid off in Abuja alone.
The results are telling. A little over a year ago, Nigeria was projected by CNNMoney to be the third fastest growing economy in the world behind China and Qatar yet just two weeks ago the International Monetary Fund released its World Economic Outlook and Nigeria is not even among the top 15 fastest growing economies in Africa let alone the world!
And when you try to raise the alarm, the refrain from the government and its horde of unofficial spokesmen is that the downturn is caused by the fall in crude prices.
Yet this logic is flawed. The government's own economic monitoring agency, the National Bureau of Statistics itself reported that the exponential growth Nigeria enjoyed especially from 2012 to its 2014 climax (when our economy overtook South Africa to be Africa's largest economy) was spurred not by the oil sector, but "this growth was largely driven by improved activities in the telecommunications, building and construction, hotel and restaurant and business services" to quote the NBS.
Yes, oil accounts for something like 90-95 percent of our foreign exchange revenues but it only accounts for a mere 15% of our GDP.
The service sector and the commercial and real sector are the engine or used to be the engine of our economic growth. But these sectors are heavily capital and technology intensive and require cooperation with foreign investors and when you consistently bad mouth your economy and its regulator's investor confidence tanks and the result is what we are seeing today.
I support President Buhari's anti-corruption war but it should not be a substitute for sound economic ideas or policies.
And the way the President has carried out his anti-corruption crusade is in itself self-sabotaging and feeds the narrative of those who say that Nigeria is far too complex and dynamic a country to be run by someone who should be quietly collecting his pension.
And President Buhari's behavior is flowing down the pyramid. There is a contagious effect in the utterances of major figures in his administration.
For instance, when Vice President Osinbajo tells the world that the Jonathan administration looted $15 Billion in security contracts, many people in the West who like to read such stories to justify their hidden opinion that the Black man cannot govern himself, will clap for him.
Coming from the nation's own Vice President, the Western press will report the news as a fact. At that level, such a statement carries the weight of an admission.
But then ask yourself, what was the entire security budget for the five years that Jonathan was President of Nigeria?
In 2011, defense and security had a budget of ₦348 billion or just over $2 billion. In 2012, it skyrocketed to ₦921 billion or $5.7 billion. It grew to ₦1.055 trillion in 2013 or $6 billion. In 2014, ₦968 billion was budgeted for defense and security or $5.8 billion. The 2015 budget was passed in April and President Jonathan handed over to President Buhari a month later so I cannot see how the previous administration could have 'chopped' that money.
So of the $19 billion budgeted for defense and security while former President Jonathan was in office, how could $15 billion have been looted when more than half that amount went to paying salaries?
Did Vice President Osinbajo think this accusation through?
The President and his vice with their cabinet and their political appointees are not a court. They cannot convict anybody. As such when they speak this way, what it amounts to is propagandized activity.
In an anti-corruption war, one must separate activity from results. Results are convictions from a court after due and diligent prosecution. And when you look at it from that perspective, this administration has been delivering activity and not results.
For instance, then candidate Muhammadu Buhari and his party, the All Progressive Congress, had called the subsidy payments made by the Jonathan administration a fraud!
They claimed that the amount was too high at ₦1.1 trillion in 2014.
Well if fuel subsidy had been a fraud, the first thing that should have happened naturally when President Muhammadu Buhari took over was that the amount should have reduced, but it DID NOT reduce. As a matter of fact, Nigeria spent over $5 billion on fuel subsidy in 2015 and President Buhari was in power for most of that year!
The point I am making here is that the elections are over. President Buhari and his administration should stop tarnishing the image of Nigeria in the mistaken belief that they are rubbishing the person of former President Jonathan.
The President should take in the big picture and realize that you need to be underneath somebody in order to pull him down.
One year has come and gone and has seemingly been wasted pointing fingers in blame instead of at solutions. The time for blame games has gone.
Only last month, President Buhari complained that the Sahara desert was advancing southward. He should also realize that that is not the only thing going south. The Nigerian economy is going south at perhaps a faster rate and blaming others for it will never stem the tide.
