Pope’s Off-the-Cuff Address to Priests, Religious and Seminarians in Uganda: November 28, 2015

There are three things I want to tell you. First of all, in the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses reminds his people: “Don’t forget.” And he repeats it in this book various times. To not forget. To not forget everything that God did for his people.

The first thing that I want to say to you is that you ask for the grace of memory, [of remembering.] As I said to the young people: In the blood of Ugandan Catholics is mixed the blood of martyrs. Do not forget the memory of this seed. So that in this way you continue to grow.

The main enemy of memory is forgetting. But this isn’t the most dangerous enemy. The most dangerous enemy of memory is becoming accustomed to inheriting the goods of those who’ve gone before. The Church in Uganda can never become accustomed to the distant memory of its martyrs. Martyr means witness. The Church in Uganda, to be faithful to this memory, must continue to be a witness. It can’t live “piggy-backing.” The glories of the past were the beginning but you have to make the glory of the future. And this is the task that the Church gives to you. Be witnesses, as the martyrs who gave their lives for the Gospel were witnesses. 

To be witnesses — the second word that I want to say to you — fidelity is necessary. Fidelity to memory. Fidelity to one’s vocation. Fidelity to apostolic zeal. Fidelity means to follow the way of holiness. Fidelity means to do what the witnesses of the past did: to be missionaries.

Perhaps here in Uganda there are dioceses that have many priests and dioceses that have few. Fidelity means offering oneself to the bishop to go to another diocese that needs missionaries. And this isn’t easy. Fidelity means persevering in the vocation. And here, I want to give thanks in a special way for the example of fidelity that the sisters from the House of Mercy gave me. Fidelity to the poor, to the ill, to the neediest. Because Christ is there. 

Uganda was watered with the blood of martyrs, of witnesses. Today it is necessary to continue watering it and for this, new challenges, new testimonies, new missions.

If not, you’re going to lose the great richness that you have. And the “pearl of Africa” will end up being on display in a museum. Because the devil attacks like that — little by little. And I’m speaking not only for the priests, but also to the religious.

For the priests, I did want to speak particularly about this issue of being missionaries: That the dioceses with a lot of priests offer themselves to those with fewer clergy.

Thus, Uganda will continue to be missionary.

Memory which means fidelity and fidelity that is only possible with prayer. If a man or woman religious, a priest, abandons prayer or prays only a little, because he says he has a lot of work, he has already begun to lose memory. And he has already begun to lose fidelity. 

Prayer, which also means humiliation. The humiliation of going regularly to your confessor and to say your own sins. You can’t limp with both feet. Men religious, women religious and priests cannot live a double life. If you are a sinner, ask for forgiveness. But don’t keep hidden what God doesn’t want. Don’t keep a lack of fidelity hidden away. Don’t shut memory up in a closet. Memory. New challenges, fidelity to memory. And prayer. Prayer always begins with recognizing oneself as a sinner. 

With these three columns, the pearl of Africa will continue to be a pearl and not just the word missionary.

May the martyrs who gave strength to this Church help us to go forward in memory, in fidelity and in prayer.

And please, I ask you to not forget to pray for me.

Now, I invite you to pray all together an Ave Maria to the Virgin.

[Transcription and translation by ZENIT]

Pope’s Off-the-Cuff Address to Ugandan Youth, Address at Nalukolongo Charitable Centre: November 28, 2015

I listened with much sorrow in my heart to the testimonies of Winnie and Emmanuel. But as I was listening, I asked myself a question: Can a negative experience serve for something in life? Yes.

Both Winnie and Emmanuel have suffered negative experiences. Winnie thought she had no future. That the life before her was against a wall. But Jesus showed her little by little that he can make a great miracle in life. That he can transform a wall into a horizon. A horizon that opens to the future. In the face of a negative experience — as many of us who are here have had negative experiences — there is always the possibility of opening a horizon. Of opening it with the door of Jesus. Today, Winnie has transformed her depression, her bitterness into hope.

And this isn’t magic. This is the work of Jesus. Because Jesus is Lord. Jesus can do everything. And Jesus suffered the most negative experience in history. He was insulted, he was rejected, he was killed. And Jesus, by the power of God, rose again. He can do the same thing in each one of us with each negative experience. Because Jesus is Lord.

I can imagine — and all of us together, let us imagine — the suffering of Emmanuel. When he saw that his companions were tortured. When he saw that his companions were assassinated. Emmanuel was courageous. He took heart. He knew that if they found him, the day he escaped, they would kill him. He took a risk. He trusted in Jesus. And he escaped. And today we have him here, after 14 years, with a degree in administration sciences.

All is possible. Our life is like a seed; to live, we must die. And sometimes, it is to die physically, like Emmanuel’s companions. To die as Charles Lwanga and the martyrs of Uganda died. But through this death, there is life. A life for everyone. If I transform the negative into positive, I am triumphant. But this can only be done with the grace of Jesus.

Are you certain of this? I didn’t hear! Are you certain? Are you ready to transform all the negative things of life into positive things? Are you ready to transform hate into love? Are you ready to transform, to want to transform, war into peace?

You must be aware that you are a people of martyrs. Through your veins flows the blood of martyrs. And because of this, you have the faith and the life that you have now. And this life is so beautiful that it is called the pearl of Africa.

It seems that the microphone doesn’t work well. Sometimes we ourselves don’t work well. Yes or no?

And when we don’t work well, to whom do we have to ask help? I don’t hear you. Louder! 

We have to ask Jesus. Jesus can change your life. Jesus can break down all of the walls that you have before you. Jesus can make of your life a service for others. 

Some of you might ask me: For this, is there a magic wand? If you want Jesus to change your life, ask him. And this is called prayer. 

Did you understand? To pray. I ask you: Do you pray? Are you sure? Pray to Jesus because he is the savior. Never stop praying. Prayer is the strongest weapon that a youth has. 

Jesus loves us. I ask you: Does Jesus love some people and not others? Does Jesus love everyone? Does Jesus want to help everyone? Then open the doors of your heart and allow him to come in. 

Allow Jesus to enter into my life. And when Jesus comes into your life, he helps you to fight. To fight agains all of the problems that Winnie spoke of. Fight against depression, fight against AIDS, to ask help to rise above these situations. But always to fight. Fight with my desire, and fight with my prayer. Are you ready to fight? Are you ready to want the best for yourselves? Are you ready to pray, to ask Jesus to help you in the fight?

And a third thing that I want to tell you: All of us are in the Church, we belong to the Church, right? And the Church has a Mother. What’s her name? I can’t hear! Pray to our Mother. When a child falls, gets hurt, he starts to cry and goes to look for his mom. When we have a problem, the best thing we can do is go where our Mother is. And pray to Mary, our mother. Do you agree? Do you pray to the Virgin, our Mother?

Here I ask, do you pray to Jesus and to the Virgin, our Mother?

So three things: rise above difficulties, transform the negative into positive, and third, prayer. Prayer to Jesus who can do everything. That Jesus enters into our hearts. And changes our lives. Jesus, who came to save me and gave his life for me. Pray to Jesus because he is the only Lord. And since in the Church, we are not orphans, and we have a mother, to pray to our Mother. And what is the name of our Mother? Louder!

I thank you very much for having listened to me. I thank you a lot because you want to change the negative into positive. That you want to fight against evil with Jesus at your side, and above all I thank you because you have the desire to never abandon prayer. And now I invite you to pray together to our Mother, that she protects us. Agreed? Everyone together.

[Ave Maria]

[Blessing]

A last request: Pray for me. Pray for me. I need it. Don’t forget. Good-bye.

[Transcription and translation by ZENIT]

Pope’s Address at Nalukolongo Charitable Centre: November 28, 2015

Dear Friends,

Thank you for your warm welcome. I wanted very much to visit this House of Charity, which Cardinal Nsubuga founded here in Nalukolongo. This is a place which has always been associated with the Church’s outreach to the poor, the handicapped, the sick. Here, in early times, slave children were ransomed and women received religious instruction. I greet the Good Samaritan Sisters who carry on this fine tradition, and I thank them for their years of quiet and joyful service in this apostolate.

I also greet the representatives of the many other apostolic groups who serve the needs of our brothers and sisters in Uganda. [I think in particular of the immense and productive efforts which have been made to assist people suffering with AIDS.] Above all, I greet the residents of this home and others like it, and all who benefit from these works of Christian charity. For this is a home. Here you can find love and care; here you can feel the presence of Jesus, our brother, who loves each of us with God’s own love.

Today, from this Home, I appeal to all parishes and communities in Uganda – and the rest of Africa – not to forget the poor. [Not to forget the poor!] The Gospel commands us to go out to the peripheries of society, and to find Christ in the suffering and those in need. The Lord tells us, in no uncertain terms, that is what he will judge us on! How sad it is when our societies allow the elderly to be rejected or neglected! How wrong it is when the young are exploited by the modern-day slavery of human trafficking! If we look closely at the world around us, it seems that, in many places, selfishness and indifference are spreading. How many of our brothers and sisters are victims of today’s throwaway culture, which breeds contempt above all towards the unborn, the young and the elderly!

As Christians, we cannot simply stand by. [And what do we mean by simply stand by? It means doing nothing.] Something must change! Our families need to become ever more evident signs of God’s patient and merciful love, not only for our children and elders, but for all those in need. Our parishes must not close their doors, or their ears, to the cry of the poor. This is the royal road of Christian discipleship. [The royal road.] In this way we bear witness to the Lord who came not to be served, but to serve. In this way we show that people count more than things, that who we are is more important than what we possess. For in those whom we serve, Christ daily reveals himself and prepares the welcome which we hope one day to receive in his eternal kingdom.

Dear friends, by simple gestures, by simple prayerful actions which honour Christ in the least of his brothers and sisters, we can bring the power of his love into our world, and truly change it. I thank you once more for your generosity and love. I will remember you in my prayers and I ask you, please, to pray for me. I commend all of you to the loving protection of Mary, our Mother, and I give you my blessing.

Omukama Abakuume! (God protect you!)

Pope Francis’ Address to Catechists and Teachers at Munyonyo, Homily at Uganda Martyrs’ Shrine

November 27, 2015

Dear Catechists and Teachers, Dear Friends,

I greet you with affection in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Teacher.

“Teacher!” What a beautiful name this is! Jesus is our first and greatest teacher. Saint Paul tells us that Jesus gave his Church not only apostles and pastors, but also teachers, to build up the whole body in faith and love. Together with the bishops, priests and deacons who are ordained to preach the Gospel and care for the Lord’s flock, you, as catechists, play an outstanding part in bringing the Good News to every village and homestead in your country. 

I wish before all else, to thank you for the sacrifices which you and your families make, and for the zeal and devotion with which you carry out your important task. You teach what Jesus taught, you instruct adults and help parents to raise their children in the faith, and you bring the joy and hope of eternal life to all. Thank you for your dedication, your example, your closeness to God’s people in their daily lives, and all the many ways you plant and nurture the seeds of faith throughout this vast land. Thank you especially for teaching our children and young people how to pray. [Because it’s so important to teach children how to pray!]

I know that your work, although rewarding, is not easy. So I encourage you to persevere, and I ask your bishops and priests to support you with a doctrinal, spiritual and pastoral formation capable of making you ever more effective in your outreach. Even when the task seems too much, the resources too few, the obstacles too great, it should never be forgotten that yours is a holy work. [And I really want to underline this.  Yours is a holy work.] The Holy Spirit is present wherever the name of Christ is proclaimed. He is in our midst whenever we lift up our hearts and minds to God in prayer. He will give you the light and strength you need! The message you bring will take root all the more firmly in people’s hearts if you are not only a teacher but also a witness. [And again I underline this, much more than a teacher, you should be a witness.] Your example should speak to everyone of the beauty of prayer, the power of mercy and forgiveness, the joy of sharing in the Eucharist with all our brothers and sisters.

The Christian community in Uganda grew strong through the witness of the martyrs. They testified to the truth which sets men free; they were willing to shed their blood to be faithful to what they knew was good and beautiful and true. We stand here today in Munyonyo at the place where King Mwanga determined to wipe out the followers of Christ. He failed in this, just as King Herod failed to kill Jesus. The light shone in the darkness, and the darkness could not overcome it (cf. Jn 1:5). After seeing the fearless testimony of Saint Andrew Kaggwa and his companions, Christians in Uganda became even more convinced of Christ’s promises.

May Saint Andrew, your patron, and all the Ugandan catechist martyrs, obtain for you the grace to be wise teachers, men and women whose every word is filled with grace, convincing witnesses to the splendour of God’s truth and the joy of the Gospel! [Witnesses of holiness.] Go forth without fear to every town and village in this country, to spread the good seed of God’s word, and trust in his promise that you will come back rejoicing, with sheaves full from the harvest.

[I ask all of you catechists to pray for me and to ask little children to pray for me.]

Omukama Abawe Omukisa! (God bless you!)

Homily of His Holiness Pope Francis, Mass at the Uganda Martyrs’ Shrine, Namugongo

Saturday November 28, 2015

“You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

From the age of the Apostles to our own day, a great cloud of witnesses has been raised up to proclaim Jesus and show forth the power of the Holy Spirit.  Today, we recall with gratitude the sacrifice of the Uganda martyrs, whose witness of love for Christ and his Church has truly gone “to the end of the earth”.  We remember also the Anglican martyrs whose deaths for Christ testify to the ecumenism of blood.  All these witnesses nurtured the gift of the Holy Spirit in their lives and freely gave testimony of their faith in Jesus Christ, even at the cost of their lives, many at such a young age.

We too have received the gift of the Spirit, to make us sons and daughters of God, but also so that we may bear witness to Jesus and make him everywhere known and loved.  We received the Spirit when we were reborn in Baptism, and we were strengthened by his gifts at our Confirmation.  Every day we are called to deepen the Holy Spirit’s presence in our life, to “fan into flame” the gift of his divine love so that we may be a source of wisdom and strength to others.

The gift of the Holy Spirit is a gift which is meant to be shared.  It unites us to one another as believers and living members of Christ’s mystical Body.  We do not receive the gift of the Spirit for ourselves alone, but to build up one another in faith, hope and love.  I think of Saints Joseph Mkasa and Charles Lwanga, who after being catechized by others, wanted to pass on the gift they had received.  They did this in dangerous times.  Not only were their lives threatened but so too were the lives of the younger boys under their care.  Because they had tended to their faith and deepened their love of God, they were fearless in bringing Christ to others, even at the cost of their lives. Their faith became witness; today, venerated as martyrs, their example continues to inspire people throughout the world.  They continue to proclaim Jesus Christ and the power of his Cross.

If, like the martyrs, we daily fan into flame the gift of the Spirit who dwells in our hearts, then we will surely become the missionary disciples which Christ calls us to be.  To our families and friends certainly, but also to those whom we do not know, especially those who might be unfriendly, even hostile, to us.  This openness to others begins first in the family, in our homes where charity and forgiveness are learned, and the mercy and love of God made known in our parents’ love.  It finds expression too in our care for the elderly and the poor, the widowed and the orphaned.

Just as the mother and seven sons from the Second Book of Maccabees encouraged one another in their moment of great trial (7:1-2. 9-14), so too, as members of God’s family, we are to assist one another, to protect one another, and to lead one another to the fullness of life.  Here I think with gratitude of all those – bishops, priests, consecrated men and women, and catechists – who in so many ways help to support Christian families.  May the Church in this country continue, especially through its parish communities, to assist young couples to prepare for marriage, to encourage couples to live the marital bond in love and fidelity, and to assist parents in their duty as the first teachers of the faith for their children.

Like the Apostles and the Uganda martyrs before us, we have received the gift of the Holy Spirit to become missionary disciples called to go forth and bring the Gospel to all.  At times this may take us to the end of the earth, as missionaries to faraway lands. This is essential to the spread of God’s Kingdom, and I ask always for your generous response to this need.  But we do not need to travel to be missionary disciples.  In fact, we need only to open our eyes and see the needs in our homes and our local communities to realize how many opportunities await us.

Here too the Uganda martyrs show us the way.  Their faith sought the good of all people, including the very King who condemned them for their Christian beliefs. Their response was to meet hatred with love, and thus to radiate the splendour of the Gospel.  They did not simply tell the King what the Gospel does not allow, but showed through their lives what saying “yes” to Jesus really means.  It means mercy and purity of heart, being meek and poor in spirit, and thirsting for righteousness in the hope of an eternal reward.

The witness of the martyrs shows to all who have heard their story, then and now, that the worldly pleasures and earthly power do not bring lasting joy or peace.  Rather, fidelity to God, honesty and integrity of life, and genuine concern for the good of others bring us that peace which the world cannot give.  This does not diminish our concern for this world, as if we only look to the life to come.  Instead, it gives purpose to our lives in this world, and helps us to reach out to those in need, to cooperate with others for the common good, and to build a more just society which promotes human dignity, defends God’s gift of life and protects the wonders of nature, his creation and our common home.

Dear brothers and sisters, this is the legacy which you have received from the Uganda martyrs – lives marked by the power of the Holy Spirit, lives which witness even now to the transforming power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  This legacy is not served by an occasional remembrance, or by being enshrined in a museum as a precious jewel. Rather, we honour them, and all the saints, when we carry on their witness to Christ, in our homes and neighbourhoods, in our workplaces and civil society, whether we never leave our homes or we go to the farthest corner of the world.

May the Uganda martyrs, together with Mary, Mother of the Church, intercede for us, and may the Holy Spirit kindle within us the fire of his divine love!

Omukama Abawe Omukisa!   (God bless you!)

Pope’s Address to Government and Diplomatic Corps at Uganda’s State House: November 27, 2015

Mr President,
Honourable Members of Government,
Distinguished Members of the Diplomatic Corps,
My Brother Bishops,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I thank you for your gracious welcome, and I am happy to be in Uganda. My visit to your country is meant above all to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the canonization of the Uganda Martyrs by my predecessor, Pope Paul VI. But I hope that my presence here will also be seen as a sign of friendship, esteem and encouragement for all the people of this great nation.

