AFRICA/TUNISIA - Catholic Bishops of North Africa discuss Inter-religious Dialogue and the Drama of Emigration

Friday, 3 November 2006

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Tunis (Fides Service)- Dialogue between Christians and Muslims, the role of lay Catholics in the small Christian communities in north Africa and the drama of migration from sub-Saharan Africa, were the topics discussed by the Catholic Bishops Conference of North Africa CERNA in Tunis, for four days 26-29 October.
In a final statement the Bishops said they had thanked God for the “fruits of love and hope and the working of the Spirit in the regions where we offer our service”. They discussed the “difficult question of the continuity of the Christian presence in places where there is no direct pastoral care; this poses a problem of renewal of persons and their formation”.
The priests and religious men and women are helped by several lay Catholics “in small communities often fragile, the Bishops note a dynamism of the laity both among those present for some time and those who arrived more recently from all over the world”.
With regard to relations with Muslims, the CERNA statement affirms “the bishops realise their responsibility to foster relations between the Muslim world and the universal Church at times of sad misunderstandings”.
The Bishops of North Africa say they are committed “share with the Churches of other regions of the world their experience of Christian/Muslim dialogue. In particular they invite the Catholic communities to understand that the Muslim world is different. And that it is urgent to realise that we live in a pluralist world where we must learn to live together since this is vital for humanity’s peace”.
The Bishops express concern for the continual flow of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa. “Because of persistent political and economic difficulties” the CERNA statement reads “the migratory pressure increases ever more de-localised towards the south the catastrophic consequences”.
The Bishops appreciate and thank Caritas and other aid organisations for assisting the migrants and taking to heart the problem of migration in North Africa.
The next CERNA meeting will be held in Rome in June 2007. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 3/11/2006 righe 40 parole 426)