The President should focus on marketing his plans and policies when he travels abroad instead of de marketing the plans and policies of former President Jonathan's administration.
It has been said that if you want a conversation with a habitual complainer to end abruptly, just ask him how he intends to fix the problem. That is the question Nigerians want answered by President Buhari.
Under former President Jonathan, Nigeria's economy exploded and became the largest economy in Africa and the 24th largest economy in the world. Let it not be said that under President Buhari that economy collapsed like a pack of clouds because the hand that should have steered the ship was too busy pointing an accusing finger.
Fifty years ago, the city-state of Singapore was an undeveloped country with a GDP per capita of less than US $320. Today, it is one of the world's fastest growing economies. Its GDP per capita has risen to an incredible US $60,000, making it the sixth highest in the world based on Central Intelligence Agency figures. For a country that lacks territory and natural resources, Singapore's economic ascension is nothing short of remarkable. By embracing globalization, free market capitalism, education, and strict pragmatic policies, the country has been able to overcome their geographic disadvantages and become a leader in global commerce.
Photos of the Old State of Singapore
Singapore Independence
For over a hundred years, Singapore was under British control. But when the British failed to protect the colony from the Japanese during World War II, it sparked a strong anti-colonial and nationalist sentiment that subsequently led to their independence.
On August 31, 1963, Singapore seceded from the British crown and merged with Malaysia to form the Federation of Malaysia.
Although no longer under English rule, the proceeding two years Singapore spent as part of Malaysia were filled with social strife, as the two sides struggled to assimilate with one another ethnically. Street riots and violence became very common. The Chinese in Singapore outnumbered the Malay three-to-one. The Malay politicians in Kuala Lumpur feared their heritage and political ideologies were being threatened by the growing Chinese population throughout the island and peninsula. Therefore, as a way of ensuring a Malay majority within Malaysia proper and to phase out communist sentiments within the country, the Malaysian parliament voted to expel Singapore from Malaysia. Singapore gained formal independence on August 9, 1965, with Yusof bin Ishak serving as its first president and the highly influential Lee Kuan Yew as its Prime Minister.
Upon independence, Singapore continued to experience problems. Much of the city-state's three million people were unemployed. More than two-thirds of its population was living in slums and squatter settlements on the city's fringe. The territory was sandwiched between two large and unfriendly states in Malaysia and Indonesia. It lacked natural resources, sanitation, proper infrastructure, and adequate water supply. In order to stimulate development, Lee sought international assistance, but his pleas went unanswered, leaving Singapore to fend for itself.
Globalization in Singapore
During colonial times, Singapore's economy was centered on entrepôt trade. But this economic activity offered little prospect for job expansion in the post-colonial period. The withdrawal of the British further aggravated the unemployment situation.
The most feasible solution to Sinagpore's economic and unemployment woes was to embark on a comprehensive program of industrialization, with a focus on labor-intensive industries. Unfortunately, Singapore had no industrial tradition. The majority of its working population was in trade and services. Therefore, they had no expertise or easily adaptable traits in the area. Moreover, without a hinterland and neighbors who would trade with it, Singapore was forced to look for opportunities well beyond its borders to spearhead its industrial development.
Pressured to find work for their people, the leaders of Singapore began to experiment with globalization. Influenced by Israel's ability to leap over its Arab neighbors who boycotted them and trade with Europe and America, Lee and his colleagues knew they had to connect with the developed world and to convince their multinational corporations to manufacture in Singapore.
In order to attract investors, Singapore had to create an environment that was safe, corruption- free, low in taxation, and unimpeded by unions. To make this feasible, the citizens of the country had to suspend a large measure of their freedom in place of a more autocratic government. Anyone caught conducting narcotic trade or intensive corruption would be met with the death penalty. Lee's People Action Party (PAP) repressed all independent labor unions and consolidated what remained into a single umbrella group called the National Trade Union Congress (NTUC), which it directly controlled. Individuals who threatened national, political, or corporate unity were quickly jailed without much due process. The country's draconian, but business-friendly laws became very appealing to international investors. In contrast to their neighbors, where political and economic climates were unpredictable, Singapore on the other hand, was very predictable and stable. Moreover, with its advantageous relative location and established port system, Singapore was an ideal place to manufacture out of.