The Martyrs, both Catholic and Anglican, are true national heroes. They bear witness to the guiding principles expressed in Uganda’s motto – For God and My Country. They remind us of the importance that faith, moral rectitude and commitment to the common good have played, and continue to play, in the cultural, economic and political life of this country. They also remind us that, despite our different beliefs and convictions, all of us are called to seek the truth, to work for justice and reconciliation, and to respect, protect and help one another as members of our one human family. These high ideals are particularly demanded of men and women like yourselves, who are charged with ensuring good and transparent governance, integral human development, a broad participation in national life, as well as a wise and just distribution of the goods which the Creator has so richly bestowed upon these lands.

My visit is also meant to draw attention to Africa as a whole, its promise, its hopes, its struggles and its achievements. The world looks to Africa as the continent of hope. Uganda has indeed been blessed by God with abundant natural resources, which you are challenged to administer as responsible stewards. But above all, the nation has been blessed in its people: its strong families, its young and its elderly. I look forward to my meeting tomorrow with the young, for whom I will have words of encouragement and challenge. How important it is that they be given hope, opportunities for education and gainful employment, and above all the opportunity to share fully in the life of society. But I also wish to mention the blessing which you have in the elderly. They are the living memory of every people. Their wisdom and experience should always be valued as a compass which can enable society to find the right direction in confronting the challenges of the present with integrity, wisdom and vision.

Here in East Africa, Uganda has shown outstanding concern for welcoming refugees, enabling them to rebuild their lives in security and to sense the dignity which comes from earning one’s livelihood through honest labour. Our world, caught up in wars, violence, and various forms of injustice, is witnessing an unprecedented movement of peoples. How we deal with them is a test of our humanity, our respect for human dignity, and above all our solidarity with our brothers and sisters in need.

Although my visit is brief, I hope to encourage the many quiet efforts being made to care for the poor, the sick and those in any kind of trouble. It is in these small signs that we see the true soul of a people. In so many ways, our world is growing closer; yet at the same time we see with concern the globalization of a “throwaway culture” which blinds us to spiritual values, hardens our hearts before the needs of the poor, and robs our young of hope.

As I look forward to meeting you and spending this time with you, I pray that you, and all the beloved Ugandan people, will always prove worthy of the values which have shaped the soul of your nation. Upon all of you I invoke the Lord’s richest blessings.

Mungu awabariki!

God bless you!

Pope Francis’ Address to Clergy and Religious in Kenya (Audio): November 26, 2015

Audio of the Holy Father's full address, with side-by-side English translation provided by the Holy Father's official translator, Msgr. Mark Miles is available at: http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2015/11/26/pope_francis_to_kenyas_clergy_the_joy_of_service/1189802

Below is the prepared text of Pope Francis' speech during his meeting with clergy, men and women religious, and seminarians, at the athletic field of St. Mary's School. He did not deliver this text, choosing instead to speak off-the-cuff.

V./ Tumsifu Yesu Kristu! (Praised be Jesus Christ!)

R./ (Milele na Milele. Amina.) (Now and forever. Amen.)

My Brother Priests,

Brothers and Sisters of Consecrated Life,

Dear Seminarians,

I am very happy to be with you, to see the joy on your faces and to listen to your words and your songs of happiness and hope. I thank Bishop Mukobo, Father Phiri and Sister Michael Marie for their words of welcome on your behalf. I also thank the Felician Sisters for their hospitality today.

Before all else, I thank you for the active contribution made to the Church and to Kenyan society by so many consecrated persons, and priests. I ask you to bring my affectionate greeting to your brothers and sisters who could not be with us today, and especially to the elderly and infirm of your communities.

“May God who began a good work in you bring it to completion at the day of Christ Jesus!” (Phil 1:6). This afternoon I would like to make my own this heartfelt prayer of the Apostle Paul, with gratitude for your faithful service to the Lord in the midst of his people.

Every day, moving in hospitals and at homes among the sick, the suffering, the poor and the marginalized, you proclaim the loving mercy and compassion of God. In parishes, schools and educational institutions, you work to educate the young as Christians and as upright citizens. These efforts are well spent. You help to build the spiritual and moral life of society on the strong foundations of honesty, justice, solidarity and the responsible use of freedom. In a special way, you serve as living signs of the Church’s communion, which embraces all people and languages, excludes no one, and seeks the salvation of all.

I ask all of you to cherish your vocation as a gift from God and to keep ever alive the flame of your zeal. This encouragement goes in a special way to the men and women religious and the consecrated persons present. Your young hearts were set afire by the beauty of a life lived in the footsteps of Christ, dedicated to God and to your neighbour. By daily renewing your “yes” to the Lord’s call to follow him in the evangelical chastity, poverty and obedience, you give him all that you have, all that you are. Although we live and exercise our apostolate in the world, our hearts must be centred on heaven. Let prayer, personal, liturgical and communal, be the heart of your day. Here I would like to thank the cloistered religious for their hidden apostolate which contributes so much to the fruitfulness of the Church’s mission in this country.

Dear brother priests, your own vocation calls you, in imitation of Christ the Good Shepherd, to go out to seek the poor, the sick, those in need of God’s mercy. This is the source of our joy, to be heralds and ministers of his compassion and love to all, without distinction. Amid the many duties and distractions of the pastoral ministry, prayer, priestly fraternity, union of mind and heart with your bishops, and frequent recourse to the grace of the sacrament of Penance, must be your source of strength and a bulwark against the subtle temptation of a spiritual worldliness. The Lord calls us to be ministers of his grace despite our limitations and weaknesses. As our eternal high priest, who was made perfect through suffering (Heb 2:10), he will strengthen your witness to the transforming power of his cross and the joy of his eternal victory.

Dear young seminarians, you too are very close to my heart! These years of preparation and discernment are a grace-filled time when you become convinced of God’s will for your lives. On your part, this calls for honesty, self-knowledge and purity of intention; it must also be sustained by personal prayer, inner freedom from self-seeking or undue attachments. Above all, this should be a time of spiritual joy, the joy which wells up in a heart which is open to God’s voice and humbly prepared to sacrifice everything for the service of his holy people.

Dear friends, the Gospel we preach and strive to live is not an easy path; it is narrow, but it fills the heart with untold joy. Once again I echo the Apostle in assuring you that “I pray always with joy for all of you” (Phil 1:4). I ask you to pray for me, and I commend you all to the surpassing love which we have known in Christ Jesus. To all of you, with great affection, I impart my blessing.

Mungu awabariki! (God bless you!)

[Original text: Italian]

Pope Francis’ Homily at Nairobi University Grounds: November 26, 2015

Also available on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMIXeVmC6Ls

God’s word speaks to us in the depths of our heart. Today God tells us that we belong to him. He made us, we are his family, and he will always be there for us. “Fear not”, he says to us, “I have chosen you and I promise to give you my blessing” (cf. Is 44:2).

We hear this promise in today’s first reading. The Lord tells us that in the desert he will pour forth water on the thirsty land; he will cause the children of his people to flourish like grass and luxuriant willows. We know that this prophecy was fulfilled in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

But we also see it fulfilled wherever the Gospel is preached and new peoples become members of God’s family, the Church. Today we rejoice that it was fulfilled in this land. Through the preaching of the Gospel, you too became part of the great Christian family.

Isaiah’s prophecy invites us to look to our own families, and to realize how important they are in God’s plan. Kenyan society has long been blessed with strong family life, a deep respect for the wisdom of the elderly and love for children. The health of any society depends on the health of its families. For their sake, and for the good of society, our faith in God’s word calls us to support families in their mission in society, to accept children as a blessing for our world, and to defend the dignity of each man and woman, for all of us are brothers and sisters in the one human family.

In obedience to God’s word, we are also called to resist practices which foster arrogance in men, hurt or demean women, and threaten the life of the innocent unborn. We are called to respect and encourage one another, and to reach out to all those in need. Christian families have this special mission: to radiate God’s love, and to spread the life-giving waters of his Spirit. This is especially important today, for we are seeing the growth of new deserts created by a culture of materialism and indifference to others.

The Lord makes us another promise in today’s readings. As the Good Shepherd who guides us on the paths of life, he promises to make us dwell in his own house for days unending (cf. Ps 23:6). Here too, we see his promise fulfilled in the life of the Church. In Baptism, he leads us beside restful waters and revives our soul; in Confirmation he anoints us with the oil of spiritual joy and strength; and in the Eucharist, he prepares a table for us, the table of his own body and blood, for the salvation of the world.

We need these gifts of grace! Our world needs these gifts! Kenya needs these gifts! They strengthen us in fidelity amid adversity, when we seem to be walking “in the valley of the shadow of death”. But they also change our hearts. They make us more faithful disciples of the divine Master, vessels of mercy and loving kindness in a world wounded by selfishness, sin and division. These are the gifts which God, in his providence, enables you, as men and women of faith, to contribute to the building up of your country in civil concord and fraternal solidarity. In a particular way, they are gifts which must be shared with the young, who here, as elsewhere on this great continent, are the future of society.

Here, in the heart of this University, where the minds and hearts of new generations are being shaped, I appeal in a special way to the young people of the nation. Let the great values of Africa’s traditions, the wisdom and truth of God’s word, and the generous idealism of your youth guide you in working to shape a society which is ever more just, inclusive and respectful of human dignity. May you always be concerned for the needs of the poor, and reject everything that leads to prejudice and discrimination, for these things, we know, are not of God.

All of us are familiar with Jesus’ parable about the man who built his house on sand, rather than rock. When the winds came, it fell with a mighty crash (cf.Mt 7:24-27). God is the rock on which we are called to build. He tells us this in the first reading, and he asks us: “Is there a God besides me?” (cf. Is 44:8).

When the Risen Jesus says, in today’s Gospel, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Mt 28:18), he is telling us that he, the Son of God, is himself the rock. There is none besides him. As the one Saviour of mankind, he wishes to draw men and women of every time and place to himself, so that he can bring them to the Father. He wants all of us to build our lives on the firm foundation of his word.

That is why, after his resurrection and at the moment of his return to the Father, Jesus gave his apostles the great missionary mandate which we heard in today’s Gospel: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you”.

And that is the charge which the Lord gives to each of us. He asks us to be missionary disciples, men and women who radiate the truth, beauty and life-changing power of the Gospel. Men and women who are channels of God’s grace, who enable his mercy, kindness and truth to become the building blocks of a house that stands firm. A house which is a home, where brothers and sisters at last live in harmony and mutual respect, in obedience to the will of the true God, who has shown us, in Jesus, the way to that freedom and peace for which all hearts long.

May Jesus, the Good Shepherd, the rock on whom we build our lives, guide you and your families in the way of goodness and mercy all the days of your lives. May he bless all Kenyans with his peace.

“Stand strong in faith! Do not be afraid!” For you belong to the Lord.

Mungu awabariki! (God bless you!)
Mungu abariki Kenya! (God bless Kenya!)

Pope Francis' Speech at the Inter-Religious Meeting in Kenya: November 26, 2015

Also available on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4v1kbpQKRw

Dear Friends, 

I am grateful for your presence this morning and for the opportunity to share these moments of reflection with you. In a particular way, I wish to thank Archbishop Kairo, Archbishop Wabukala and Professor El-Busaidy for their words of welcome offered on your behalf, and on behalf of their respective communities. It is always important to me that, when I come to visit the Catholic faithful of a local Church, I have an occasion to meet the leaders of other Christian communities and religious traditions. It is my hope that our time together may be a sign of the Church’s esteem for the followers of all religions; may it strengthen the bonds of friendship which we already enjoy.

To be honest, this relationship is challenging; it makes demands of us. Yet ecumenical and interreligious dialogue is not a luxury. It is not something extra or optional, but essential, something which our world, wounded by conflict and division, increasingly needs.

Indeed, religious beliefs and practice condition who we are and how we understand the world around us. They are for us a source of enlightenment, wisdom and solidarity, and thus enrich the societies in which we live. By caring for the spiritual growth of our communities, by forming minds and hearts in the truths and values taught by our religious traditions, we become a blessing to the communities in which our people live. In democratic and pluralistic societies like Kenya, cooperation between religious leaders and communities becomes an important service to the common good.

In this light, and in an increasingly interdependent world, we see ever more clearly the need for interreligious understanding, friendship and collaboration in defending the God-given dignity of individuals and peoples, and their right to live in freedom and happiness. By upholding respect for that dignity and those rights, the religions play an essential role in forming consciences, instilling in the young the profound spiritual values of our respective traditions, and training good citizens, capable of infusing civil society with honesty, integrity and a world view which values the human person over power and material gain.

Here I think of the importance of our common conviction that the God whom we seek to serve is a God of peace. His holy Name must never be used to justify hatred and violence. I know that the barbarous attacks on Westgate Mall, Garissa University College and Mandera are fresh in your minds. All too often, young people are being radicalized in the name of religion to sow discord and fear, and to tear at the very fabric of our societies. How important it is that we be seen as prophets of peace, peacemakers who invite others to live in peace, harmony and mutual respect! May the Almighty touch the hearts of those who engage in this violence, and grant his peace to our families and communities.

Dear friends, this year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the closing of the Second Vatican Council, at which the Catholic Church committed herself to ecumenical and interreligious dialogue in the service of understanding and friendship. I wish to reaffirm this commitment, which is born of our conviction of the universality of God’s love and the salvation which he offers to all. The world rightly expects believers to work together with people of good will in facing the many problems affecting our human family. As we look to the future, let us pray that all men and women will see themselves as brothers and sisters, peacefully united in and through our differences. Let us pray for peace!

I thank you for your attention, and I ask Almighty God to grant to you and your communities his abundant blessings.

Pope Francis' Speech at State House, Nairobi: November 25, 2015

Also available on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-4Es9oFjPE

Mr. President, honorable government and civil leaders, distinguished members of the diplomatic corps, my brother bishops, ladies and gentlemen:

I am most grateful for your warm welcome on this, my first visit to Africa. I thank you, Mr President, for your kind words in the name of the Kenyan people, and I look forward to my stay among you.

Kenya is a young and vibrant nation, a richly diverse society which plays a significant role in the region. In many ways your experience of shaping a democracy is one shared by many other African nations.

Like Kenya, they too are working to build, on the solid foundations of mutual respect, dialogue and cooperation, a multiethnic society which is truly harmonious, just and inclusive.

Yours too is a nation of young people. In these days, I look forward to meeting many of them, speaking with them, and encouraging their hopes and aspirations for the future. The young are any nation's most valuable resource.

To protect them, to invest in them and to offer them a helping hand, is the best way we can ensure a future worthy of the wisdom and spiritual values dear to their elders, values which are the very heart and soul of a people.

Kenya has been blessed not only with immense beauty, in its mountains, rivers and lakes, its forests, savannahs and semi-deserts, but also by an abundance of natural resources.

The Kenyan people have a strong appreciation of these God-given treasures and are known for a culture of conservation which does you honour. The grave environmental crisis facing our world demands an ever greater sensitivity to the relationship between human beings and nature.

We have a responsibility to pass on the beauty of nature in its integrity to future generations, and an obligation to exercise a just stewardship of the gifts we have received. These values are deeply rooted in the African soul.

In a world which continues to exploit rather than protect our common home, they must inspire the efforts of national leaders to promote responsible models of economic development.

In effect, there is a clear link between the protection of nature and the building of a just and equitable social order. There can be no renewal of our relationship with nature, without a renewal of humanity itself (cf. Laudato Si', 118).

To the extent that our societies experience divisions, whether ethnic, religious or economic, all men and women of good will are called to work for reconciliation and peace, forgiveness and healing.

In the work of building a sound democratic order, strengthening cohesion and integration, tolerance and respect for others, the pursuit of the common good must be a primary goal. Experience shows that violence, conflict and terrorism feed on fear, mistrust, and the despair born of poverty and frustration.

Ultimately, the struggle against these enemies of peace and prosperity must be carried on by men and women who fearlessly believe in, and bear honest witness to, the great spiritual and political values which inspired the birth of the nation.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the advancement and preservation of these great values is entrusted in a special way to you, the leaders of your country's political, cultural and economic life. This is a great responsibility, a true calling, in the service of the entire Kenyan people.

The Gospel tells us that from those to whom much has been given, much will be demanded (Lk 12:48). In that spirit, I encourage you to work with integrity and transparency for the common good, and to foster a spirit of solidarity at every level of society.

I ask you in particular to show genuine concern for the needs of the poor, the aspirations of the young, and a just distribution of the natural and human resources with which the Creator has blessed your country. I assure you of the continued efforts of the Catholic community, through its educational and charitable works, to offer its specific contribution in these areas.

Dear friends, I am told that here in Kenya it is a tradition for young schoolchildren to plant trees for posterity. May this eloquent sign of hope in the future, and trust in the growth which God gives, sustain all of you in your efforts to cultivate a society of solidarity, justice and peace on the soil of this country and throughout the great African continent. I thank you once more for your warm welcome, and upon you and your families, and all the beloved Kenyan people, I invoke the Lord's abundant blessings.

Church Leaders Call for Environmental Conservation in Ghana and Ethiopia

CANAA || By Damian Avevor, Ghana and Makeda Yohannes, Ethiopia || 23 November 2015

His Eminence Peter Cardinal Appiah Turkson, President of the Pontifical council of Justice and Peace at the Vatican, has bewailed the indiscriminate mining in Ghana, calling on Ghanaians to step up efforts to find solutions to this ailing problem.

Speaking at the 2015 Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences (GAAS) 2015 Founder’s Week Celebrations in Accra, Ghana on Friday, November 20, Cardinal Turkson called Ghanaians to champion the reviving of Arbor Day celebration in Schools with the aim of teaching the best practices of planting trees to save the ecology.

The mission of the GAAS is to encourage the creation, acquisition, dissemination and utilization of knowledge for national development through the promotion of learning.

Arbor Day, which is observed in many countries, is a day set aside to encourage individuals and groups to plant and care for trees as part of efforts to fight climate change. It is celebrated at the beginning of the raining season.

The Cardinal was delivering the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Lecture on the topic: People and Planet: The (Moral) Imperative to Change Course (Pope Francis’ Encyclical on Integral Ecology).

He said due to climate change and global warming, there was the need to encourage the planting of trees to safeguard the earth and its natural resources.

Cardinal Turkson called on Stakeholders to establish a network to protect water bodies and the environment as it was done in Europe and America saying, “We are all actors to damages of the environment so we need to be part of the solution.”

