AFRICA/MOZAMBIQUE - Vitality in the Church, need for more in-depth formation, education to peace and promotion of respect for human rights in final statement issued by Meeting of Portuguese speaking Bishops’ Conferences

Maputo (Fides Service)- Signs of vitality and hope in the local Churches but also a need to improve formation for clergy and laity. This emerged from a meeting of Portuguese speaking Bishops’ Conferences in Maputo, capital of Mozambique, 6 to 9 September (see Fides 31 August 2005). We give parts of a final statement issued by the Bishop who participated.
“We note with joy signs of vitality and hope in our Churches: active lay participation in the life of the Church; formation of new movements of Christian spirituality and life; increase in lay missionaries; significant number of religious missionaries in most of our countries; in Africa increasing numbers of faithful, clergy and religious and also growing attendence of Sunday Mass.” However, the statement reads, “we also note a lack of maturity in the faith and even loss of faith which has made many leave the Church and join new Pentecostal type sects. This situation, present in every country, calls for a revision of the pastoral process of evangelisation at the level of catechesis and greater efforts for on-ging formation of laity, clergy and other pastoral operators”.
The Bishops also discussed the different social and political situations and the overall importance of education and in particular to promote the Social Doctrine of the Church in view of the formation of Christian leaders, men and women, in the fields of education, business, politics and public life in general”.
The main challenges facing these countries afflicted by many wars and political disputes, “include urgent education to peace, defence and promotion of human rights, the right to life first of all, and that of equal opportunities, political activity understood as service for the common good instead of search for personal or party gain as well as total rejection of violence, corruption and political patronage in the exercise of public functions”.
Participants also discussed development in Portuguese speaking countries, request for the cancellation of foreign debt, increasing urbanisation in Africa and Latin America and how to make better use of Portuguese speaking Catholic radio stations.
The Bishops thanked Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evamgelisation of Peoples for his “encouraging messagge” on the occasion of the meeting.
The next meeting of Portuguese speaking Bishops’ Conferences will be held in Fatima (Portugal) 9 to 12 October 2006. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 13/9/2005 righe 40 parole 458)