By 1972, just seven years since independence, one-quarter of Singapore's manufacturing firms were either foreign-owned or joint-venture companies, and both the U.S. and Japan were major investors. As a result of Singapore's steady climate, favorable investment conditions and the rapid expansion of the world economy from 1965 to 1972, the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) experienced annual double-digit growth.
On January 15th 2016 Akwa Ibom State Government Launches Akwa Ibom Enterprise and Employment Scheme-AKEES.
By Prince Uduak Pedro
Governor Udom Emmanuel
AKEES aimed at generating more sustainable employment opportunities for unemployed youth by empowering local businesses that can then employ the youths to earn wage while undergoing practical enterprise skills development and hands-on training from growing businesses in Akwa Ibom- (LEARNING BY DOING AND EARNING WHILE LEARNING)
For the benefit of those who do not know, AKEES is a franchise scheme incorporating technical and vocational skill acquisition and entrepreneurial training designed for the implementation of the State Government’s new Enterprise Development Programme.
The project AKEES is in line with the Dakkada Philosophy, beseeching Akwa Ibom people to rise to greatness in what their hand findeth to do. Thus, trainees are equipped and empowered with the mind-set and practical skills required to become first class competent and technically skilled entrepreneurs creating wealth and offering employment to other youths.
AKEES Program is Free, no age barrier, no minimum qualification, all qualifications are accepted, and the benefits of the project is huge, beneficiaries have the opportunity to utilize their skills, become an entrepreneur without incurring heavy start-up costs, gain additional skills while being gainfully employed. Successful candidates receive hands-on training prior to engagements and deployments, on successful completion of training, participants shall be dispatched to a business franchise to begin work.
Elder Ufot Ebong
Briefing newsmen during the unveiling in Uyo, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Technical Matters and Due Process, Ufot Ebong explained that the scheme is designed for the implementation of the state government new Enterprise Development Programme targeted at generating more sustainable employment opportunities for unemployed youths, he noted that the scheme will be scaled up in subsequent phases to ensure that the current unemployment rate plaguing the state is reduced by 50 per cent in the next four years.
Ufot Ebong while presenting the project report in a chat with journalist confirmed that while he is not directly in charge of the project, it is pertinent for him as a responsibility of his office to oversee all government projects. Commenting on the key objectives of the scheme, he mentioned that it will create the enabling structures needed to easily set up and grow business, mentorship and counselling of youths, enterprise development, as well as technical and vocational skills acquisition, adding that trainees will earn wages during the training exercise.
Ebong explained that for the sake of transparency and to avoid politicians hijacking the process an accessible registration platform online with the website, www.akyees.com is set aside for registrations, since he suspect that the desks initially placed at local government council headquarters across the state, can be easily hijacking, he however directed that all registration should be done through the official website. Akwa Ibom State youths, especially the home base are advice to take advantage of the opportunity offered by the state government to own their entrepreneurial skills.
CAUTION: the website handle is; http://www.akyees.com the public should be mindful of scammers, as they may try to hijack this website for selfish purposes, don’t follow link like; http://www.akees.biz or any other, BE WELL GUIDED.
Elder Ebong is a Geologist with approximately 25 years working experience involving management of vast human and capital resources. Speaking on his appointment by Governor Udom Emmanuel, he referred to it as one of the greatest honour done on him to head the Bureau of Technical Matters and Due Process. He assured that selection for AKEES will be done through a transparent IT-driven process, DEVOID OF PROXIES AND POLITICAL PATRONAGE which ensured even participation of candidates who genuinely would want to create wealth for themselves through entrepreneurial ventures across the 31 Local Government Areas.
For the sake of transparency, which the Udom Emmanuel-led administration is known for, Ebong reiterated that registration statistics will be displayed online at the website for easy accessibility and verification by any interested party and also, the number of jobs created from registered participants is displayed through a ticker on the website. He also hinted that based on areas of interest and passion, candidates will be opportune to hone their skills while earning a living working in the employment of an empowered local businesses, or take up franchises to easily start and grow their business.