He further said that the earth, which was like a mother to us, need to be respected and protected with a sense of dignity because human beings live and depend on it in all spheres and called for greater attention to the poor, the needy and the disadvantaged.

“What kind of world do we want to live to those who come after us,” Cardinal Turkson queried, adding that there was the need for the global authority to deal with environmental issues diligently.

He said there was also the need for change of lifestyles by avoiding the abuse of the environment and the indiscriminate felling of trees.

Dilating on the Pope’s Encyclical Laudato Si, the Cardinal said it has brought all persons and peoples into dialogue, all institutions and organizations that share this same concern for our common home.

Journalists in Ethiopia Urged to Promote Environmental Protection

The Catholic Church in Ethiopia has invited journalists to work toward the promotion of environmental protection in the spirit of Pope Francis’ message contained in the Encyclical Laudato Si.

The invitation was made during a one-day workshop organized by the Ethiopian Catholic Secretariat (ECS) with journalists of secular media as the main beneficiaries.

Speaking at the event, Father Seyoum Fransua, ECS Deputy Secretary General, said that Laudato Si addresses not just the Catholic community but the people of the world.

“The Encyclical Letter reminds us all (of) the danger our common home is facing and where it is headed if we do not act as per the responsibility we are given by God to care for all creations,” Father Fransua said, adding, “As Journalists you have the responsibility to pass on this message to the people of Ethiopia through your reports.”

The workshop was facilitated by the Social Communications and Public Relations Department of the Secretariat with the aim to familiarize the media personnel with the Catholic Social teaching on environment.

The efforts so far taken by the Catholic Church in Ethiopia in protecting the environment and contributing to the green economy policy was acknowledged.

Laudato Si was presented to the participants chapter by chapter in Amharic and was discussed in the Ethiopian context.

The workshop was organized with the financial support of Church in Need.

Pan-African Conference on Land Grabbing and Just Governance Kicks Off in Nairobi

CANAA || By Fr. Don Bosco Onyalla, Nairobi || 23 November 2015

A special pan-African conference on land grabbing and just governance has kicked off in Kenya’s capital Nairobi, just a couple of days before the arrival of Pope Francis in the country on his maiden six-day trip in Africa.

Organized by the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), the Africa Faith and Justice Network (AFJN), the Africa Europe Faith and Justice Network (AEFJN) and the International Alliance of Catholic Development Agencies (CIDSE), with the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) as the host, the five-day conference (November 22 – 26) was officially opened on Monday morning by AMECEA Vice Chairman, Archbishop Thomas Msusa of Blantyre (Malawi) who also doubles as member of SECAM Standing Committee.

In his opening remarks, Archbishop Msusa challenged the participants at the conference to not only focus on business persons, politicians and other government officials in addressing land grabbing menace but also look within the Church, confirming that land grabbing may also be a challenge within Church structures.

Set to discuss the state of land grabbing in Africa, cases of resistance across the continent, and what the Church is doing about the problem, the conference has participants from the continents of Africa, Europe and America, with well over 25 countries represented.

Some of the sase studies on land grabbing to be presented during the conference are drawn from Senegal, Mozambique, Cameroon, DR Congo, Mali, Nigeria and Kenya.

Below is the text of the press release issued by the steering committee of the conference sent to CANAA.

23 November 2015

Press release: Land grabbing and just governance discussed in a unique pan-African conference starting today ahead of Pope’s visit to Africa.

The conference will highlight the state of land grabbing in Africa, cases of resistance across the continent, as well as Church responses and its increasing engagement on issues of land grabbing.

Land grabbing is a serious problem across Africa, requiring urgent attention since it threatens livelihoods and food security. It has already dislocated hundreds of thousands of people from their lands, deprived them of natural sources, and threatened their livelihoods.

Land grabbing and just governance, issues that constitute a significant threat to food sovereignty, will be discussed at the conference “Land Grab and Just governance in Africa”, opening today in Nairobi, Kenya, and organized by SECAM (Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar) with the collaboration of AEFJN (Africa Europe Faith and Justice Network), AFJN (Africa Faith & Justice Network) and CIDSE (network of Catholic development agencies). The event will gather about 150 participants from the African continent and beyond, including many people directly involved in land grabbing struggles.

Land grabbing is most often described as the acquisition of large areas of land in developing countries by international firms, governments, or individuals. In recent years land grabs have increased following the worldwide spike in food prices in 2008, prompting investors to look toward the Global South, particularly Africa, for potential land investment to produce food and biofuel for export and international markets. Large tracts of land are also being acquired for speculative purposes, known as “land banking”, where the buyer holds the land and sells it later.

Among the cases that will be presented during the conference is the one involving the Italian project Senhuile SA, which has leased 20.000 hectares of land in the Ndiaël Reserve in Senegal, land used for decades by residents of some 40 villages in the area. This resulted in an ongoing conflict with the villagers, who want the project stopped. The case of farmers in Nigeria's Taraba State and in Kenya, who are being forced off lands that they have farmed for generations to make way for US company Dominion Farms to establish a rice plantation, will also be a subject of discussion. Cases involving Bollore land deal in Cote d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Liberia as well as in Sierra Leone and cases from Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Mali will also be showcased.

This conference takes place ahead of Pope Francis’ visit to Kenya, Uganda and Central African Republic. The Pope has previously voiced great concern about the issue of land grabbing. In a speech delivered at the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation in Rome in June 2015, Pope Francis warned against the "monopolising of lands of cultivation by trans-national enterprises and states, which not only deprives farmers of an essential good, but which directly affects the sovereignty of countries". The Holy Father also pointed out that: "There are already many regions in which the foods produced go to foreign countries and the local population is doubly impoverished, because it does not have food or land".

Further guidance and indications in relation to the dangers of land grabbing were expressed in the Pope’s Encyclical letter Laudato Si’, in which he denounces an exploitative approach towards land while recalling: “For them (indigenous communities), land is not a commodity, but rather a gift from God and from their ancestors who rest there, a sacred space with which they need to interact if they are to maintain their identity and values. When they remain on their land, they themselves care for it best. Nevertheless, in various parts of the world, pressure is being put on them to abandon their homelands to make room for [industrial] agricultural or mining projects which are undertaken without regard for the degradation of nature and culture.” (146). In support of Laudato Si and ahead of the climate conference COP 21 in Paris, the bishops’ conferences across the world signed on the 22^nd of October an appeal which called for COP 21 “to ensure people’s access to water and to land for climate resilient and sustainable food systems, which give priority to people driven solutions rather than profits.”

The conference aims at developing strategies to support and strengthen local communities in their struggles to stop this menace and to build resilience.  

Notes to the editors:

-SECAM (based in Accra), the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar, is an association of all the Catholic Bishops Conferences of Africa and its islands. Since its establishment in 1969, SECAM has shown concern for issues pertaining to human development. For this reason SECAM set up a Department of Justice, Peace, and Development in its Secretariat in Accra, Ghana. SECAM brings all the dioceses in all countries on the continent. SECAM represents almost 20% of the total population of Africa who are Catholics.

AEFJN (based in Brussels), Africa Europe Faith & Justice network, is a sister organization of AFJN founded on the same core values and ethos by European based religious congregations. However, the AEFJN is founded in 1988 to promote more equitable economic relations between Europe and Africa through its advocacy at the EU and currently has more than 43 religious congregations in its membership. AEFJN recently completed case studies on land grabs and “extractivism” in Senegal and Madagascar respectively

AFJN (based in Washington), the Africa Faith and Justice Network, began in 1983 as a response to what Catholic missionary congregations witnessed on the ground in Africa. AFJN was formed to promote more responsible and just relations between the United States and the countries of Africa, and to fight against policies detrimental to Africa. AFJN has 34 organizational members,. From its offices in Washington D.C., AFJN continues its advocacy work with congressional lawmakers and with U.S. administrative agencies.

CIDSE (based in Brussels) is an international alliance of Catholic development agencies working together for global justice. Our 17 member organisations from Europe and North America come together under the umbrella of CIDSE to fight poverty and inequality. We challenge governments, business, churches, and international bodies to adopt policies and behavior that promote human rights, social justice and sustainable development.

Find more information about CIDSE’s work on just food here.

Contact:

Present onsite:

• Antony Mbandi, Justice Peace and Caritas regional coordinator, AMECEA [email protected]
• Samuel de Jesus, second deputy Secretary General, SECAM [email protected]
• Aniedi Okure, Executive Director, AFJN [email protected]
• Chika Onyejiuwa, Executive secretary, AEFJN, [email protected]
• Francois Delvaux, Policy and Advocacy Officer, Food, Agriculture and Sustainable Trade [email protected]

Brussels-based: Valentina Pavarotti, Media and Communications Officer: [email protected]

Catholic Bishops in Africa Welcome Pope Francis to the Continent, Denounce Terrorism

CANAA || By Fr. Don Bosco Onyalla, Nairobi || 23 November 2015

The Catholic Bishops in Africa through their umbrella body of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) have extended a warm welcome to Pope Francis as his maiden visit to the continent becomes imminent.

The planned six-day papal journey to Africa, which will include Kenya, Uganda, and the Central African Republic (CAR) from November 25 – 30 will see Pope Francis for the first time ever to set foot on African soil – not just since becoming Pope.

In a communique released at the end of their five-day bi-annual Standing Committee Meeting held in Accra, Ghana, from November 16 – 20, the African Bishops expressed their joy in the visit by the Holy Father, providing a link with the recently concluded Synod on the family.

“As representatives of the Church in Africa we warmly welcome the Holy Father, Pope Francis, as he makes his first Apostolic visit to our continent,” the Bishops said in a communique signed by the President of SECAM, Archbishop Gabriel Mbilingi.

“We rejoice that the Holy Father’s visit, coming so soon after the Synod on the Family, will strengthen the faith of our peoples in the Church as Family of God and confirm us in our long- cherished Christian and African values,” the Bishops continued and prayed “for the success of the Holy Father's visit and for God's abundant blessings.”

Meeting against the backdrop of terrorist attacks in France and Mali, the Bishops also denounced terrorism.

“We condemn all acts of terrorism that have occurred in any part of the world and urge the perpetrators and their sponsors to stop. We extend our condolence and sympathy to all those who have been affected, and the Government and people of such countries” citing Nigeria, Kenya, Libya, Burkina Faso, Mali, Lebanon, and France.

They appealed to parties in conflict across the continent “to lay down their arms and embrace the path of dialogue and peace for the sake of posterity.”

“We unite ourselves with all those who are working for peace and reconciliation in troubled areas of Africa and the world, especially in Burundi, South Sudan, Central African Republic (CAR), the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Nigeria, Kenya, Libya, and some other North African countries,” the Bishops confirmed.

They went on to “applaud the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between SECAM and the African Union on August 19, 2015 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia” and describe the move as “a milestone which will truly enrich African history and the mission of the Church in Africa.”

The full text of the communique, prepared by the Director of Communications, SECAM, is here below.

Communique of the Meeting of the Standing Committee of Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) Held at SECAM Secretariat in Accra, Ghana from November 16-20, 2015

The Standing Committee of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) held its Bi-annual meeting from November 16-20, 2015 at the SECAM Secretariat in Accra, Ghana. At the end of the meeting we, bishops, having deliberated on reports from our Secretariat, Commissions and Departments issue the following communique:

1. Welcoming the Holy Father to Africa

As representatives of the Church in Africa we warmly welcome the Holy Father, Pope Francis, as he makes his first Apostolic visit to our continent (Kenya, uganda and the central African Republic) from November 25-30, 2015, we rejoice that the Holy Father’s visit, coming so soon after the Synod on the Family, will strengthen the faith of our peoples in the Church as Family of God and confirm us in our long-cherished Christian and African values. We are convinced that the family is and remains the fundamental and indispensable pillar of the life in the society. We call on all the people of our continent and on all our governments to commit themselves to the sustenance of African families, and protect the fundamental values of our cultures. We reiterate our commitment also to the sustenance and promotion of the institutions of marriage and the family and confirm our unshakeable belief in the sanctity of human life. We pray for the success of the Holy Father's visit and for God's abundant blessings.

2. No to Terrorism

We strongly denounce the terrorist attacks, in Nigeria, Kenya, Libya, Burkina Faso, Mali, Lebanon, France and other parts of the world, which have claimed numerous innocent lives and brought sorrow and pain to many families and their countries. We condemn all acts of terrorism that have occurred in any part of the world and urge the perpetrators and their sponsors to stop. We extend our condolence and sympathy to all those who have been affected, and the Government and people of such countries. We pray that the souls of the dead may rest in perfect peace and for consolation for all the bereaved,

3. An Appeal for Peace

We unite ourselves with all those who are working for peace and reconciliation in troubled areas of Africa and the world, especially in Burundi, South Sudan, Central African Republic (CAR), the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Nigeria, Kenya, Libya, and some other North African countries. We appeal in the name of God to all parties involved in the conflicts in these areas to lay down their arms and embrace the path of dialogue and peace for the sake of posterity. We also enjoin the governments and all concerned competent authorities to create the conducive environment for the restoration of peace in these locations.

4. CANAA and CEPACS

We note with approval the emergence and progress of the Catholic News Agency for Africa (CANAA) and appreciate the sacrifice of those who have kept it going. In this Information Age, it is of utmost importance that the story of the pastoral initiatives and challenges of the Church in Africa be told in an authentic and respectful manner. CANAA with its base in Nairobi, Kenya represents a major step forward in achieving this objective. As the Holy Father, Pope Francis admonished the Standing Committee of SECAM during the committee's last Ad-Limina visit to the Vatican, SECAM must help the Church in Africa to tell her own story from the African perspective. The Pan-African Episcopal Committee for Social Communications (CEPACS), which gave birth to CANAA, is well positioned to carry out this important function. In the light of this, we call on all media organizations, professionals and individuals of goodwill to support and patronize the services of CANAA as a means of enhancing the evangelizing mission of the Church in Africa.

5. SECAM and the African Union

We applaud the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between SECAM and the African Union on August 19, 2015 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The formalization of the collaboration between these two continental bodies is a milestone which will truly enrich African history and the mission of the Church in Africa. It will enhance the realization of the vision of the AU in coordinating development through the collaboration of informed and motivated Africans themselves. The intention of SECAM to contribute her quota along with others to the enhancement of peace, with the African Union is borne out of a genuine desire to participate in the work of realizing the authentic African Renaissance driven by respect for human rights, justice and the rule of law. We believe that this is not only desirable and possible but by the grace of God, achievable as well.

6. Appreciation to our Partners.

We express deep appreciation for the work done by our Secretariat, Commissions, Departments and our local and international Partner Organizations who have helped us in realizing the objectives of SECAM so far. We call for further cooperation and collaboration from all our Regional and National Episcopal Conferences so that the mission of the Church in Africa as Family of God can be better accomplished. We are confident that the more we work together the better we can serve the people of Africa and the Mission of the Universal Church.

7. A Call to Reconciliation.

To all the Countries of Africa and its islands as we continue in this continental year of Reconciliation from July 29, 2015 to July 29, 2016 we say in the words of St. Paul, "It is as though God was urging you through us and in the name of Christ we appeal to you to be reconciled to God" (2 Corinthians 5:20). Coinciding as it does with the Jubilee Year of Mercy from December 8, 2015 – November 20, 2016, let us all be truly reconciled with one another and through these means be reconciled with God our Merciful Father. It is only by this means shall we find God's mercy borne of harmonious co-existence and development.

May Mary the mother of Jesus intercede for us all in our prayers so that our continent, Africa, may experience true love, justice and peace. Amen.

Signed:

Most Rev. Gabriel Mbilingi,

Archbishop of Lubango, Angola,

President of SECAM

Pope Francis Sends Video Messages to Kenya, Uganda and CAR ahead of His Visit

CANAA || By Fr. Don Bosco Onyalla, Nairobi || 23 November 2015

Pope Francis has sent two video messages, one to the people of Kenya and Uganda, the other to the citizens of the Central African Republic (CAR), ahead of his maiden six-day trip to Africa.

The Pope will begin his long-awaited African trip this Wednesday in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi. He will proceed to Kampala in Uganda on Friday evening and conclude his trip on the continent with CAR from Sunday, November 29 to Monday, November 30.

To Kenyans and Ugandans, the Holy Father expressed appreciation for all the preparations being undertaken to make this pastoral visit a success. To the people of CAR, he wants his visit, which is happening against the backdrop of a protracted violent conflict, to bring them consolation and hope.

Pope’s Message to Kenya and Uganda

“Dear friends, as I prepare to visit Kenya and Uganda later this month, I send a word of greetings and friendship to you and your families. I look forward to this time we will have together,” the Pope said in a video recording that has been widely shared on social media and aired on various media channels in Kenya since Sunday.

He acknowledged with appreciation efforts being made to organize this pastoral visit saying, “I know that many people are working hard to prepare for my visit and I thank them.”

The Holy Father clarified that he was visiting the two East African countries “as a minister of the Gospel to proclaim the love of Jesus Christ and his message of reconciliation, forgiveness and peace.”

“My visit is meant to confirm the Catholic community in its worship of God and its witness to the gospel which teaches the dignity of every man and woman and commands to open our hearts to poor and those in need,” he went on to emphasize and added, “I wish to encounter all the people of Kenya and Uganda and to offer everyone a word of encouragement.”

Pope Francis continued to explain the motivation of his long-awaited encounter with the faithful in Kenya and Uganda saying, “We are living at a time when religious believers, and persons of good will everywhere, are called to foster mutual understanding and respect, and to support each other as members of our one human family.”

Looking upon the youth as greatly resourceful and the Church’s “most promising hope for a future of solidarity, peace and progress,” the Pontiff described his planned meeting with the youth in Kenya and Uganda as “a highlight of my visit.”

“I ask everyone to pray that my stay in Kenya and Uganda will be a source of hope and encouragement of all,” the Holy Father concluded before invoking God’s blessing of joy and peace upon families in Kenya and Uganda.

Pope’s Message to CAR

According to a report by Vatican Radio, the expressed hope for a better future for the people of CAR as part of the impact of his visit.

