EUROPE - A new historic responsibility for the Church in Africa and Europe: in November a Symposium in Rome of African and European Bishops

Rome (Fides Service) - The Council of European Episcopal Conferences (CCEE) and the Symposium of the Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), with the patronage of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples and collaboration from support agencies, have begun work in preparation for the Symposium of European and African Bishops due to take place in Rome from 10-13 November 2004. Participants include 50 Bishops from African nations and 50 from Europe (nominated by the Bishops’ Conferences); delegates from ‘support agencies’, representatives from Vatican Congregations, delegates from church bodies from the continents of Asia, Latin America and North America.
The CCEE statement says this is the first time that such a representative number of Bishops from the two continents is meeting to examine matters of common responsibility for the Church and the peoples of the continents.The meeting aims to set in motion a process which will have further stages in the future.
In the course of the CCEE Plenary Meeting at Vilnius (2-5 October 2003), the President of a European Bishops’ Conference denounced the international political and economic cynicism which seems to have abandoned Africa to a destiny of poverty and ever greater marginalisation. On the other hand, Europe - the continent writing a new page in political and economic unification, but also ‘childless ’ and showing many signs of fatigue - needs Africa today.
The Symposium offers the following objectives and themes: to deepen the common responsibility for evangelisation, mission, and pastoral care of social affairs, in the light of the documents Ecclesia in Africa and Ecclesia in Europa, fruit of the respective synods on Africa (1994) and Europe (2001); to compare the vision of humanity and social relations in Europe and Africa ; to check the evangelisation situation in Africa and Europe; to reflect on experiences of collaboration which already exist between Africa and Europe and to look for new ways of collaboration, mutual aid and exchange of gifts between the Churches of the north and south of the world, in the face of the great challenges which impact on the two continents: poverty, migration, the family, relationship with Islam, economic solidarity, Aids, etc.; to deepen the theme of the Church’s relationship with politics and in particular co-responsibility in building peace and a more just society. Above all, the Symposium aims to be a meeting of bishops and an experience of communion between African and European Bishops on the basis of sacramental fraternity.
A working party has already met on a few occasions to outline the programme (see Fides 15 May 2004) . A questionnaire has already been sent to the Bishops’ Conferences in Europe and Africa in order to have a broad picture of the bodies and collaborative experiences already existing between the two continents. The working document (or foundation text) for the Symposium will be based on the responses received. The Episcopal Conferences have also been invited to introduce the theme of European-African collaboration into their 2004 work schedule (at a Plenary Assembly, Permanent Council, or appropriate Commission). (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 24/6/2004; Righe 35; Parole 471)