ABSTRACT
The pastoral letter, an open letter addressed by a bishop to members of his diocese
for the purpose of promoting faith and good Christian living, constitutes a persuasive
religious discourse characterised by numerous rhetorical devices. Previous studies on
Christian religious languagehave concentrated mainly on sermons, liturgy, prayers,
theology, scriptures, hymns, and songs to the exclusion of the persuasive power of pastoral
letters. This study, therefore, examined themes and rhetorical devices in selected Roman
Catholic bishops‘ pastoral letters in the Onitsha Ecclesiastical Province, with a view
todetermining their persuasive discourse functions.
Aristotelian Rhetoric, which emphasises persuasion through three main rhetorical
appeals: logos,pathos,andethos was adopted as the framework.Data were drawn from 10
pastoral letters of five Roman Catholic bishops in five dioceses (two letters from each)
where pastoral letters are published regularly, out of the seven in Onitsha Province. These
were Onitsha, Nnewi, Awka, Enugu, and Awgudioceses. The letters, published between
2000 and 2010 and ranging between 20 and 104 pages, were purposively selected based on
consistency, thematic preoccupations, and rhetorical content. Data weresubjected to
discourse analysis.
Four major themes: faith, repentance, love, and loyalty to the Roman Catholic
Church were identified. There were three categories of rhetorical devices: logos-based
(logic), pathos-based (emotions), and ethos-based (character). There were 10 logos-based
devices: use of testimonial reference functioning as authority to validate messages;
deductive and inductive reasoningappealing to the rationality of the audience; definitions
establishing a common ground for arguments; comparison (analogy/metaphor) for
explanations to ensure comprehension; nominalisation and passivisation objectifying the
validity of ideas; syntactic parallelism and antithesis emphasising ideas for easy grasp; and
obligation/necessity modals appealing to the audience‘s sense of responsibility and moral
duty. Eight pathos-based deviceswere used: Igbo language expressing solidarity with the
audience; prayersinspiring them; inclusive pronoun (we) creating a feeling of belonging,
collectivism and oneness; rhetorical questions (RQs) appealing todenominationalsentiments;
sarcasm, segregation pronoun (they), and negative emotion-laden words referring to non-
Catholic groups to create distaste for non-Catholic faith; feminine pronoun (she) and
positive emotion-laden words referring to the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) to keep the
audience emotionally attached to it.Finally, seven devices characterised ethos: use of firstiii
person singular pronoun (I), declaratives, and imperatives invoking the authority of the
bishops‘ office; Latinisms showing learnedness; greetings and appreciation expressing
goodwill; and exemplary Biblical characters as models of faith, repentance, and love. All
the devices in the three categories related to the four themes except RQs, the pronouns they,
she, and emotion-laden words, relating to loyalty. Comparatively, logos-based devices
preponderated over pathos- and ethos-based ones reflecting emphasis of the RCC on reason
as the basis for faith.
Roman Catholic bishops‘ pastoral letters in the Onitsha Ecclesiastical Province were
characterised by a preponderance of logos-based rhetorical devices, and a widespread use of
pathos- and ethos-based ones,designed to communicate messages of faith, repentance, love,
and loyalty, and persuade the audience to live accordingly.The rhetorical devices, therefore,
establish the pastorals as a significant form of persuasive religious discourse.
OKAFOR, V (2021). Discourse Functions Of Rhetorical Devices In Selected Roman Catholic Bishops’ Pastoral Letters In Onitsha Ecclesiastical Province, Nigeria. Afribary. Retrieved from https://tracking.afribary.com/works/discourse-functions-of-rhetorical-devices-in-selected-roman-catholic-bishops-pastoral-letters-in-onitsha-ecclesiastical-province-nigeria
OKAFOR, VIRGINIA "Discourse Functions Of Rhetorical Devices In Selected Roman Catholic Bishops’ Pastoral Letters In Onitsha Ecclesiastical Province, Nigeria" Afribary. Afribary, 21 Apr. 2021, https://tracking.afribary.com/works/discourse-functions-of-rhetorical-devices-in-selected-roman-catholic-bishops-pastoral-letters-in-onitsha-ecclesiastical-province-nigeria. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
OKAFOR, VIRGINIA . "Discourse Functions Of Rhetorical Devices In Selected Roman Catholic Bishops’ Pastoral Letters In Onitsha Ecclesiastical Province, Nigeria". Afribary, Afribary, 21 Apr. 2021. Web. 21 Nov. 2024. < https://tracking.afribary.com/works/discourse-functions-of-rhetorical-devices-in-selected-roman-catholic-bishops-pastoral-letters-in-onitsha-ecclesiastical-province-nigeria >.
OKAFOR, VIRGINIA . "Discourse Functions Of Rhetorical Devices In Selected Roman Catholic Bishops’ Pastoral Letters In Onitsha Ecclesiastical Province, Nigeria" Afribary (2021). Accessed November 21, 2024. https://tracking.afribary.com/works/discourse-functions-of-rhetorical-devices-in-selected-roman-catholic-bishops-pastoral-letters-in-onitsha-ecclesiastical-province-nigeria