Pope Francis said, “Your dear country has for too long been affected by a violent situation and by insecurity of which many of you have been innocent victims. The goal of my visit is, above all, to bring you, in the name of Christ, the comfort of consolation and hope. I hope with all my heart that my visit may contribute, in one way or another, to alleviate your wounds and to favor conditions for a better, more serene future for Central Africa and all its inhabitants.”

The Pope further reminded the people of CAR about the theme of his visit, that is, “Let us pass to the other side”, a theme that invites Christian communities “to look ahead with determination and encourages each person to renew their own relationship with God and with their brothers and sisters to build a new, more just and fraternal world.”

The Holy Father is scheduled to open Bangui Cathedral’s Holy Door in a gesture leading up to the Jubilee Year of Mercy, which will start on December 8, 2015.

The Pope will also visit Bangui’s Central Mosque where he will meet with the Muslim community.

Survey in Kenya on Pope’s Visit

A new poll by a research firm in Kenya has revealed that virtually all Kenyans are excited about Pope Francis’ visit to the country, regardless of their religious affiliation, ethnicity, gender, or even age.

The poll by Infotrak Research and Consulting has shown that 93 percent of Kenyans recently interviewed are looking forward to the coming of the Holy Father with excitement and expect him to address issues such as peaceful co-existence, good governance and human rights.

Conducted between October 3 and November 20 in all the 47 counties of Kenya, the poll sampled 777 respondents, representing the Kenyan adult population of 19,462,358, which translated into a minimum margin of error of -/+ 2.53 at 95 percent degree of confidence.

45 percent of respondents specifically want the Pope to address the issue of corruption, most likely owing to the financial scandals the country has witnessed in the recent past.

Infotrak Research and Consulting Chief Executive Angela Ambitho has been quoted as explaining the enthusiasm in the person of Pope Francis among Kenyans saying, “Pope Francis is admired by Kenyan Catholics and non-Catholics, who have embraced his optimism, humility and more inclusive tone. Indeed the Pope’s likeability seems to have rubbed onto the Catholic Church which despite being caught up in negative scandals globally has a high approval rating in Kenya.”

“Since his election as Pope, Kenyans generally indicate that they have been more inclined to giving more importance to their family and treating others with kindness as indicated by 79 percent of respondents,” Ambitho has been quoted as further clarifying.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, the Chairman of the Pope’s visit secretariat under the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB), Bishop Alfred Rotich reported good progress on all preparations ahead of the Pope’s visit.

“Today, I am pleased to announce that all the teams working towards a successful visit by the Holy Father return with affirmation of their preparedness. On behalf of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops, I thank them for this,” Bishop Rotich said at a conference co-hosted by the Kenya State House Spokesperson, Manoah Esipisu.

The Art of Listening: Q & A with Sr. Patricia Lanigan, Prof. at Tangaza University in Kenya

Global Sisters Report || By Melanie Lidman || 19 November 2015

The parishioners in the church wanted a marble altar. The church was squeezed in the dark, cramped slums of Lagos, Nigeria, a wooden barn that was barely finished with rough-hewn furniture. The priests wanted to build a social hall, so they could hold classes or training sessions for income-generating activities. But the parishioners were adamant: They wanted a marble altar.

Many aid workers and international development experts might shake their heads at the request. A marble altar? In a slum? When the parishioners could benefit so much from a social hall and the educational opportunities held there?

The term "social ministry" is an academic concept for a community development methodology, which holds that listening to the communities is the only way to carry out effective change. Religious and community leaders have been practicing various forms of social ministry in their pastoral work for centuries, but teaching this approach in an academic setting is a recent development. The approach holds that when a community is so adamant about something, like a marble altar, there’s a reason. There’s a reason even if they are not able to articulate why this particular need is so pressing, or even when it seems like they could be better served another way.

Prof. Patricia Lanigan, a Medical Missionaries of Mary Sister originally from Dublin, Ireland, has been in Africa for 38 years. She worked for two decades in Nigeria, and has been in Kenya since 1998. The 63-year-old sister now teaches at the Institute of Social Ministry in Mission at Tangaza College in Nairobi. Fr. Francesco Pierli, a Comboni Missionary from Italy, founded the social ministry program at Tangaza College in 1994. Tangaza University College is part of the Catholic University of Eastern Africa, which hosts both laypeople and men and women religious as students.

Global Sisters Report spoke with Lanigan between the classes she teaches to understand more about the importance of listening.

GSR: What is a degree in social ministry?

Lanigan: We aim to train people in faith-based community development and project management. We do a lot about participatory work with communities, leadership training, advocacy work for justice, and conflict resolution. Our graduates mostly work in voluntary agencies, NGOs, and church-based organizations with poor communities. There's a few [graduates] in government, but our training and the government approaches don't exactly match.

Why is having a faith-based approach beneficial for community development work?

Lanigan: Part of being human is the spiritual dimension, the transcendent dimension in our lives. It is, after all, what gives meaning to people. But we very deliberately call our model 'faith-based' rather than Catholic or Christian, even though obviously we're a Catholic institution and our focus is from the Christian perspective.

We consider everybody's faith important. Faith really enables groups to work together, trust another, forgive another's problems and reconcile. If you want groups to continue working together for long periods, like 20, 30 or even 40 years, you need that trust-building. Otherwise groups fall to pieces, they start arguing over money or projects or priorities, and the groups collapse.

You mentioned that the term 'social ministry' is new for Kenya. How are you adapting the term for your work in East Africa, compared with other parts of the world?

In the States, there is a whole tradition of the social ministry, or what used to be called the 'social gospel.' The concept of social welfare and social development is certainly here. There is a verbal acknowledgement about social advocacy for justice, but practicing it is another matter. Part of that is because, on a whole, parts of Africa have been very repressive. It's not so long since the Daniel arap Moi government [Moi was president of Kenya from 1978 to 2002] had extremely strict rules for TV and media. People are afraid to speak up.

When people live in very precarious situations, even if they don't have the police arresting them for no good reason, well, the next thing is their landlord may chuck them out and they won't be able to rent a room anywhere else. So people are careful about holding protests, and it's very difficult to get permission to hold any kind of legal protest here. One of the comments from the Waki Commission Report after 2007/8 post-election violence [when tribal-fueled rioting over fixed election results killed more than 1,000 people and internally displaced 50,000], is that the only protest people seem to know is violent protest. They haven't had the practice of non-violent protest.

Is a lot of social ministry about organizing protests?

The whole thing about social ministry is trying to change social structures and systems. But people get scared, and also part of it is not knowing how to do it. That is one of the reasons, when I'm teaching foundations of social ministry, that I concentrate for part of the course on social activists around the world, what they've done and how they did it. We study people like Gandhi or Martin Luther King, Jr., to learn how they did things.

Why is listening such an important part of social ministry?

We teach something called 'the four stages of the pastoral cycle.' It's about getting involved in a community, listening to what they bring up as their particular issues, and working with them on social cultural analysis. We use faith reflection and theological reflection as tools, which usually provides the motivation for people to say, let's stop saying the government should do something and do something ourselves, to take action.

It takes time. You have to get to know people; they have to get to know you. You have to do a lot of small group work, so the meetings don't get taken over by one or two vocal people. Sometimes you also need to separate women and men and youth, because otherwise women culturally may not feel they can speak up in front of the men. They certainly feel they can't disagree with a man.

How did this idea of listening to the community expressing their needs help you in the past?

People can't always say what really is driving them, which is something I really learned in Nigeria. I was working in one of the slum parishes in Lagos. Their system in the parish is to do a major fundraising once a year, the Harvest Thanksgiving, and then have a parish meeting to decide what to do with the money. The priests were thinking that we'd use it to try to build a hall for social activities, like catechist and training courses. But the parishioners said, 'We want a marble altar.'

The church we had was built like a barn, with just very basic wooden furniture. And they said, yes, here in the slums, we want a marble altar. The priests met with the community leaders and said go back and ask the members of your societies what they want — these are the two choices we have: a social hall or a marble altar. They all came back and said we want a marble altar. And the priest said OK, well, if that's what you want, yes. We checked further into the idea of the marble altar and understood what they really wanted was a properly built and decorated sanctuary, with a beautiful altar.

What we found was that once the church sanctuary was decorated, people came in all the time for prayer and meditation. You know, they live in these small, dark huts. When they come to the church, there's a bit of space. They said when they're here, they can 'cool their minds.' They couldn't explain this need beforehand, it's only what we saw happening afterwards. So that really was a conversion experience for me. People may not articulate clearly why they want something, but if they're very strong about it, they have a very good reason why they want it. You ignore that at your peril. Certainly, it really made a difference that people had that quiet space.

[Melanie Lidman is Middle East and Africa correspondent for Global Sisters Report based in Israel.]

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Pope Sends Message for South Africa’s Denis Hurley Centenary Celebrations

Vatican Radio || By Linda Bordoni || 17 November 2015

South Africans of all faiths are celebrating the life and legacy of one Catholic leader who played a vital role in the vision of the Church in South Africa and in the struggle against apartheid and injustice.

Denis Hurley, the former Archbishop of Durban, was born in Cape Town on 9 November, 1915. The Denis Hurley Centre in Durban is leading centenary celebrations with a rich programme that aims to strengthen and enhance the Centre’s religious, ecumenical, social and cultural role and to revitalize Hurley’s legacy.

Raymond Perrier, Director of the Denis Hurley Centre spoke to Vatican Radio’s  Linda Bordoni about Hurley the man, the priest, the activist – and about his prophetic voice in South Africa today.

He also speaks of the joy of the staff at the Denis Hurley Centre when they received a special message from Pope Francis assuring them of his prayers.

Raymond Perrier reveals that centenary celebrations received an incredible boost from Pope Francis himself who entrusted South African Cardinal Wilfrid Napier with a personal message for the Denis Hurley Centre in which Francis assures his prayers for the good work of the Centre and for everyone who works there.

He goes on to explain who Denis Hurley was pointing out that he was the archbishop of Durban for 45 years because he was made bishop when he was only 31-yeard-old: the youngest bishop in the world… “He was around for a long time and that period covered a very critical period in South Africa”.

Perrier says Hurley stepped down from his role as archbishop just after  Nelson Mandela was released from prison and just before he was elected President, and then lived another 10 years after that.

“So he really saw the transformation in this country from the fascist, racialized system it was, to the democratic, Rainbow nation people have heard so much about!” he says.

Perrier tells of how Hurley was active in the political struggle and of how he became the first religious leader to stand up and say “apartheid is wrong”. And, he says “where Hurley led, others followed” and his energy and charisma were such that he brought many people together in the fight against apartheid.

“There is a famous picture of Hurley in Durban leading a march against apartheid. Shoulder to shoulder with him are the Anglican bishop, the Methodist bishop, the Presbyterian Minister, the leader of the Mosque, the leader of the Hindu community, the leader of the Jewish community…  “    

Perrier also speaks of how Hurley – who was only 50 at the time - participated in the Second Vatican Council (a period he described as the most important of his life); of how he – the son of a lighthouse keeper, grew up on Robben Island (the notorious prison in Table Bay where Nelson Mandela spent much of his time in prison); of how he came to be known as “Guardian of the Light”.
  
Perrier concludes talking about the activities of the Denis Hurley Centre which he leads today and of how it is committed to feeding the poor, tending to the sick, welcoming refugees and developing job skills for people as well as of how he aims to turn the Centre into a cultural hub for the city in which people of all religions and races can come together to celebrate diversity and justice “living life to the full”.

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What Africa can Teach Pope Francis

Catholic Herald || By Father Alexander Lucie-Smith || 19 November 2015

His Holiness would do well to listen and learn from the African Church, whose religious experience is arguably more authentic than that of the West

Very soon Pope Francis will be in Africa, visiting Kenya, Uganda and the Central African Republic. This will be the first time Pope Francis has ever been to the continent, and it may well be a game-changer – not for Africa, but for him.

Francis has often given the impression that he is something of an evangelical, and he has also written about how the Church needs to be missionary. He is about to fly into a continent full of Catholic evangelicals, where the Church is truly missionary, where each parish, for example, boasts of a truly energised and involved laity. This will be apparent in the papal liturgies, but it would be unwise to interpret the enthusiastic congregations that he will meet as an expression of Pope mania – it will be far more than that. It is hard for the European mind to grasp this, but Africans are largely immune to celebrity mania, reserving their enthusiasm for faith in Christ. The crowds, the singing and the dancing should be read for what they are: the usual liturgical practice, to be found in every church on a Sunday.

The Pope will not be long in Kenya and his itinerary reflects this. He will remain in Nairobi, and will spend a considerable time on official engagements: meeting the president, the top brass of the Kenyan state, the diplomatic corps and an ecumenical delegation, as well as visiting the United Nations. There is a meeting with clergy, religious and seminarians, a gathering at a stadium with young people, and Mass on the campus of the university. The highlight, from a media angle, will probably be his visit, of only about an hour’s duration, to the Kangemi slum. He is in Kenya for less than 48 hours.

His time in Uganda is even briefer, and again only encompasses the capital. He will visit the shrine of the Ugandan Martyrs at Namugongo to celebrate Mass, and meet young people at the Kololo airstrip. The shrine at Namugongo is the focus of huge devotion, and the site of the execution of the saints Charles Lwanga, Kizito and other young martyrs of the late 19th century who preferred to die rather than give in to the depraved advances of the Kabaka of Buganda. Their witness speaks loud and clear to contemporary Africa.

In the Central African Republic, where the Pope will be for little more than a day, much of his time will be spent meeting delegations from other Christian bodies and Muslims, and he will also visit a refugee camp, which is bound to capture a lot of media attention.

It is a shame the visit will be such a brief swing through three countries, for a few days are not enough to get a real impression of all that Africa has to offer.

African Catholics are still a small minority in the Catholic Church. There are twice as many Catholics in Europe as there are in sub-Saharan Africa; but the statistical trajectories all tell the same story. The Church in Europe is shrinking, but growing in Africa; moreover, it is not simply the number of adherents and vocations that is on the rise in Africa: the quality of the Faith is markedly different. Africans, as the Pope discovered at the recent synod, are not shy about proclaiming their faith, and insisting on the proclamation in face of opposition. They see this as an evangelical imperative, a charge received not just from the missionaries of yesteryear, but from Christ himself.

Those who dismiss African Catholics as somehow “conservative”, or yet to catch up with the secularised West, fail to understand African Catholicism. African Catholics have largely never heard of the culture wars which have raged in Britain and America. Where outsiders perceive conservatism, Africans simply see themselves as taking the Gospel seriously.

After the recent synod, there were hints in certain quarters that Africa’s theological steadfastness was the product of cultural conditioning. Again, this would mystify African Catholics. While they would accept that the teaching of their pre-Christian elders about certain bad practices, such as polygamy and female genital mutilation, are deeply held cultural phenomena and hard to eradicate, they would reject any suggestion that Jesus’s words about the indissolubility of marriage fall into the same category.

It is hard to discern, even after two years of his papacy, though it may be becoming clearer, where Pope Francis stands theologically, given the confusing and even contradictory signals sent out by many of his public utterances and his various spin doctors, as well as the way his personal history has been varyingly interpreted. Perhaps he is something of a Latin American liberation theologian, though it has to be said that the heyday of that movement is now behind us.

In Africa, the Pope could discover the strengths of a more developed and authentic theology from the developing world.

African theology presupposes the importance of community life: no man or woman is an island, everyone belongs to a family, a tribe, a language group, a culture, and the ties that bind are of the greatest importance, not just socially, but in our approach to God. Believing in God and moral decision-making are all communitarian activities. This is clearly seen not just in the celebration of Mass, where a community truly comes together, but also particularly in the celebration of weddings.

Every African wedding is a public and shared event to which the whole parish comes without having to be invited. This reflects the strong understanding that Africans have of marriage being a public good: two families coming together, a man and a woman being joined for the good of the community and for the good, in particular, of the next generation. The privatised understanding of marriage that exists in the West, the idea that one marries because this will bring about personal happiness, is not the African approach.

Coupled with this strong appreciation of community life, which signifies a practical and lived approach to the sacraments, is a clear understanding on the part of the African Church of the threats that marriage and the family face. As we noticed at the recent synod, the African bishops were not reticent in speaking about these perceived threats.

You might be forgiven for thinking, thanks to media coverage, that their major concern is what is often termed “gender theory”. It is perfectly true that Africans see the idea that gender roles are the ones we choose for ourselves as incomprehensible, living as they do in a world where people are born into roles or are assigned them by the community, rather than assuming them for themselves. But the real nub here is the concept of choice. The West now sees choice as something intensely personal, something done in isolation, with the individual will counting for everything.

This atomic vision can be contrasted to the more molecular vision of the African theologians, where choice is seen as something that concerns not just oneself but the people around one, where choice is influenced at every level by one’s surroundings, one’s community and one’s personal and inherited history.

This African understanding has a Western parallel in the thoughts of the philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre and the theologian Stanley Hauerwas, both of whom are deeply rooted in Aristotle and Augustine. Oddly, these two major voices, and the theologians who follow their line, received little airtime at the synod; though it has to be said that the testimony given by the Greek Catholic doctor from Romania, Dr Anca-Maria Cernea – which stole the show with its strong rootedness in tradition and personal and inherited history – was truly MacIntyrean in import.

In a world where the individual will has been exalted above all else, and in a Church where, amazingly, the personal seems to trump the communal all too often and where marriage is seen as privatised, we really do need to visit African theology and experience as an important corrective. It’s a pity that the Pope does not seem to be visiting any of the theological schools around Nairobi, such as the one I worked in, Tangaza College, or even the Jesuit Hekima College.

Again, given that this Pope loves to go to the margins, it is a pity that he will have no chance to visit the suffering Catholic communities of the coastal region of Kenya, or its troubled north-west, where thousands have been displaced and hundreds murdered by the Islamist al-Shabaab movement. However, he will be visiting the refugee camp in the Central African Republic and meeting those who have experienced Islamist terror there first hand.

The situation in the Republic is more complex than in Kenya, where innocents have been subjected to brutal aggression by invaders from Somalia, in retaliation for what they see as Kenyan interference in its affairs (in fact peace-keeping initiatives). In the Republic, a civil war is being fought by two sides whose outward allegiances are perhaps coincidentally Muslim and Christian. Given that there is violence emanating from both sides, the Pope is unlikely to make any condemnation of Islamist terrorism per se, but rather a generalised call for peace and dialogue, as he has in the past elsewhere. This may well disappoint some.

