Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Rome (Agenzia Fides) – The African Church, founded by the efforts of missionaries, is becoming increasingly more missionary, sending its own priests, missionaries, and religious to other parts of the world. This is what Fides learned in an interview with some of the National Directors of Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS) from Africa who are in Rome for the General Assembly of the PMS.
"Our church is preparing to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Major Seminary of Koumi (Grand Séminaire de Saint Pierre Claver Koume), in Bobo-Dioulasso," says Fr. Oscar Zoungrana, National Director of the PMS in Burkina Faso and Niger, told Fides. "We have received many great spiritual graces through this institution, through the priests that have been formed there. On June 19 of this year, the whole Church of Burkina Faso will gather at the Major Seminary of Koumi to celebrate the anniversary and to thank God."
"The hopes of the Church are linked to the Year for Priests. We have great hope not only in a great number of priests, but also in the quality of the priests. We hope that the anniversary of the Major Seminary will give an ever greater apostolic zeal to all of us priests," says Fr. Zoungrana.
"The missionary dimension is very present in our Church," says the National Director of PMS from Burkina Faso and Niger. "Since the centenary of the evangelization of the country, which we celebrated in 2000, the Bishops' Conference has decided to send priests to other countries each year. We have gained a rich missionary experience in just a few years. We have sent priests to other parts of Africa, such as Chad and Algeria, and to other continents. We even have several "Fidei Donum" priests in France," concluded Fr. Zoungrana.
Even in Mozambique, a country that after a tragic civil war that lasted two decades (1975-1992) is rebuilding its social fabric and material, the Church is becoming increasingly more missionary. "The Church is much appreciated by Mozambique because of its work of pacification in the country carried out in collaboration with the Community of Sant'Egidio. The Church continues to work to consolidate the culture of peace," Fides was told by Fr. Atanasio Amisse Canira, National Director of Mozambique's PMS. As for missionary work, the Director of the PMS of Mozambique said: "We have many priestly and religious congregations that began in Mozambique who now work abroad. Even several diocesan priests do missionary experiences in other countries. Finally, the fact that Mozambican priests attend Pontifical Universities in Rome helps to instill in our ecclesial community a sense of the Universal Church." There are Mozambican missionaries operating in Brazil, Portugal, Spain, and Ecuador. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 05/20/2010)
