AFRICA/GHANA - Making the Church in Africa more self-reliant: theme of 15th Plenary of SECAM

Accra (Agenzia Fides) - A African Church that is confident in their abilities and able to intensify the work of evangelization and human development in the continent – this is what was discussed by participants in the 15th Plenary Assembly of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM/SECAM), which this year celebrates its 40th anniversary.
The 15th Plenary Assembly of SECAM, which had as its theme: SECAM at 40: Self-Reliance: The Way Forward for the Church in Africa, was held in Accra, Ghana from July 26 – August 2, 2010. The main events of the meeting were summarized in a statement sent to Fides.
The 200 Cardinals, bishops, priests, religious, and lay faithful attended two and a half days of meetings on the Plenary's theme. The workshop was conducted by two Consultants of CORAT Africa (Christian Organization Research and Advisory Trust of Africa). Several suggestions on how to make the Church in Africa truly self-reliant were made during an open forum of the workshop.
Rev. Monsignor Tony Anatrella, a Psychoanalyst and Social Psychiatrist from France gave a talk on “Caritas in Veritate, the Family and the Theory of Gender” (see Fides 11/8/2010).
His Eminence Peter Cardinal Turkson, President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, took the bishops through some of the salient points of Caritas in Veritate, an encyclical of Pope Benedict XVI, with a call on the bishops to promote a more humane and just society.
The Secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples (CEP) in the Vatican, Most Rev. Robert Sarah, called on the bishops of Africa to intensify their evangelization efforts in Africa. He also conveyed the best wishes of the Prefect of the CEP, His Eminence Ivan Cardinal Dias to the Bishops.
A closed session was held in the afternoon of Saturday, July 31, for only the Cardinals and bishops. During this period elections were held. His Eminence Polycarp Cardinal Pengo, Archbishop of Dar- Es- Salaam, Tanzania, was re-elected President of SECAM. His Eminence Cardinal Theodore Adrien Sarr, Archbishop of Dakar, Senegal, was also re-elected as first Vice President while Most Rev. Gabriel Mbilingi, President of the Angolan Catholic Bishops’ Conference replaced Bishop Francisco Joao Silota of Chimoio Diocese, Mozambique, as the Second Vice President. (LM) (Agenzia Fides 18/8/2010)