The overwhelming evidence from Africa, along the tense and fragile border that divides the predominately Muslim territories to the north from the predominately Christian territories to the south, whether it be in the Central African Republic, Kenya, Nigeria or Sudan, points to the fact that Christianity is not the problem. The 276 schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram in northern Nigeria in April 2014 are a case in point.

The Christian/Muslim conflict in Africa is emphatically not a match of equals. Just a mile or so away from the papal nunciature in Nairobi, where the Pope will stay, is the Westgate Mall, where al-Shabaab murdered 67 exclusively Christian shoppers. People in Kenya and Nigeria and elsewhere will not relish being told that there are fundamentalists on both sides, as the Pope suggested back in December 2014, during a press conference as he was returning from Turkey. Something robust about what Christian communities are to do when under attack from groups like al-Shabaab would be welcome, and not just in Africa, given recent events in Paris. One hopes that the Pope’s speech-writers are up to the job.

We all know that this Pope is a Pope of dialogue, especially interreligious dialogue, but dialogue only makes an impact when it is conducted with due reverence to truth.

There will be much rejoicing when Francis touches down in Nairobi. But this visit also touches on important issues for the Church. The Pope will speak, and be warmly received; let us hope he and his advisers – and there don’t seem to be any from Africa in the close circle he relies on – will also listen and learn from the African experience.

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Vatican Publishes Church Statistics of Kenya, Uganda, and CAR Ahead of Pope’s Visit, CAR Security Situation Being Monitored

CANAA || By Fr. Don Bosco Onyalla, Nairobi || 19 November 2015

Just five days before Pope Francis kicks off his maiden pastoral trip to Africa, the Vatican, through the Central Church Statistics Office, has published the statistics relating to the Catholic Church in the African countries the Pope is set to visit.

The Pope is scheduled to begin his trip in Kenya’s capital next Wednesday, November 25, proceed to Kampala, the capital city of Uganda on Friday, November 27, and conclude with the capital city of the Central African Republic (CAR), Bangui, where the security situation is being monitored.

The statistics relating to the three African countries, which are considered current, date back to December 31, 2014.

Kenya, Uganda, and CAR Catholic Church Statistics

Kenya has a surface area of 580,367 km2 and a population of 42,961 .000 inhabitants, of whom 13,862,000 are Catholics, equivalent to 32.3% of the population. There are 26 ecclesiastical circumscriptions, 925 parishes and 6,542 pastoral centres. There are currently 38 bishops, 2,744 priests, 6303 religious (798 male and 5,505 female), and 11,343 catechists. There are 5,501 seminarians. The Church has 12,195 centres for Catholic education, from pre-school to university level. With regard to charitable and social centres belonging to the Church or directed by ecclesiastics or religious, in Kenya there are 513 hospitals and clinics, 21 leper colonies, 117 homes for the elderly, sick or disabled, 1,173 orphanages and nurseries, 110 family advisory centres, 11 special centres for social education or rehabilitation and 203 institutions of other types.

Uganda has a surface area of 241,038 km2 and a population of 36,497,000 inhabitants, of whom 17,148,000 are Catholics, equivalent to 47% of the population. There are 20 ecclesiastical circumscriptions, 540 parishes and 6.900 pastoral centres. There are currently 32 bishops, 2180 priests, 4,266 religious (567 male and 3,699 female), and 15,864 catechists. There are 6.984 seminarians. The Church has 7,050 centres for Catholic education, from pre-school to university level. With regard to charitable and social centres belonging to the Church or directed by ecclesiastics or religious, in Uganda there are 298 hospitals and clinics, one leper colony, 16 homes for the elderly, sick or disabled, 62 orphanages and nurseries, 130 family advisory centres and other centres for the protection of life, 8 special centres for social education or rehabilitation and 56 institutions of other types.

The Central African Republic has a surface area of 622,984 km2 and a population of 4.621.000 inhabitants, of whom 1,724,000 are Catholics, equivalent to 37.3% of the population. There are 9 ecclesiastical circumscriptions, 119 parishes and 2,017 pastoral centres. There are currently 16 bishops, 350 priests, 387 religious (44 male and 343 female), and 6,279 catechists. There are 379 seminarians. The Church has 305 centres for Catholic education, from pre-school to secondary level. With regard to charitable and social centres belonging to the Church or directed by ecclesiastics or religious, in the Central African Republic there are 52 hospitals and clinics, 10 leper colonies, 11 homes for the elderly, sick or disabled, 18 orphanages and nurseries, 8 family advisory centres, 2 special centres for social education or rehabilitation and 17 institutions of other types.

Source of Statistics: Vatican Information Service

CAR Security Situation Being Monitored

While the Papal maiden trip to Africa is on course with preparations underway to see Pope Francis fulfil his desire to set foot on three African countries, the security situation in CAR has occasioned uncertainty on realizing the third leg of this highly anticipated journey.

Last week, France’s minister of Defense Jean-Yves Le Drian was reported describing the planned Pope’s visit to CAR as risky and explaining that it would be difficult to ascertain the Holy Father’s security beyond the airport in Bangui.

On Monday, Vatican’s Secretary of State, Pietro Cardinal Parolin confirmed the preparations of this pastoral trip saying, “The three stops remain.”

Cardinal Parolin however expressed some uncertainty with regard to CAR.

"We will see on the basis of the situation on the ground at the time whether we go ahead with the third and final leg (of the Pope's African trip) in Central Africa," Cardinal Parolin has been quoted as telling the newspaper of Italy's Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Avvenire.

"The pope has a very strong desire to visit Central Africa and for the moment the programme remains unchanged. But it is possible that a different decision will be taken at the last minute if the local situation does not allow it," Cardinal Parolin explained.

Apart from the Christian faithful in CAR, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims are expected to travel from neighboring Cameroon and Congo Brazzaville to CAR’s capital, Bangui to celebrate Holy Mass with Pope Francis.

CAR has witnessed regular sectarian violent conflicts since the coup of March 2013, which plunged the country into the protracted chaos.

According to a report by Vatican Radio based on Missionary Service News Agency (MISNA), United Nations (UN) is preparing to transfer Senegalese peacekeepers from its quick reaction force in Ivory Coast to CAR, and was only waiting for the green light from the UN Security Council.

The plans are to deploy 300 UN peacekeepers, also called ‘the blue helmets,’ to help reinforce the UN (MINUSCA) mission already on the ground.

CAR is expected to hold a referendum on the new Constitution and conduct a general election next month, December.

Altar for Papal Mass arrives in Nairobi

In Kenya, the altar to be used for the open air Papal mass next Thursday, November 26 has been moved to Nairobi from the Central Kenyan town of Nyeri, where it was, having been used during the beatification of Blessed Irene Stefani.

The hand-crated altar, which dates back to almost one hundred years, was chosen by Church leaders in Kenya for its rich history and for its religious symbolism.

The symbol of hands raising the Eucharistic body and blood of Jesus atop a tabernacle are engraved at the front of the altar to symbolize the self-giving sacrifice of Jesus who offered his body and blood for the salvation of humanity.

The rear of the altar is engraved with a dove facing downwards, pouring water from a bowl, the symbol of the coming down of the Holy Spirit at baptism, which admits one to the Christian family.

Beneath the dove is etched a basket of bread on top of a fish, symbols of the spiritual nourishment that originates from divine life.

Another symbol carved on the altar is a pelican and its young one sitting on the globe, with the pelican appearing to help its young to feed on its own flesh, reminiscent of Jesus giving his life for the salvation of humankind.

Government says all is on course in Uganda

In Uganda, the government said at the end of last week that all plans were underway for the Pope’s visit, giving an update of the various arrangements.

“Since the confirmation of the Papal visit in September 2015, the Government put in place the following Committees to ensure proper organization and smooth arrangements,” Uganda government said in a statement available of the website of the Uganda Episcopal Conference (UEC), mentioning the Apex Committee of Cabinet, the Infrastructure Committee, and the National Organising Committee (NOC).

“The Government together with the Church (Uganda Episcopal Conference) undertook infrastructure improvements at Namugongo. The infrastructure at Nakiyanja and Munyonyo especially the roads, street lighting, and installation of piped water is being improved,” the statement signed the Minister for General Duties, Prof Tarsis Kabwegyere indicated, adding that the government, through the ministry of tourism, was capitalizing on the Pope’s visit to “to tap in on millions of people both from Uganda and abroad and market Uganda’s tourism potentials.”

Child Migrants, Migrants' Jobs

Global Sisters Report || By Dan Stockman || 16 November 2015

The New York Times Magazine recently had an in-depth — and heartbreaking — look at displaced children.

The piece, with gorgeous photos that show children's lives in awful detail, didn't get much attention, but it should have.

The introduction notes that there are 30 million displaced children around the world; "The Displaced" tells the stories of three of them, Oleg from Ukraine, Chuol from South Sudan and Hana from Lebanon.

Hana and her family fled from Syria and now live in a makeshift settlement, where the 12-year-old girl and her family spend backbreaking hours as farm workers:

Once, as Hana was picking plums and staring at a branch, she suddenly remembered that a tree on her family's property back home in Syria had a swing. We could have one here, she thought — we could take one of these big buckets for carrying plums and attach it to a rope! We could take turns, maybe during a break — and then she jolted out of her daydream. 'Idiot,' she told herself, 'who's going to let you have a swing here?' She went back to work, picking plums, counting the hours until she could return to a home that was really no home at all.

Chuol and his grandmother are in a camp with 80,000 other people displaced by the civil war that has torn South Sudan apart. And yet, they are lucky:

One night in May, the fighting came to Chuol's village. He remembers every terrifying detail. Women were raped and men murdered. His father and grandfather were herded into a small hut and burned alive. Chuol's grandmother later described to me how a group of fighters argued over who would rape a 12-year-old girl. When they could not agree, they shot her dead.

With his mother and grandmother, Chuol fled into the swamp. In the chaos, his mother ran in another direction, and they lost her. For months they did not know if she was dead or alive.

For weeks, he and his grandmother swam and waded through snake-infested waters, dodging crocodiles, eating little more than grass. Chuol was constantly afraid that he might die. If a soldier did not kill him, he thought, an animal surely would.

And if the words and photos are not overwhelming enough, if you have a mobile device, you can also download The New York Times' virtual reality app and explore the stories in immersive detail.

The refugees who make it

It might be easy to think that once refugees reach the United States, everything gets easier. That may be true to the extent that safety and basic necessities are not imperiled as they were, but the streets are still not yet paved with gold — especially if they are settled in an economically depressed area.

The Atlantic says thousands of refugees have settled in Syracuse, New York, but jobs are hard to come by and officials are struggling to meet refugees' needs. Things are even harder for those who come alone and do not have family to rely on or combine limited resources with.

Many stay for a while and find they cannot make it, so they move on to greener pastures — and most often, those pastures are in Minnesota, the magazine says. The state is tops in the nation for secondary migration, with more than 2,200 moving there just last year.

Here's why: "In 2012, only 33 percent of refugees in Arizona were able to find work, and only 25 percent of those in California were employed, while 55 percent of refugees in Minnesota had entered employment in 2012."

Looking for support in a violent time

The situation in South Sudan continues to be grim: Comboni Missionaries there have written an open letter asking for peace as they see the community around them being torn apart. On Nov. 9, an assistant parish priest was shot in the back by armed bandits attempting to ambush a marked hospital vehicle.

When the driver refused to stop, the bandits opened fire, hitting Fr. Placide Majambo and seriously wounding him. He was later taken to Nairobi for surgery, where he is recovering.

To add insult to serious injury, when the missionaries asked local officials for a security escort to take Majambo to the airstrip to be evacuated, they had to pay bribes.

"This was indeed a great shock to us, and led us to feel quite unsupported and disrespected," they wrote. "As Missionaries, we offer our life of service freely to the community to which we are assigned without the wish for any personal gain, but at the human level, we feel there should also be some genuine display of solidarity, support and closeness from the community when such an incident occurs."

Marching for the environment

And finally, the Global Climate March is set for Nov. 29. Officials expect over 1 million people to take part in over 3,000 cities, with a "mega-march" planned for Paris, where world leaders will meet later for the Paris climate summit.

Remember, links, tips and accounts of the response to any crisis anywhere in the world are always welcome at [email protected].

[Dan Stockman is national correspondent for Global Sisters Report. Follow him on Twitter @DanStockman or on Facebook.]

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A Looming Crisis in Burundi under Our Watch, A Young Burundian Shares about “untold incurable wounds”

AMECEA Online News || By Antony Mbandi || 14 November 2015

It is often said that the wearer of the shoe knows where it pinches. Listening to the sad story of a young Burundian living far away from home yet is traumatized by the ongoing killings of innocent people whose mutilated bodies keep appearing on the streets without anybody taking responsibilities; the question of whether it is better to join hands as an international community and stop a possible genocide from taking place or wait until it happens then rush in to stop it comes to mind.

The crisis in Burundi is deepening and the world seems to have turned a blind eye. Media reports and statements in the last few weeks are alarming and this sounds like a script replaying itself. According to the BBC, “the UN is less equipped to deal with violence in Burundi than it was for the Rwandan genocide. Scott Campbell, who was speaking to BBC, further warned that the UN's lack of peacekeeping presence in the country means it is less able to help.”

The French government has tried to respond to the “silent crisis” through presenting a resolution to the UN Security Council for sanctions against the perpetrators. However, it is equally shocking that media reports indicate that the French Foreign Minister says "Burundi is not burning". How many deaths define “burning”? Or are we only concerned when buildings are on fire? This is not the Africa we want.

It comes as a relief that the UN Security Council on Thursday 12^th November unanimously adopted the French-drafted measure that strongly condemned the wave of killings, torture, arrests and other rights violations in Burundi and the UN officials are drawing up plans including rushing UN peacekeepers from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Burundi, or deploying a regional force under the African Union, if the violence spirals out of control.

The President of Rwanda His Excellency Paul Kagame has sounded a warning of the lack of action by international community. If we recall back in 2007/08 Kenyan violence, President Kagame was also on record in raising concerns to the Kenyan citizen and the international community on how easy it is to move from one death to 1 million deaths!! This is not the Africa we want.

According to Caritas Director from Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC), there has been an influx of refugees coming in from Burundi to the refugee camps in Kigoma Region which borders Burundi. TEC Caritas Director Mr. Laurenti Mausi who was in Kigoma over last weekend said that almost 200 refugees from Burundi are arriving daily into the camps in Kigoma and so far the total numbers of refugees from Burundi are over 100,000 people. This is not the Africa we want!

I have personally seen photos of mutilated bodies coming out of Burundi. Therefore we need to remember that not one life should be lost in the name of settling political scores. As reported over 250 people have been killed and over 200,000 have fled to nearby states since April. We know that at least 100,000 are in Tanzania. This is not the Africa we want.

I am humbly and with heavy heart requesting that the Regional Countries and the African Union do more to resolve the crisis. I also call upon the African citizen and especially those of Burundi to become Christ like and offer love to each other in this time of crisis. Replace this escalating hatred with healing love that wipes out the scars that may have been left on you in this or previous crisis. Embrace your fellow human being and replace conflict with sisterly and brotherly co-existence. Pray for peace, Pray for Burundi, Pray for Africa. This is the Africa we want!

I bring you a story of a young Burundian struggling with the situation in that country. The question of being part of a country where those charged with protecting and defending you, are actually the ones systematically killing your friends and your relatives. Should one speak out and put the family at risk?

The question of whether they should go back to the country and raise the concerns from within while risking being killed. I believe these are issues going through the many Burundians who are finding themselves as targets of a political violence orchestrated as an ethnic conflict. Take a moment and read the story of this young Burundi.

By Antony Mbandi – AMECEA Justice Peace and Caritas Coordinator

The untold incurable wounds of a young Burundian told in own words

From October 21, 1993; four months after my birth, President Melchior Ndadaye was assassinated and it was the outbreak of the war with machetes that led to the genocide of thousands of Tutsi and moderate Hutu in Rwanda and Burundi.

I recall vividly that my family and many other Tutsi families were refugees in a Brigade camp to escape the massacre. On the other side of our refugee camp, were echoing the cries of the unfortunate people who were being executed. And like all children from a Tutsi family, I constantly recall and attend to recaps of the dark and tragic events of 1993. The words "Hutu" kept coming back during many of the discussions.

After these terrible events of 1993, the civil war continued for over ten years. It was a terrible period when we lived without shelter and slept in cold and along the corridors. Sometimes the schools were closed because the invasion of the rebels in the capital, the sporadic ambushes and grenade attacks we were not allowed to go far from the capital and sometimes could not attend school.

In short, I am a survivor of the 1993 Tutsi genocide because my beloved grandfather and other members of my family were killed during that time. This history and aftermath of the genocide in Burundi and Rwanda caused me to look at a Hutu man as one without a heart capable to murder or rape a Tutsi without remorse. Even at home my mother used to say openly about our history and that my grandfather died in 1997, killed by Hutus. Despite all this, my mother never stopped us from interacting with Hutu families whether at school or in the neighborhood. The time was not yet ripe to discuss the topic because we were still young and unaware of the extent of inter-ethnic issue.

Around the age of twelve, I joined a Catholic high school and with the time I acquired a habit of observing my classmates to determine whether he was Hutu or Tutsi. Starting from the foot to the head, I quickly learned how to distinguish a Hutu from a Tutsi by their nose, the tip of their feet and their approaches. Although I was very curious, I hated being asked where I was from and I was not ready to make a distinction of the ethnic group when choosing my friends.

Presumably the perception that I had of the Hutus that I knew was told from the history of the Burundi and Rwandan genocide and the memories of those who killed my beloved grandfather.

But later I have come to discover that it is not ethnicity,Hutu – Tutsi, that was bad but it was what lies in the heart of man. Without any idea of what was going on, I had left behind me ethnic problems. My belief was that the mass killings of Tutsis in 1993 were behind us although it was still raising anger within the family.

In 2005, the Arusha accord came as the Messiah came to save his people who struggled in Egypt. As people of Burundi, we embarked on a new page in the history of our country and create a new destiny with hope for all people whether Hutu or Tutsi. President Pierre Nkurunziza was took power and Burundi started walking towards a future full of good things. The joy of being able to forget our trauma and phobia of death brought great hope.

