As I watched the inauguration of the new Pope, an event steeped in religious symbolism and global reverence, I couldn’t help but notice something striking that many miss: it’s not just divine protection being relied upon. The Vatican’s Papal inauguration is arguably the most secure religious gathering on earth. And that security isn’t left to divine providence, it is the product of meticulous planning, elite expertise, cutting-edge technology, and a deep understanding of global threats.
Let’s look at the facts:
Snipers are positioned on rooftops, trained and trigger-ready, watching over the crowd.
Anti-drone defense systems are deployed across strategic points to intercept and neutralize any aerial threat.
Surveillance technologies from facial recognition to heat-mapping tools monitor thousands of attendees in real-time.
Elite security forces, including the Swiss Guard, the Vatican Gendarmerie, Italian police, and Interpol collaborators, coordinate to maintain a seamless security bubble around the Pope.
This is not by accident. This is intelligence. This is intentionality. This is the Western worldview in action: faith in the heart, weapons and technology in the hands.
Where Africa Misses the Mark
Herein lies a stark contrast with much of Africa’s approach to religion and public policy. We tend to outsource our responsibility for safety, development, and progress to the spiritual realm, praying for outcomes that should be engineered by human agency.
We pray against accidents while ignoring the gaping potholes on our roads.
We anoint failing hospitals with oil rather than equip them with modern medical tools and properly paid professionals.
We declare blessings over insecure schools instead of deploying surveillance, fencing, and trained security personnel.
This spiritual fatalism, though born from deep faith, has become a cultural crutch. Faith should complement systems, not replace them.
Why Europe (and Israel) Stay Ahead
European and Israeli societies build their systems on layered approaches:
1. Faith and Culture: Their religious roots are deep and active, but they are balanced with reason and science.
2. Technology and Security: From cyber defense to public infrastructure, everything is backed by innovation.
3. Strong Institutions: Legal systems, security architecture, and governance mechanisms function predictably and transparently.
That’s why they lead globally. Not just by belief, but by action. Not just by prayer, but by planning. They outsmarted the world, not just with religion, but by weaponizing knowledge, innovation, and discipline.
A Call for African Reawakening
Africa must reimagine how we practice faith and build society. The continent cannot afford to continue substituting prayers for planning. We need to:
Invest in research and development.
Build institutions that work, not just churches that overflow.
Prioritize engineering, security intelligence, and technology just as we prioritize revival meetings.
There is no contradiction in being deeply spiritual and technologically advanced. The Vatican is proof of this synthesis.
It’s time we stop leaving everything to fate, and start designing our future with wisdom, science, and strategy. God has already given us the brain. Let’s use it.
By Chima Nnadi-Oforgu
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