VATICAN - The African roads, privileged place of evangelization and education

Tuesday, 13 November 2012

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – To develop new forms of evangelization suitable for the context of the road/street, especially through the use of social communications and media media; make theology more concrete towards the realities in Africa and Madagascar; promote consecrated and religious life of women as a value and a powerful witness; promote the formation of the males: their mentalities, attitudes psychologies, as means of safeguarding the dignity of women, girls and children. They are some of the recommendations contained in the final document, sent to Fides Agency, of the First Integrated Meeting on the Pastoral Care of the Road/Stree for the continent of Africa and Madagascar, which was held in Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania, from 11 to 15 September organized by the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People in collaboration with the Episcopal Commission for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People of Tanzania.
The participants at the meeting urge the Symposium of the Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar, the episcopal national Conferences and dioceses in Africa, to organize continental and transcontinental organizing meetings to promote the implementation of international conventions on the protection of children and human rights, as well as to collaborate with other continents to prevent trafficking of women, girls and children. An ecclesial collaboration even at an ecumenical and interreligious level is called for to assist victims, and the proper formation of "lay itinerant ministers " to assist people on the road.
In its conclusions, the participants at the Meeting claim to have the knowledge that "Africa is a continent where millions of people, intentionally or not, are on the move every day, thus transforming African roads in a privileged place of evangelization and education. " Unfortunately, in fact, " crime, human trafficking, weak legal systems, some traditional practices, a deranged chauvinism, are at the basis of the life of prostitution of women and girls," while poverty, domestic violence, sexual abuse, family breakdown, illiteracy encourage the phenomenon of street children. Faced with this reality, the participants recognize that "the first and most important mission of the Church is to evangelize, educate, liberate through spiritual renewal and human development, in the spirit of the Gospel values." (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 13/11/2012)


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