Again here we are in 2015. I am now twenty two years (22) old and history is repeating itself in my country, Burundi. Since April25^th, when the incumbent, President Nkurunziza, was declared as Presidential candidate of the ruling party, the country and all Bujumbura trembled with fear. The news filled me with fear because a bumper month before, a Hutu friend entrusted me to be afraid of what the Government was preparing.

I felt desperate by imagining everything that could happen to me and my family. He argued that what he saw reminded him of the Havyarimana’s Governement (Rwanda in 1994). He tried to reassure me and gave me hope that everything will be fine. But I was not so sure.

On April 26, young people went in the streets to protest against the third term of Pierre Nkurunziza. Unfortunately Jean Nepomucene KOMEZAMAHORO, 15 years old, was killed by a Policeman who shot a bullet in his head. This new horrible incidence just came to confirm what I feared.

The same night in the same neighborhood in which Nepo was killed (Cibitoke), Imbonerakure in the Uniform of the Burundian Police massacred the people in their homes. From our side in our neighborhood we were terrified. We spent the night sitting in the living room. My memory was passing and I wondered how I was going to die without knowing the cause of what was happening.

I left Burundi to continue my work and I knew that if I stayed home, one day I'll end up being arrested by these militiamen. But the most painful was to leave my family and let them suffer.

The protests failed and President Nkurunziza won the election. He started a blinding crackdown on neighborhoods that had challenged his pursue for power. He openly declared in his speech after the famous coup of May 13^ththat these neighborhoods were Tutsi majority. And since that day, his militia went in those neighborhoods to kill people without cause.

Why cannot we be worthy to live even if we are Tutsi and we dared to say what we feel? These acts committed by the government in power each day, feed resentment in the hearts of people who have lost their own families. Even me sometimes it makes me want to rebel and again I am tempted to hate the Hutus. But I place my trust in God and pull myself together always telling myself that though I may lose my family one after the other, hatred has no place in my heart.

With my wounded heart, I am appealing to the international community that what happened in Rwanda in 1994 would happen if nothing is done.

Today, November 2015 in Burundi, people are being killed because they are opposed to the oppressive power or because of their ethnicity.The Burundian government is waving the ethnic card to commit a massacre against the Tutsi and all other people that will not support them. They are morally killing using speeches that are divisive in order to insight ethnic killings. Many young men are hunted, killed, tortured and imprisoned; girls are raped and all in all impunity.

As I am speaking, almost 300persons have been killed since April 2015. The number of refugees going to the neighboring countries is still increasing in thousands. I have seen images of mutilated people and others left to die without any protection.

I launch a cry for the international community to intervene. Burundi is plunging little by little in an alarming situation. Burundians of are tired of words by the international community. All they want is action to save the lives of many innocent people.

It is time to end with those labels of ethnicity because they are just there to divide us;

It is time to stop those massive killings;

It is time to stop President Nkurunziza and his government from committing atrocities;

It is time for the International Community to act.

I see every day the suffering and despair of the third term’s survivor through their eyes. That makes me realize that this suffering is common to all Burundians despite their different ethnical origin.

I am carrying with me incurable wounds like many Burundians. But I still have the faith that one day, with God’s help; we will forget these injuries, heal and build our beloved Country. Our little brothers and sisters deserve to leave peacefully. As a young Burundian, my generation wants to leave behind this burden of ethnicity and see each other as one people and one nation of God’s people.

By A Young Burundian

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Ghanaian Bishops Decry Negative Effects of Urbanization

CANAA || By Damian Avevor and Mary Antwiwaa Obeng, Bolgatanga || 16 November 2015

The Catholic Bishops in Ghana have decried negative effects of urbanization and called on the laity who are “in positions where they can improve the situation” to act saying, “These (the laity) are called to see such duties as a charge from God.”

The Bishops cited challenges such as “streetism” characterized with school-age children loitering on streets, prostitution, armed robbery, and increased urban poverty.

These concerns were part of the communique at the conclusion of the Plenary Assembly of Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC) issued on Friday, November 13, 2015.

The nine-day Plenary Assembly (November 6-14) was held in Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region of Ghana under the theme “The Laity in the Context of the New Evangelization.”

“These problems relating to urbanisation may seem daunting but we are guided by faith and hope that united as one people we can surely surmount these formidable challenges,” the Bishops stated in the communique signed by GCBC President, Bishop Joseph Osei-Bonsu.

Presiding over the opening of the Plenary Assembly, Bishop Osei-Bonsu said that there was the urgent need for a structured and sustained formation and education of the laity at the Parish, Diocesan and National levels. He added that the Catholic Bishops in Ghana were committed to ensuring that this would be done to enable Catholic Laity in Ghana to play their roles effectively both in the Church and in the State.

On his part, the Apostolic Nuncio in Ghana, Archbishop Jean-Marie Speich said that the New Evangelisation stated in Africae Munus was an urgent task for Christians because they too need to reawaken their enthusiasm for being members of the Church.

“It is our knowledge that evangelisation in its precise sense is the missio ad gentes directed to those who do not know Christ and in a wider sense, it is used to describe ordinary pastoral work,” the Nucio said in his address to GCBC, adding that the New

Evangelisation demanded that Christians be reconciled with their neighbour and overcome all barriers including language, culture, race, tribes and social status.

Below is the full text of GCBC Communique.

COMMUNIQUE OF THE PLENARY ASSEMBLY OF THE GHANA CATHOLIC BISHOPS’ CONFERENCE HELD AT BOLGATANGA, UPPER EAST REGION, FROM 6TH TO 14TH NOVEMBER, 2015 ON THE THEME: “THE LAITY IN THE CONTEXT OF THE NEW EVANGELISATION”

Greetings

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

“May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Cor. 13:13).

Preamble

We, the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, have held our Plenary Assembly in Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region, also known as the “Sunshine” Region of Ghana, from November 6–14, 2015 under the theme “The Laity in the Context of the New Evangelization” and we wish to share with you some of our reflections on the theme. But first, let us give thanks to God for His abundant graces and blessings upon our land and our Church. We recall with grateful hearts the recent successful Synod of Bishops in Rome on the Vocation and Mission of the Family in the Church and the Contemporary World and the historic two-day Pro-Life Conference in Accra which highlighted the need to defend and promote the sanctity and dignity of life at all times.

Let us praise God for these blessings on the Church and the fact that our country Ghana, even in the midst of some significant challenges, continues to enjoy peace, stability and good will among nations. We therefore call on all Catholics and citizens of our nation to join us to thank God and beseech His blessings for the Church and our nation especially in these times when we begin preparations for our presidential and parliamentary elections next year.

Vocation and Mission of the Laity in the New Evangelisation

Constituting more than 98% of the Church’s population, the Laity are “All the faithful except those in Holy Orders and those who belong to a religious state sanctioned by the Church” (Lumen Gentium (LG) 31, Christifideles Laici (CL) 9). "The Church is not truly established and does not fully live, nor is it a perfect sign of Christ, unless there is a genuine laity existing and working alongside the hierarchy" (Ad Gentes (AG) 21). That is why the Laity should show active enthusiasm and support for the Bishops’ teachings, especially on temporal matters which is their proper domain.

The vocation of the Lay Faithful in the New Evangelisation is to give a coherent and authentic Christian testimony in the world. It includes the special role of “... so illuminating and ordering all temporal things that they grow in accordance with Christ and for the glory of the Creator and Redeemer” (LG 32). Grounded in their baptism and confirmation and in their charisms, the Laity are the ones who “make the Church present and active in those places and circumstances where it is only through them that the Church can be the salt of the earth” (LG 33). Since they live in the midst of the world and its concerns, the Laity engage in temporal and secular affairs to bring the Gospel into the family, work, profession, trade and commerce, politics, government, mass media, science, culture, national and international relations, etc. It was to raise this awareness, among other reasons, that we organised the 2^nd National Pastoral Congress in Sunyani in 2014. We urge all Catholics to study the recommendations and Guidelines of the Congress and put them into practice.

One apostolate that is the prerogative of the Lay Faithful is the Family. They are called to witness to the sanctity of family life and to give a living witness to marriage and family life in the contemporary world. This irreplaceable role of parents in the family cannot be overemphasised because the Christian home constitutes the first school of virtue. It is in this respect that the Christian family becomes the domestic Church.

The Laity and the Year of Mercy

Our Holy Father, Pope Francis, has declared December 8, 2015 to November 20, 2016 as the Year of Mercy. The Church in Ghana will climax this year on October 16, 2016 during the annual plenary of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference to be held in Tamale. In this Extraordinary Jubilee Year, we invite all our Lay Faithful to reflect on the mercy of God and endeavour to make the Church a credible sign of mercy as “Mercy is the very foundation of the Church’s life” (Misericordiae Vultus (MV) 10). God reveals His love to the men and women of the world through the Church and so it is the Church’s primary task “to introduce everyone to the great mystery of God’s mercy.” It is the task of our Laity as well as the Priests and Religious to use this Year of Mercy to forgive all wrongs and injuries at all levels of the Church and society. Societies must collaborate with one another, families and friends must come together in bonds of charity and peace. We strongly urge all Priests to fix days and times during the week to give the Laity an opportunity to avail themselves of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Challenges and Prospects of Laity Formation Today

As a Church, we do not fail to recognise that many Catholics are today inadequately instructed in the faith. It seems that the parish and our institutions are unable to do enough, generally speaking, to promote the faith, theological formation and the deepening of the spirituality of the Laity. Many of the Laity fail to make themselves available for these instructions in their respective parishes and institutions where these formation programmes are available. And yet, for the Laity to play their proper roles in the New Evangelization, only attending Holy Mass and receiving the other sacraments are not enough. In addition to these necessities, they need a significant spiritual and doctrinal formation and a better understanding of the Church’s Social Teachings. There is the urgent need, therefore, on the part of both the Laity and the Clergy as well as all teachers of the faith to address themselves to a well-organised formation and education programme to meet the needs, especially, of the Lay Faithful. To fulfil this duty the Clergy, Pastoral and Laity Councils and the Lay Associations need to come together to budget for and to raise the funds for all formation programmes and activities of the Laity in all our communities.

Adequate Christian formation of the Ghanaian Laity

Parishes and outstations must have a systematic formation programme for Lay formation. We strongly encourage all parishes to intensify the teaching of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Parishes should work with our Pastoral-Catechetical centres and Catholic Educational Institutions to continually find new ways and new methods of deepening the biblical, doctrinal and catechetical knowledge of the Laity. The respective centres of formation should work with the Laity Councils and Parishes to help the Laity develop love for Sacred Scripture, Church doctrine, Catholic Social Teachings and the Catechism of the Church. Dioceses, parishes, lay associations need also to reinvigorate biblical apostolate among the Faithful. Parishes must be made attractive and have recreational facilities for children and youth as well as qualified personnel for faith formation of the youth. Through daily participation in the Eucharist, and parish life, the Laity take on the apostolate of spreading the Gospel which becomes personal, continual and incisive.

Parish Priests and their Assistants have an important role to support and facilitate the formation of the Laity for the New Evangelization and should show special interest in this apostolate. They should help form Laity who have the missionary zeal to introduce innovative ideas for Lay programmes and implementation.

Lay Associations and Laity Formation

The Catholic Church recognises and approves associations of the Lay Faithful. These societies and associations constitute an important element in the life and mission of the Church. They are expected to strive to promote a more perfect life among members, foster public worship, and learn Christian doctrine. They should continue to animate the temporal order with the Christian spirit. We call on all Lay Associations to dedicate a significant amount of time of meetings to biblical, doctrinal and catechetical formation of their members. Further, societies in the Church should note that, we condemn the commercialisation of religion in no uncertain terms. We therefore urge them and all Catholic Faithful to guard against using any society in the Church for personal financial gains or giving in to the “gospel of prosperity” without the cross.

The Laity and Current Socio-Economic Situation in Ghana

In discussing the role of the laity in the Church’s New Evangelisation, we cannot fail to address ourselves to the numerous socio-economic challenges that confront present-day Ghana. These challenges and situations are the context for evangelization by the Laity in the temporal world in the spirit of Christ. It is the unique role of the laity to direct temporal affairs according to God’s will; being the leaven in the world, manifesting Christ to all in unity with their Priests and Bishops; engaged in their special vocation to make the Church present in the world; transforming the Church to become the “salt of the earth... and light of the world” (Cf. Mt 5:13,14); enjoying a principal role in secular society to spread the spirit of Christ and infuse culture and human works with moral value.

The Laity and Urbanisation

The increasing urbanization of Ghana has brought in its wake the problem of “streetism”. In effect, children who should be in the classrooms are found loitering and/or hawking on the streets of our towns and cities. With increased urbanisation, the practice of prostitution is on the ascendancy while the HIV/AIDS pandemic is still rampant in some parts of the country, particularly, in cities. There are cases of armed robbery attacks in our cities. Even though statistics show that such cases have gone down, we think that there is still more room for improvement in this area. The problems relating to urbanisation also include the fact that urban poverty has increased over the last few years compared with rural poverty. These problems relating to urbanisation may seem daunting but we are guided by faith and hope that united as one people we can surely surmount these formidable challenges. A section Laity is in positions where they can improve the situation. These are called to see such duties as a charge from God.

The Laity and Unemployment

In Ghana today, unemployment constitutes perhaps the biggest social issue confronting our country, a situation which has been worsened by the turning out of many unskilled graduates from our schools. The secondary and tertiary education has not been able to turn out the relevant middle level skilled human resources needed for the industrialization of the country even as large numbers of people, including school drop-outs, continue to throng our cities for non-existing jobs, ending up as head porters or “Kayaye” and “shoe-shine boys and girls”. This army of unemployed youth often engages in undesirable immoral behaviours like prostitution and armed robbery. To stem this tide of affairs, we recommend that the State turn some of the community secondary schools currently under construction into Community Vocational and Technical schools and continue to equip and resource the existing Vocational and Technical Institutes in the country. Parents Guardians should also encourage their wards to enrol in these schools.

While the idea of Technical Universities is good, care must be taken not to rush the proposal through without doing the necessary due diligence to ensure that the aim of the exercise will be achieved. Perhaps, the proposed Long-Term Development plan is a great opportunity to get this policy and programme articulation right. The Laity who are policy makers on education delivery are called upon to work with their co-workers to make Christ’s love felt here.

The Laity and Poverty

Poverty is a direct consequence of unemployment. Every Ghanaian must be alarmed at the abject poverty that stares at us everywhere in the cities, towns and villages. We regret to say that various poverty-reduction interventions such as the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP), Youth Enterprise Support (YES) and the like, though commendable, have not yielded the desired results. It is our strong conviction that policies and strategies aimed at reducing poverty must be pragmatic, realistic and home-grown. Over-reliance on donor-driven or directed programmes must be cut to the barest minimum. The resolve of the global community to bring extreme poverty to an end must challenge Ghana to work hard to achieve the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at an earlier timeline before 2030. We urge our Laity to educate themselves and be abreast of the contents of the bail-out package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). All the Laity who are employers and business men and women are called by Jesus to help the poor and the needy as much as they can.

The Laity and National Health Delivery

We acknowledge that some attempts have been made to improve the health care delivery system in Ghana with the establishment of some Community-Based Health Planning Services (CHP) compounds and the building of more health care infrastructure in some parts of the country. We are, however, concerned about the long delays in the payment of health insurance claims to health care facilities, a situation which is gradually leading to the collapse of many of such facilities. We call for an immediate and urgent review of the National Health Insurance Scheme not only to save it from imminent collapse but to position it to serve its intended purpose because we think that this health policy is far better than the cash and carry system of the past.

We also note with sadness and worry the alarming rate of strike actions and lock-outs by health care givers including doctors, nurses and paramedics, and encourage policy makers to do all they can to resolve these issues once and for all. The key to most of these issues, we believe, is the prompt payment of salaries and the formalisation of the Conditions of Service for Health Workers. “I was sick and you visited me” (Mt 25:36) is Jesus’ invitation to all the Laity to do what is necessary to save the National Health Insurance Scheme.

The Laity and Care of the Environment

Closely linked to the health of the nation is the issue of the care of the environment. Time and again, we have spoken about the need to take good care of the environment on which we depend. We regret to note once again the persistent pollution of our water bodies, the littering of plastic waste everywhere, the careless felling of trees in our forests and savannah area and the rampant illegal mining (galamsey) operations in our towns and villages. We call on our Laity and indeed all Ghanaians to rise up against this indiscriminate destruction of our environment and water bodies. The authorities charged with protecting our natural resources should be up and doing.

We welcome the idea of the National Sanitation Day on every first Saturday of the month as laudable and commendable and appeal to all Catholics and all Ghanaians to actively participate in this exercise as a Christian duty and a civic responsibility. We urge all Ghanaians to acquire the habit, not only to clean up our surroundings but most importantly let us all learn how not to make our environment dirty in the first place.

We also strongly recommend the recent encyclical of Pope Francis on the care of creation called “Laudato Si’ ” to our Catholic faithful and all Ghanaians because it provides a good resource for all, but most especially, policy makers on the care of our environment. We can certainly do with more education on the care of the environment. All the Laity who are charged with the protection of the environment should know that the environment is God’s handiwork. To protect it is being faithful to God.

The Laity, Bribery and Corruption

The twin evils of bribery and corruption have now overwhelmed our Ghanaian society and the recent exposure of alleged judicial corruption by Mr. Anas Aremeyaw Anas and his Tiger Eye PI team has left all of us in no doubt that every fabric of our Ghanaian society today is pervasively corrupt. While we commend Anas and his team for this exposure, we reiterate our call for justice to be done in this and all other cases and we do express our confidence in the Chief Justice and the Judicial Council to bring this matter to a fitting conclusion and to reform our judiciary. Once again, we appeal to all Religious Bodies, to our Government, all the people of Ghana and all who dwell in our land to reflect soberly and sincerely on the canker of bribery and corruption and to accept that this is a weakness that is destroying Ghana and repent accordingly.