So far so good, approximately 11,598 persons have registered for the scheme, 1,013 have been employed at the secretariat, AKEES offices and partners’ businesses, while 85 businesses have either been established or have received seed capital for expansion. Regarding monitoring for effective implementation, the participating individuals and businesses shall be monitored and coached to reduce the risk of failing or reducing costs where possible.
Testimonials of beneficiaries and documentaries are available for verification on the website and a Feedback mechanism is also provided. One of the beneficiaries is SUNNICK CLOTHING, Oron Road, Uyo, a small tailoring business owned by a couple, which has now received funding as a Community Facility Centre for Fashion Designers. Tailors without modern facilities can pay a token monthly to have access to the industrial sewing machines to enhance and increase their production.
The testimony of Sunnick Clothing is just one amongst many; Cash Log a finance management company was also launched by AKEES, as a software/application to assist small and medium scale companies keep good business records. At AKEES, It is well understood that every being is blessed with talent and has skill, so theirs is platform for those who will like to put those talents to use to build conglomerates, while others who have the endowment of ideas that can be established into companies which will create jobs for others.
As you read this piece, another beneficiary ‘Orbit Studios’ is equipped to commence trainings on Photography and Cinematography. They are also accepting movie scripts from creative writers to be considered for shooting.
Anyone who has doubts to clear can take a trip to the AKEES office on IBB Avenue opposite Ibom Hall, or the Edet Akpan Avenue office, and request for all information needed from the media desk, or directly from the Coordinator of the project Mr. Nduesa Ebong.
Get on the AKEES train as they journey to success, like the saying goes ‘If you cannot pursue your dream, you will have to work for someone who can’, whatever category you fall under, there is a place for you at AKEES.
There currently VACANCIES on the following:
ØBaking/Cooking/Catering
ØBeading Making
ØShoe Making
ØWood Work/Carpentry
ØWelding/Metal Work
ØTailoring
ØPlumbing/Piping
ØPainting/Interior Decor
ØHair Making
ØAuto Mechanics/Driving
ØElectrical/Electronics
Registration into this scheme is on-going, register now at www.akyees.com
Wednesday, July 22, 2015, did not go as desired for the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Umana Okon Umana at the Akwa Ibom State Election Petition Tribunal as he watched in anger as the witnesses whom he had procured to help his case made some blunders which may cost him the case.
By Prince Uduak Pedro 23/7/2015
Mr Umana O. Umana frowned uncontrollably, making gestures to his lawyer at the tribunal as his witnesses committed unpardonable mistakes that the lawyers for the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr Udom Emmanuel may capitalize on to cause the Tribunal to dismiss his case.
According to the reporter, the common trend among the witnesses hired by the APC was to insist that there was no election in Akwa Ibom State. At Wednesday’s hearing where APC witnesses were cross-examined by the lead counsels of the PDP governorship candidate, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the testimonies of the witnesses crumbled under legal scrutiny.
Departing from the popular refrain that there was no election in Akwa Ibom State, APC witness, Engr Emmanuel Alfred contradicted the position of his party by insisting that election actually took place, which he participated in by voting. When reminded by Counsel to PDP, Mr Tayo Oyetibo, SAN that his position contradicted his sworn affidavit, he revealed that the affidavit was prepared by the APC lawyer, maintaining his position that there was election. He maintained that anyone who said there was no election was a liar.
His submission corroborated the submission of another APC witness, Mr Nkereuwem Okpok of Ikot Asat Nsit of Nsit Ibom Local Government Area who also confirmed that INEC in the Local Government Area had distributed some materials on the Friday preceding the election and that he had participated and voted in the election. He mentioned some wards in the Local Government Area which he said election had taken place.
Amb. Sony Ebong takes Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) mantle of Leadership again in Akwa Ibom State.
