Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Kigali (Agenzia Fides) – From March 10 to 14, the Centre Saint-François d'Assise at Kicukiro (Kigali, Rwanda) hosted the Fourth Continental Meeting of the African Movement of Catholic Action, which brought together representatives from 9 African countries and 3 European Union countries and was promoted by the Secretariat of the International Forum (FIAC), in collaboration with the Bishops' Commission for the Apostolate of the Laity (Ceal) of Rwanda on "Movements of Catholic Action, at the service of Reconciliation, Justice, and Peace" (see Fides 10/3/2010). The final document, a copy of which was sent to Fides, stresses that "the participants examined in depth the challenges of evangelization and human dignity: poverty, social injustice, poor governance, and persistent insecurity The bad start of democracy in many countries, corruption, the deterioration of values, the urgency of reconciliation, the need for culture of peace, the need for global education, and training in particular in the Social Doctrine of the Church."
In addition, participants "become aware of the vocation of lay people who, through Baptism, are jointly responsible for the mission and life of the Church and are witnesses of Christ in the world." This is why they made commitments to defend the sacred gift of life through the preservation and promotion of human dignity and inalienable rights, combat the attraction exerted by sects and new religious movements in Africa, promote popularization and dissemination of the Bible in local languages, use the modern media as effective means of transmission of the Christian faith to be more present in the dramatic situation experienced by African peoples and to propose guidelines to be followed promptly, and place themselves at the service of the Conference of Bishops for the translation of the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church and the Catechism of the Church in local languages. They also saw the need for formation of lay people, so they can deepen their faith and the need reflect more deeply on ecclesiology, secularism, and collaboration with the Hierarchy.
Participants also asked the bishops for “assistants who are available, committed, and willing to commit themselves," to hold a national day of lay people, to become aware of the mission of the laity in the Church and society, promote twinning and exchange of experience with the Movements of Catholic Action of sister churches. FIAC has been asked to promote training seminars across Africa, as well as on a regional, national, and diocesan level, as much as possible. In a telegram sent to Archbishop Domenico Sigalini, Ecclesiastical Assistant of the FIAC, Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone expressed, on behalf of the Holy Father, his satisfaction for the initiative and his hope for a constructive debate on the challenges facing the African continent. (SL) (Agenzia Fides 20/03/2010)