We appeal to all Catholics, other Christians and all who call on the name of God to bear good witness to their faith by resisting bribery and corruption knowing that there is reward for honesty and integrity. We urge all Ghanaians to join us to pray the Prayer Against Bribery and Corruption daily. While we appeal to all Ghanaians to refuse to give or take bribes, we also believe that all those who engage in acts of bribery and corruption must be made to face the consequences of their actions.

The Laity, Politics and Elections in Ghana

We bemoan the sudden surge in election-related violence in our body politic and call on all political leaders, activists and supporters to refrain from such misconduct. Inter-party and intra-party violence, particularly those witnessed in some parties, are threatening Ghana’s peace and democracy. These unfortunate happenings do not reflect the peaceful and non-violent nature of Ghanaians. We urge politicians to beware of their pronouncements and activities. We believe in the ability of the security agencies to deal swiftly with all reported cases without fear or favour. In the run-up to the 2016 Elections, care must be taken not to allow political activities to degenerate into chaos and violence.

We consider chieftaincy as a noble legacy of our traditions and cultures and expect our chiefs to be fathers to all their subjects, irrespective of the latter’s political affiliations, religious beliefs and economic standing. Chiefs who feel that their vocation lies in active politics can always give up their official traditional position to do partisan politics as the Constitution of Ghana demands. That is why we condemn in no uncertain terms the involvement of some chiefs in partisan politics and call on them to respect the laws of the land and refrain from such acts.

We also condemn the phenomenon of vote-buying and occultism creeping into our national politics, where voters are induced to swear to vote in a particular way, and call on politicians and the Ghanaian electorate to desist from such acts.

On the Voters’ Register and the call for its replacement or revision, we wish to commend the Electoral Commission (EC) for some of the steps it has taken so far to involve all major stakeholders in finding an acceptable solution to the issue. We reiterate our call that all who are involved in this process must be open, honest and truthful in their approach to this exercise. At the same time, the EC must be given the chance and the space to handle the issue dispassionately and objectively in the best interest of the nation.

According to our electoral laws, minors and foreigners should not register for electoral purposes in Ghana. We also propose that in the name of transparency the Electoral Commission display the current voters’ register on its website so that all Ghanaians can check the list of voters and know where their names are located.

On the way forward for a credible voters’ register for future elections, we are of the view that the National Identification Authority (NIA) must be resourced to deliver on its mandate to register all persons, Ghanaians and non-Ghanaians, living in the country and to compile a reliable database which can be used by the Electoral Commission to compile a credible Voters’ Register. At the same time, the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) must be adequately resourced with personnel and logistics to educate the citizenry on the rights and requirements of voters. We cannot repeat enough our call for an early release of the programme for the upcoming elections which must be the product of the consultations of all stakeholders including the political parties themselves.

The Laity and Ghana’s Education

We reiterate our earlier unchanging position that it is the inalienable right of parents and guardians to choose schools for their wards. We reaffirm our conviction that it is not the right of a computer, programmed by a prone-to-corruption human being, to choose schools for our students. This is why we continue to appeal to Government to abolish the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) and replace it with a more workable and transparent version. We will come out with details of the new proposal soon.

Unit schools have been pivotal in quality education delivery in Ghana. However, successive policies in educational reforms in recent times have systematically sidelined the Educational Units making them ineffective. Because of this the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference and other Religious Bodies have for many years engaged the State to come out with clear policies with regard to the Partnership Agreement which has always existed between the Religious Bodies and the State in Education delivery. That is why we call on Government to be transparent in the on-going policy considerations on education reforms. We also urge that action be expedited on the formalization of the Partnership Agreement on Education, submitted by the Religious and other Bodies whose schools are in the public system. We call on the Laity to see the benefits of the Unit Schools and to commit themselves to their effective management as the contribution of Religious Bodies towards quality education delivery in Ghana.

The Laity and Public Financial Management

We are seriously concerned about reports of huge budget over-runs by some sectors, increasing public debt, huge arrears of statutory payments by Government, among many other issues, of poor public financial management. We know that some of these are the result of the absence of a prioritised national development plan which should inform national budget allocations. Others may stem from weaknesses in public sector financial management systems. We hope that the on-going comprehensive public sector reforms will take these into consideration for good financial governance. We pray that national budgets will be instruments for social protection, the elimination of extreme poverty and the promotion of citizens' well-being.

Conclusion

The history of Catholic evangelization is replete with the missionary zeal of lay people especially teacher-catechists who collaborated with the early missionaries in planting the Catholic faith, in most of the dioceses in Ghana. In fact, most parishes in Ghana were originally started by Lay People using their homes as centres of prayers. These Lay Catechists would travel many miles with missionary priests on foot as interpreters and teachers of the faith to surrounding villages to plant churches. The Laity in the era of the New Evangelization need to rekindle this missionary zeal in the Church, in political and economic governance, in the legal and medical professions etc. In this way the Laity permeate all the areas where they have been sent by Christ with the Christian spirit of love, justice and peace. As you Laity take up their proper role in Church and society we wish to encourage you with the words of Cardinal St. Henry Newmann “We want a laity, not arrogant, not rash in speech, not disputatious, but men and women who know their religion, who enter into it, who know just where they stand, who know what they hold, and what they do not, who know their creed so well, that they can give an account of it, who know so much of history that they can defend it. We want an intelligent, well-instructed laity...” (Cardinal Newman, 1851).

Further, St Paul reminds us Priests, Religious and the Laity “You are the people of God; he loved you and chose you for his own. So then you must put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Be helpful to one another, forgive one another ... as God has forgiven you” (Col. 3:12-13).

God bless our homeland Ghana and make our nation great and strong! Thank you.

MOST REV. JOSEPH OSEI-BONSU

BISHOP OF KONONGO-MAMPONG &

PRESIDENT, GHANA CATHOLIC BISHOPS’ CONFERENCE

Kenyan Leadership Expresses Solidarity with France after Terrorist Attacks, Police Inspector Appeals for Public Vigilance Ahead of Papal Visit

CANAA || By Fr. Don Bosco Onyalla, Nairobi || 16 November 2015

The Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has related the tragic event in the French capital Paris following the terrorist attack to experiences of terrorist attacks in Kenya, pledging support for France, which is actively engaged in strikes against ISIS.

“Today, as in the years past, the people and the government of Kenya stand with France at a moment in which our common humanity has been attacked in Paris by terrorists, and innocent civilians murdered in cold blood,” President Kenyatta said in a statement.

“We stand with them, in sorrow for their losses, but also with resolve to join them in fighting terrorist organisations and networks until democracy and liberty can be free from their evil threat,” President Kenyatta added.

Direct comparisons have been drawn between the Friday Paris terrorist attacks that left at least 129 people dead and the April 2015 terrorist attack at the Kenya’s Garissa University College, which left 147 people killed.

In just over one week, Kenya will host Pope Francis whose first leg of his maiden visit to Africa will get him to celebrate Holy Eucharist at the Nairobi University grounds together with an estimated 1.5 million pilgrims within the city.

Considering this large gathering in Kenya’s capital during the Papal trip, there have been concerns across the globe that terrorists linked to the Islamist militant group al-shabaab, which has hit Kenya on a number of occasions may launch an attack.

The Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for the Paris deadly six-coordinated attacks, considered the worst in Europe since the March 2004 Madrid bombings, which claimed 191 lives and also described as the deadliest in Western Europe since the end of World War II.

The places the attackers targeted seem to have been precisely chosen for the large numbers of people there: the packed national stadium of France where France was playing Germany in a friendly with the French President in attendance, the Bataclan concert hall, an equally packed venue with an estimated 1,500 concert goers, as well as cafes.

Appeal for Public Vigilance

The Inspector General of the Kenya Police, Joseph Boinett has made an appeal to all Kenyans to be vigilant as preparations for the Papal visit gears up in the country.

“While we in the police have stepped up vigilance, we call on the public to exercise maximum level of alertness. I urge everyone to report any suspicious activity and/or persons to the police or any security agency for action,” a Kenyan newspaper has quoted the Inspector General as saying.

Consoling the people of France, Mr. Boinett reportedly warned that the same terror threat remains real in Kenya.

Pope Francis joined world leaders to condemn the Paris attacks saying it was a “blasphemy” to use God’s name to justify violence and murder and that there can be no “religious or human” excuse for killing innocent people during a terrorist attack..

“Such barbarity leaves us dismayed, and we ask ourselves how the human heart can plan and carry out such horrible events,” the pope said on Sunday and added, “The path of violence and hatred cannot resolve the problems of humanity, and using the name of God to justify this path is blasphemy.”

Pope Central African Trip on Despite France's Security Fears, Vatican Says

Reuters, by By Philip Pullella

Pope Francis' trip to Central African Republic, which has been rocked by strife between Christians and Muslims, is still scheduled to go ahead despite warnings from France of major security risks, Vatican sources said on Friday.

The former French colony descended into inter-religious violence two and a half years ago after mainly Muslim Seleka rebels seized power, sparking reprisal killings by Christian anti-balaka militias.

The pope is due to visit the country on Nov. 28-29 despite intensifying violence that has killed dozens in the capital Bangui since late September. His trip is scheduled to include a visit to a mosque in one of Bangui's most dangerous districts.

French officials have said the pope and those who turn out to see him would be in danger and have hinted that the Vatican should consider scrapping the trip or scaling it back.

"We've informed the Vatican authorities that Pope Francis' visit carries risks for himself and for hundreds of thousands believers who could be there to see him," a defense ministry source said in Paris.

One Vatican source said the pope "really wants to go and skipping it would be seen as a defeat". Another Vatican source said he may be forced to shorten the trip or limit the venues to safer areas.

France has troops in the country but the defense ministry source said: "Our forces can secure the airport and provide a medical evacuation capacity in case of an accident" but no more than that.

Central African Republic's political and religious leaders have sought to reassure the Vatican.

"The arrival of the pope will be a great blessing, and I want it to happen regardless of the fate reserved for us," interim President Catherine Samba-Panza, a Christian, told French radio station RTL on Thursday.

SEGREGATION

General Chrysostome Sambia, minister of public security, said the government had a plan to secure the visit.

A local official and state radio reported on Friday that at least 22 people had been killed in a string of raids on villages in Central African Republic this week.

France sent soldiers in 2013 in an attempt to stem the bloodshed. Muslims and Christians have since split into segregated communities. Tens of thousands of Muslims have fled to the far north, creating a de facto partition.

About 80 percent of the impoverished country's population is Christian, 15 percent is Muslim and five percent animist.

Earlier this year France began withdrawing some of its troops, which had numbered around 2,000 at the peak of the mission. The country's U.N. mission, MINUSCA, has been struggling to maintain order.

The French withdrawal has now been halted until after long-delayed presidential and parliamentary elections in December. A U.N. official said some MINUSCA reinforcements intended for the electoral period would be in place to help with security for the pope's visit.

(Additional reporting by Marine Pannetier in Paris and Crispin Dembassa-Kette in Bangui)

Vatican Secretary for Relations Visits Malawi, President Mutharika Commends Catholic Church

Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM) || By Prince Henderson, ECM Communications Officer || 12 November 2015

The Secretary for Relations with States of the Holy See, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher has been on a three-day official visit to Malawi where among others met President Peter Mutharika at Sanjika Palace in Blantyre who in his speech commended the Roman Catholic Church for various development projects being rendered to the Country.

Mutharika also extended his gratitude to Pope Francis for the help rendered to the country through the Church’s humanitarian and emergency relief aid during the floods that affected 15 districts.

President Mutharika commended the gesture saying government needed such complimentary efforts to reach out to the people in good time.

According to Mutharika, the Malawi government realises the important role the Roman Catholic Church plays in the socioeconomic development of the country.

“The Catholic Church has a long history of complementing democracy and meeting the social needs of the people by providing affordable education and health services,” he said.

He further acknowledged the role the Church plays in the good governance of the country, saying it complements the common mission that the Church and state have of supporting the people.

“We are indeed proud that one of the pillars of our democracy is freedom of religion and worship and for 49 years the Holy See has maintained diplomatic relations and has provided government advice,” said Mutharika.

In his remarks, Archbishop Gallagher said most countries, including Malawi, are facing many challenges and the Holy See will continue to offer its support to the country.

“The disasters, which most countries are going through, are worrisome and the Catholic Church will continue to work with the country for the good of the people,” he said.

Source:

Church in Africa Commemorates Golden Jubilee of Dei Verbum Publication

CANAA || By Fr. Don Bosco Onyalla, Nairobi || 12 November 2015

The Church in Africa is commemorating 50 years of the publication of Dei Verbum in a five-day celebration under the theme, “Dei Verbum, a Milestone in the Church (DV nr.3) – Exegetical, Theological, Spiritual, Pastoral and Ecumenical sphere in the Life of the Church in Africa.”

Dei Verbum, the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, was promulgated by Pope Paul VI on November 18, 1965 and is one of the principal documents of the Second Vatican Council.

The celebration to commemorate the golden jubilee of the document is taking place in Rwanda’s capital, Kigali. It kicked off on Tuesday, November 10 and will conclude on Saturday, November 14.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the continental celebration, the First Vice-President of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), Bishop Louis Portella Mbuyu called for new forms and means of proclaiming the word of God that would see not only the promotion of biblical apostolate but also the general evangelisation efforts of the Church in Africa.

The Director of Biblical Centre for Africa and Madagascar (BICAM), Father Yves-Lucien Evaga Ndjana took the participants through the theme of the celebration and the main issues raised in Dei Verbum.

The Archbishop of Kigali, Most Rev. Thaddeus Ntihinyurwa, the Episcopal Chairman of the Biblical Apostolate of the Conference of Rwanda, Bishop Vincent Harolimana, Bishop Philippe RUKAMBA Butare, and Bishop Antoine Kambanda of Kibungo diocese were present at the opening ceremony, which was also attended by priests, consecrated men and women, Seminarians, the laity and Ecumenical Biblical Society of Rwanda and some protestant Churches.

Other official participants included biblical exegetes, theologians, pastors and lay people from some 20 African countries and observers from a number of countries outside Africa.

Below is the Press Release on the commemoration prepared by Benedict Assorow, Director of Communications, SECAM.

SECAM Press Release, Kigali, Rwanda, November 10, 2015.

The First Vice-President of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), Bishop Louis Portella Mbuyu, has said that the celebration of the Golden Jubilee of Dei Verbum gives each and every one the opportunity to reflect on what has been achieved in the past and the great work that still lies ahead in the evangelisation effort of the Church in Africa.

Bishop Louis Portella Mbuyu made these remarks at the opening ceremony of a continental celebration to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of the publication of the Dogmatic Constitution: Dei Verbum in Kigali, Rwanda on November 10, 2015.

He said that the bishops of Africa in 2013 during their 16^th Plenary Assembly in Kinshasa DRC stressed the need to deepen evangelisation in the faithful through the biblical apostolate, justice, peace, reconciliation, Good Governance and indeed the integral human development in Africa. These areas, he said, are some of the challenges confronting Africa.

He therefore called for new forms and means of proclaiming the word of God for promoting not only the biblical apostolate but the general evangelisation efforts of the Church in Africa.

He expressed the gratitude and appreciation of SECAM to the Episcopal Conference of Rwanda for having hosted the celebration.

During the opening Eucharistic celebration Bishop Louis Portella Mbuyu, who is also the bishop of Kinkala diocese in Congo Brazzaville, stressed that it was “not enough to proclaim the word of God without putting it into practice in every Christian’s daily life.” The word of God, he added, has to be lived in every person’s daily activities and in communion with other people.

The Golden Jubilee celebration which is from November 9-14, 2015, has as its theme: Dei Verbum, a Milestone in the Church (DV nr.3)- Exegetical, Theological, Spiritual, Pastoral and Ecumenical sphere in the Life of the Church in Africa.

The Secretary General of Catholic Biblical Federation, Rev. Fr. Jan J. Stefanow, in a goodwill message noted that Dei Verbum is the Magna Carta of the Catholic Biblical Federation (CBF) in fact, he said the document gave birth to the CBF.

He appealed to bishops in Africa to give the biblical Apostolate the priority it deserves. He alluded to the recommendations of the CBF Plenary Assembly in Bogota, Columbia of 1990 which came to be fulfilled in 2008 with the holding of a synod properly on the Word of God. He also stressed the need of the Incarnate or contextualized reading of the Word of God.

For a more effective realization of the Apostolate in Africa, he recommends the decentralization of the coordination of the Biblical Apostolate. This, he elaborated could be done through the activation of the zonal coordinators to reflect local realities since Africa is large and need to be divided into zones. The vitality of CBF or that of Africa, he added, depends on the collective effort of all their members and the establishment of regional offices to support the continental Coordinator of BICAM.

Rev. Fr. Yves-Lucien Evaga Ndjana, Director of Biblical Centre for Africa and Madagascar (BICAM), took the participants through the theme of the celebration and the main issues raised in Dei Verbum.

The participants were welcomed to Kigali by the President of the Bishops’ Conference of Rwanda, Bishop Smaradge Mbonyintege, of Kabgsyi diocese. He also called for closer ecumenical collaboration on the continent particularly in the biblical apostolate.

The Opening ceremony was climaxed with the enthronement of the Word of God in the Conference Hall of St. Paul’s Centre, Kigali. This was followed by a sermon given, in the spirit of Ecumenism, by Rev. Canon Emmanuel Kayijuka, of the Anglican Church in Kigali.

Present at the ceremony was the Archbishop of Kigali, Most Rev. Thaddeus Ntihinyurwa; the Episcopal Chairman of the Biblical Apostolate of the Conference of Rwanda, Bishop Vincent Harolimana; Bishop Philippe RUKAMBA Butare; and  Bishop Antoine Kambanda, Kibungo diocese.

The official participants included Exegetes, theologians, pastors and lay people from about 20 African countries and observers from a number of countries outside Africa.

Also present were, priests, Consecrated Men and Women, Seminarians, the laity and Ecumenical Biblical Society of Rwanda and some protestant Churches.

The six-day meeting is being organised by SECAM with the support of Aid to the Church in Need and MISSIO, Aachen, Germany, two of the Partner Agencies of SECAM. It is being hosted by the Episcopal Conference of Rwanda.

