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Cotonou (Agenzia Fides) - The members of the Regional Bishops’ Conference of French Speaking African Countries CERAO met from 30 January to 4 February at the Le Chant d'Oiseau Formation House in Cotonou, in Benin, on the occasion of celebrations for the Golden Jubilee of Cardinal Bernardin Gantin (see Fides 5 February 2007), a CERAO founding member and first president. The Bishops usually meet at the CERAO offices in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.
Present were bishops of national and international conferences and regional commissions from Benin, Burkina-Faso, Niger, Cote d’Ivoire, Mali, Senegal, Mauritania, Capo Verde, Guinea Bissau, Togo. Only the Bishops of Guinea Conakry were unable to attend due to the difficult situation in the country .
The assembly opened on 30 January in the presence of Cardinal Gantin. Interventions were made by Archbishop Marcel Agboton of Cotonou (Benin); Bishop Antoine Ganyé, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Benin; Archbishop Michael August Blume apostolic nuncio in Benin e Togo, and CERAO president Archbishop Adrien Sarr of Dakar.
The assembly discussed various matters including the 2nd CERAO Action Plan; CERAO and ecclesial communion; recent activities; resolutions. The aim of the CERAO pastoral Plan is to help the faithful have a personal and community encounter with Jesus Christ. The bishops also discussed relations between CERAO and the equivalent Regional Conference of Bishops of West African English speaking Countries AECAWA, the Symposium of Bishops Conference of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) and the Holy See. CERAO and AECAWA will meet later this year 5-9 December in Abuja, capital of Nigeria for the constitutive assembly of the union of the two regional conferences.
At the end of the statement the Bishops of CERAO expressed gratitude to Cardinal Gantin; Mr Boni Yayi president of Benin who received them in audience and facilitated the logistics of the meeting; Cardinal Ivan Dias, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples for solidarity with Africa and all the Bishops of Benin for the warm welcome received. The next CERAO meeting will be held 4 - 8 February 2008 in Abidjan. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 6/2/2007 righe 39 parole 414)