By Prince Uduak Pedro 20/7/2015
Amb. Sony Ebong, the one time State Chairman of Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) Akwa Ibom State, was recently appointed by the Actors Guild Of Nigeria National President Emeka Ike to lead the guild again in the state. As you might recall few months ago the federal hight court of Nigeria nullified the election that produced Ibinabo Fiberesima as the President of Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) in 2012. And restated Emeka Ike as the legitimate person to occupied the office of the AGN President.
The state Chairman Amb. Sony Ebong swing into action yesterday 19th July 2015 leading the newly appointed AGN state task-force on their first operation. According to Amb. Ebong, leading the task-force members to their first operation was to get them acquainted with the task for which they were appointed. The task-force encountered a production team, lead by Director Ezendigbo Asaba, who came in from Asaba, Delta State to shoot in Akwa Ibom State.
Don’t fall for this Pope Francis hoax: 5 things to know and share
By Prince Uduak Pedro 13/07/2015
According to Jimmy Akin a blogger on National Catholic Register he wrote that there is an Internet hoax claiming Pope Francis has said "All religions are true."
Some Internet sites are reporting that Pope Francis has declared that
“all religions are true,” that there is no hell, and other provocative
things.
But the whole thing is an Internet hoax. Here are 5 things to know and share . . . 1) What is being attributed to Pope Francis? Among other things, he is claimed to have said:
“Through humility, soul searching, and prayerful contemplation we have gained a new understanding of certain dogmas. The church no longer believes in a literal hell where people suffer. This
doctrine is incompatible with the infinite love of God. God is not a
judge but a friend and a lover of humanity. God seeks not to condemn but
only to embrace. Like the fable of Adam and Eve, we see hell as a literary device.
Hell is merely a metaphor for the isolated soul, which like all souls
ultimately will be united in love with God” Pope Francis declared.
In a speech that shocked many, the Pope claimed “All religions are true,
because they are true in the hearts of all those who believe in them.
What other kind of truth is there? In the past, the church has been
harsh on those it deemed morally wrong or sinful. Today, we no longer
judge. Like a loving father, we never condemn our children. Our church is big enough for heterosexuals and homosexuals, for the pro-life and the pro-choice! For conservatives and liberals, even communists are welcome and have joined us. We all love and worship the same God.”
2) Where did the hoax come from? It originally appeared on a blog called Diversity Chronicle. The post that contains it apparently was written by the site’s creator, Erik Thorson. Subsequently, the story has been recycled elsewhere on the Internet, such as in the “Entertainment” section of VacancyNigerians.com. 3) How do we know it’s a hoax? Through several means. One is the fact that the piece itself claims
Pope Francis was speaking at the conclusion of the Third Vatican
Council:
For the last six months, Catholic cardinals, bishops and theologians
have been deliberating in Vatican City, discussing the future of the
church and redefining long-held Catholic doctrines and dogmas. The Third
Vatican Council, is undoubtedly the largest and most important since
the Second Vatican Council was concluded in 1962. Pope Francis convened
the new council to “finally finish the work of the Second Vatican
Council.” While some traditionalists and conservative reactionaries on
the far right have decried these efforts, they have delighted
progressives around the world.
The Third Vatican Council concluded today with Pope Francis announcing
that Catholicism is now a “modern and reasonable religion, which has
undergone evolutionary changes.
Of course, there has been no Third Vatican Council. If there had been, it would have been all over the news for months, and every semi-informed Catholic would be aware of it. Ecumenical councils are huge events in the life of the Church, and
modern media and the Catholic Internet would have focused on it
intensively. 4) How else do we know it’s a hoax? The site which originated it contains a disclaimer, which states:
The original content on this blog is largely satirical.
“I ceased in the year 1764 to believe that one can convince one’s
opponents with arguments printed in books. It is not to do that,
therefore, that I have taken up my pen, but merely so as to annoy them,
and to bestow strength and courage on those on our own side, and to
make it known to the others that they have not convinced us.” – Georg
Christoph Lichtenberg.
It is in the spirit of the above quote that I write. Who am I you may ask? My name is Erik Thorson. I created this blog for my own personal amusement.
5) Are there other resources exposing this hoax? Sure. For example, there is also a Snopes page on this subject.