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The Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) comprises the 37 National Episcopal Conferences and the eight (8) Regional Episcopal Conferences. The President of President is Most Rev. Gabriel Mblingi, Archbishop of Lubango (Angola). The first Vice-president is Most Rev. Louis Portella Mbuyu, Bishop of Kinkala (Congo Brazzaville); the second Vice-president is Most Rev.  Gabriel Yaw Anokye, Archbishop of Kumasi, (Ghana); the Secretary General  is  Rev. Fr. Joseph Komakoma. The Secretariat is based in Accra, Ghana. www. Secam.org / Sceam.org

As Pope's Visit Nears, Ugandans Fight External Push for Contraception

Catholic News Agency || By Elise Harris || 12 November 2015

One topic Ugandans expect Pope Francis to address in his upcoming visit to the country is the push by certain Western powers to enforce the use of contraception as a central means of fighting AIDS.

“A good portion of Ugandans do think that the best approach in the fight against AIDS is that of abstinence and fidelity. Abstain and be faithful,” Fr. Herman-Joseph Kalungi told journalists Oct. 30.

However, despite the strong stance many Ugandans take in favor of sexual abstinence and monogamy, the priest said that “there is external pressure on the government.”

Since Uganda is an impoverished country that depends on foreign aid, a big problem they have is that when the funds come in, “the donor influences the decisions.”

“Although many Ugandans think that abstinence and fidelity are the only sure guarantee, the only sure means of stopping the spread of AIDS, still there is a lot of pressure from outside to promote the use of condoms,” he said.

“Also in the area of reproductive health, to promote the use of contraceptives and birth control. This is mainly a problem from outside.”

Fr. Kalungi is a priest from the Ugandan diocese of Masaka, and is currently studying in Rome. He met with journalists in order to give some background on the country before Pope Francis’ visit during his Nov. 25-30 trip to Africa.

In an Oct. 30 interview with CNA, the priest said that the push for contraception is “a question of some Western forces imposing some customs, imposing some ways of living that are contrary to our culture.”

The spread of the HIV virus has been a serious problem in Uganda since the infection rate for HIV/AIDS skyrocketed in the 1980s-1990s. The country has since worked to find an effective means of both educating people on the risks, and putting a stop to the spread of the virus.

Fr. Kalungi said that the country has made headway, and has succeeded in containing the virus more in recent years.

However, while the promotion of abstinence and marital fidelity have been widely accepted, “there are a lot of immoral forces out there that, in a way is inexplicable to us, want to destroy the moral fiber of the country.”

“That is why they promote contraception, that’s why they promote homosexuality,” he said, explaining that the same approach is often taken when it comes to the problems of hunger and illness.

“Instead of helping us to grow more food, instead of helping us to establish maybe factories or to be able to get medicines…they will suggest you have less children so you don’t have the problem of hunger.”

Though a clear explanation for the pressure is lacking, “I think it’s almost evident that there are some forces out there that directly or indirectly put pressure on the Ugandan society to adopt customs and ways of living that are contrary to the moral fiber that has characterized our people until now,” the priest explained.

He said that when Pope Francis visits the country in just a few weeks’ time, Ugandans expect that he will address the issue, adding that “those that ought to listen are the frontiers of the country.”

Other challenges that currently affect Ugandan society are a lack of political unity and stability, he told journalists. After gaining independence from Britain in 1962, Uganda fell into a series of intermittent conflicts, the most recent of which is the rebellion of the Lord’s Resistance Army.

The conflicts have continued because the young, diverse country was never able to fully establish peace and stability after it gained independence, Fr. Kalungi said.

Though Uganda is experiencing a period of general peace right now, political instability is still an issue.

The country is also facing hunger, illness, and uncontrolled infections coupled with a lack of medical assistance, the priest added.  

Education has also been a big concern in the country, Fr. Kalungi said, since a large portion of the population doesn’t have the opportunity to go to school.

In light of these issues, the Church has played a major role contributing to the sector of education and medical services. Until 15 years ago when the government implemented a universal primary education system, the majority of schools were run either by the Catholic or Anglican churches.

According to Fr. Kalungi, 84 percent of Ugandans are Christian, 42 percent of whom are Catholic. Though Catholics maintain good relations with Protestant denominations, the priest said there are some small issues due to some Pentecostals who try to convince Catholics to leave the Church.

Still, the priest told CNA that excitement among the country’s Catholics is soaring high ahead of the Pope’s visit.

“Ugandans are certainly happy to have the Pope visiting them; I should say it is the third time that a Pope is visiting them and…we have longed to have this opportunity again.”

Pope Francis’ Nov. 27-29 visit to Uganda follows that of Pope Paul VI – the first Pope to visit country – in 1969, and St. John Paul II in 1993.

“It’s a great blessing and I think Ugandans are convinced that the very fact that the Pope coming will certainly bring a difference,” he said, adding that the trip isn’t just for Catholics, but will also bring hope and joy “to the heart of every Ugandan…also Anglicans and other Protestants and Muslims.”

Though the country is currently in peace, the priest said the people always need to be encouraged to work for it, and expressed his hope that Pope Francis will exhort everyone to make a continuous effort for peace, and “to reassure us that there is hope and things can be better.”

Fr. Kalungi also raised concerns surrounding some of the topics Francis brought up in his recent environmental encyclical “Laudato Si.”

Among the most urgent environmental concerns for Uganda are deforestation and the loss of the vegetation that covers the country, he said.

Poverty is largely to blame for deforestation, Fr. Kalungi said, since the local population in the affected areas frequently cut down trees for firewood, whereas other, wealthier countries have electricity.

This is the main reason that Fr. Kalungi hopes Pope Francis will speak about development in the country, as a way to attain peace and to alleviate poverty.

“In all (the) different ways to fight the question of poverty, I think that’s where the emphasis should be. Once poverty is fought it will be easier to protect the environment.”

Ugandans are also a hardworking and self-sacrificing people that have a lot of hope and joy, Fr. Kalungi said, and expressed his hope that Pope Francis sees this in the people when he comes.

“Even in the midst of greatest problems Ugandans have been able to go on…when one visits the different trading centers of the villages in the rural areas one sees the youth really working hard to lift themselves out of poverty and I think this is a great resource.”

Ugandans are also a spiritual people who “have a sense of God” inside them, he said, and refer everything to him.

“They are open to the message of the Gospel which they would like to put in practice, in spite our difficulties, our defects and our wretchedness.”

Source:

Expectation Mounts for Positive Impact ahead of Pope Francis’ Maiden Visit to Africa

CANAA || By Fr. Don Bosco Onyalla, Nairobi || 12 November 2015

As the pastoral visit of Pope Francis to Africa nears, there is mounting expectation that this trip, which will see him set foot on the continent for the very first time, will have the positive impact of transformational change to society.

In just under two weeks, Pope Francis will begin his six-day pastoral visit to three capital cities in Africa, beginning with Kenya’s capital, Nairobi from November 25-27, before proceeding to Uganda’s capital, Kampala from November 27-29 and concluding with the restive Central African Republic (CAR) from November 29-30.

Bishops mobilizing faithful in Kenya

The Catholic bishops in Kenya have high expectations of a positive impact of the Pope’s visit to the country and are mobilizing the Christian faithful in their dioceses to be part of the pilgrims during the open air Papal Eucharistic celebration.

Virtually all buses belonging to Catholic institutions in the 25 Kenyan dioceses will be involved in transporting pilgrims to the high point of the Pope’s visit to the country, the open air Papal mass slated for Thursday, November 26 at the Nairobi University grounds.

Three Kenyan bishops shared with Waumini News Today of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) about the preparations they are making for the faithful from their dioceses to travel to Nairobi during the Pope’s visit as well as their expectations for the visit.

Bishop Joseph Obanyi Sagwe of Kakamega diocese said that as the first country in Africa that Pope Francis is visiting, “we all feel that he is coming with a message that is going to transform all of us, not just Catholics but all Kenyans, that we must not be left the same after he goes.”

He said that there will be more than 20 buses bringing pilgrims to Nairobi from his diocese, explaining, “His coming inspires us, it motivates us so that we can become a better society.”

Bishop Anthony Ireri Mukobo of Isiolo diocese shared about the challenge of border, ethnic and religious conflicts his diocese faces and expressed the confidence that Pope Francis is coming “with a message of peace to unite not just the Catholics but to unite our nation.”

“We are very very happy, very excited, not just Catholics only, but also non-Catholics who are planning to come in big numbers,” Bishop Ireri went on to say.

Meanwhile, Bishop Dominic Kimengich of Lodwar diocese described the long awaited Pope’s visit as “a great blessing,” which means a lot for the country.

He said that although not many from his diocese will be able to travel to Nairobi because of distance, his entire diocese of Lodwar will be united in prayer during this special visit of the Holy Father.

Film festival in Uganda

Besides the last-minute preparations of the visit of the Holy Father to Uganda such as the building and renovations of the holy shrines, roads, pavements, and painting of buildings, analysts in Uganda have expressed the need for more initiatives and action following the Pope’s visit.

“Whereas the visible makeovers are good for the image of the country, there is something more important Uganda can gain from the Pope’s visit: embracing the spirit of Francis’ papacy,” Uganda’s Daily Monitor stated in its editorial column.

Some of the areas to be positively influenced by “the spirit of Francis’ papacy” in Uganda include “revolutionary reforms in its power tiers,” corruption, gender inclusivity, and participatory leadership among others.

“Uganda also faces disparities that should be bridged, especially the gap between the haves and have-nots, employed and unemployed, those who have no access to healthcare as some people fly abroad to treat simple ailments, among other things,” the editorial indicated adding, “Pope Francis is a symbol of compassion so we should emulate him by getting rid of these disparities.”

Meanwhile, the Catholic Bishops in Uganda have invited the general public to a free-entry three-day Film Festival to prepare citizens “for the visit of His Holiness Pope Francis to Uganda and to appreciate his ministry as a shepherd of God’s People.”

The festival whose theme is, “Experiencing our shared Humanity through the lens of the Film,” will take place at sharing Hall, Nsambya, daily from November 23-25, starting from at 3 p.m.

The screening of the films will be facilitated by a panel of film experts from Rome, Zanzibar and Uganda.

In CAR, Church leaders look forward to the visit by Pope Francis to their restive country in the hope that the trip will have a positive impact.

Announcing the visit of the Pope to their country, the Catholic bishops in CAR said, “The various crises in recent years that have shaken our country, the Central African Republic, have tremendously upset peace and social cohesion.”

“Pope Francis has not remained indifferent to what has happened to us,” CAR Bishops acknowledged, adding the Pope “has decided to visit our country to sympathize with us and to pray with us, so that the Lord may grant us his blessing and help us out of this huge crisis in a more permanent way.”

Central African leaders say, despite security concerns, pope will visit

By Catholic News Service

Church leaders in Central African Republic said the pope's Nov. 29-30 visit will go ahead, despite warnings that international peacekeepers may be unable to ensure his safety.

"We're full of hope the Holy Father's presence will bring great benefits by enabling our people to achieve reconciliation; we must respond to this opportunity," said Msgr. Cyriaque Gbate Doumalo, secretary-general of the bishops' conference. "The whole population is now actively preparing itself, and we think we can maintain security at least in the capital, Bangui. For the moment, there's no reason or justification to place the visit in doubt."

On Nov. 11, media reported that French government officials had asked the Vatican to postpone or shorten the two-day visit, after an upsurge of violence left at least 61 dead and 30,000 people displaced.

In a Nov. 12 Catholic News Service interview, Msgr. Doumalo said the Vatican's Bangui-based nuncio, Archbishop Franco Coppola, had assured church leaders and security officials at a Nov. 11 meeting the pope would come, "despite current anxieties," adding that African military commanders had pledged to reinforce their 9,000-strong U.N.-backed peacekeeping forces for the event.

"Everything has been agreed and prepared in minute detail for the Holy Father's arrival, and we've no alternative contingency plans," Msgr. Doumalo told CNS.

"We can't talk about postponing the visit, since the security teams and working commissions have all done their work. Much of the violence is taking place hundreds of kilometers away, so it can't be seen as an attempt to sabotage the pilgrimage."

Speaking in Dakar, Senegal, Nov. 10, French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said his government had postponed a planned autumn reduction of its 900-strong peacekeeping contingent until after the Central African Republic's December-January elections, and he counted on its provisional rulers to create a national army "without clans, tribes and religions."

However, Agence France-Presse said Nov. 11 a Paris official had admitted French troops would not "have the means to ensure security" or manage large crowds during the papal visit. The official added that the government of President Francois Hollande now favored canceling the pilgrimage or reducing it to "a few hours only."

"We've let the pope know his arrival in the CAR will carry high risks for himself, and particularly for hundreds of thousands of pilgrims coming from Cameroon, Chad and the Congo," the Defense Ministry official, who asked to remain anonymous, told AFP. "Our own forces can secure the airport and provide a medical evacuation capacity for the authorities in case of an accident. But they cannot go any further."

On Nov. 7, Bangui Archbishop Dieudonne Nzapalainga, bishops' conference president, told Germany's Deutsche Welle broadcaster his country faced "a vicious circle of anger and hatred, violence and revenge," and had to achieve disarmament and re-establish law and justice to "stop certain people thinking they can do anything."

"It's like a game of ping-pong: You kill, I kill, as we all descend into death and desolation," the archbishop said.

"We know the pope is close to us, the poor and unfortunate Central Africans, and will bring comfort and show solidarity, telling us it's time to set aside our personal and political quarrels, the barbarism and hatred. When he opens the Holy Door in Bangui, he'll also be opening a door into our hearts, and giving us spiritual, human and political support," the archbishop said.

Central African Republic has been the scene of violence since Islamists suspended the constitution in March 2013. The National Reconciliation Forum, convened by the transitional parliament in May, has brought armed factions together in preparations for the end-of-year elections and a constitutional referendum.

Before visiting Central African Republic, Pope Francis will visit Kenya and Uganda.

A New Bishop Appointed for Kribi Diocese in Cameroon

CANAA || By Fr. Don Bosco Onyalla, Nairobi || 09 November 2015

Pope Francis has appointed Father Damase Zinga Atangana as the new bishop of Kribi in Cameroon, succeeding Bishop Joseph Befe Ateba who passed on in June 2014 having been the first bishop of the diocese.

The Bishop-elect, 51, is a native of Nkog Bong in Cameroon. He was ordained a priest in 1992.

He holds a doctorate in moral theology and a diploma in history and science of religions from the University of Charles de Gaulle in Lille, Northern France.

He has served in a number of roles in the diocese of Obala, Cameroon, including rector of the minor seminary, vicar general, parish priest, and diocesan chaplain.

Until his appointment on Friday, November 6, the Bishop-elect was the Vicar General of Obala diocese located in the Ecclesiastical province of Yaounde in Cameroon.

According to Vatican Information Service, the diocese of Kribi, also located in the Ecclesiastical province of Yaounde, has a population of 150,000, with 85,000 Catholics, 44 priests, and 17 religious.

Kribi diocese was split off from the diocese of Ebolowa-Kribi in June 2008.

Catholic Church in Ethiopia Encourages Partners to Support Emergency Response Efforts

CANAA || By Makeda Yohannes, Ethiopian Catholic Bishops' Conference || 09 November 2015

The two-day annual coordination meeting bringing together representatives of the Ethiopia Catholic Church (ECC) and Partners which concluded last Friday saw the Church encourage partners to support efforts toward emergency response.

The 5-6 November meeting took place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, under the theme, “Partners and ECC Diocesan Institutional Accompaniment for Development and Emergency Response.”

In his opening remarks Cardinal Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel, CM, the Archbishop of Addis Ababa and President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Ethiopia said that the annual meetings were an opportunity for the ECC and partners to share success stories of past endeavors and plan for better achievements in the future.

The Cardinal reminded the meeting that currently the Federal Government of Ethiopia had declared that almost 8.2 million people were facing food shortage and were in need of immediate humanitarian support. He said that the environmental impact for this crisis in Ethiopia is evident. He stressed further that humanity is suffering from catastrophes resulting from human behavior related to the misuse of the environment.

Cardinal Berhaneyesus said that the Church and its partners should collaborate in combating environment degradation and its impact on people.

“We must commit our efforts to protecting and preserving the earth and its resources for our own benefit and for the survival of humanity. In our cosmos everything is interconnected and interdependent. We are part and parcel of nature. We are called to combat climate change, preserve the natural environment and provide to those in need with respect and dignity what they need materially,” he said.

The current food security situation and emergency appeal intervention plan was also discussed during the meeting. The Ethiopian Catholic Church Social and Development Commission (ECC SDCO) is collaborating with partners in providing an emergency response to those who are affected by the drought. It was discussed that the emergency situation would require a coordinated effort and significant resources due to the fact that vast areas in 9 Dioceses were affected by the situation.

Partners of the Ethiopian Catholic Church from different parts of the world and in Ethiopia, Diocesan directors and Development coordination of the Diocesan offices were in attendance.

Pope Commends Tunisian Nobel Peace Prize Winners for Working with 'Hearts'

Zenit || By Staff Reporter || 09 November 2015

Pope Francis met privately with the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize winners on Saturday, calling them “architects of peace.”

According to Vatican Radio, Pope Francis met for 15 minutes with Mohamed Fadhel Mahfoudh, Abdessatar Ben Moussa, Wided Bouchamaoui, and Houcine Abbassi on Saturday morning. 

Commending them for the methodology they used for dialogue and bringing stability to Tunisia, the Pontiff said the Nobel Laureates accomplished their work “with their hands and their hearts.”

The 2015 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet, for what the Nobel Committee called "its decisive contribution to the building of a pluralistic democracy in Tunisia in the wake of the Jasmine Revolution of 2011."

The four winners who make up the quartet represented the Tunisian General Labor Union; the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts; the Tunisian Human Rights League, and the Tunisian Order of Lawyers. After a series of political assassinations in 2013, these organizations all contributed to establishing a new constitution and facilitating presidential elections last year. 

The Nobel Laureates gave him a portrait of Mahatma Gandhi, thanked the Holy Father for receiving them, and called the Pope a “true man of peace.” 

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Church in Kenya Looks beyond Papal Visit for Legacy, Muslims in Uganda Ready to Welcome Pope Francis

CANAA || By Fr. Don Bosco Onyalla, Nairobi || 09 November 2015

The Catholic Church in Kenya is looking beyond the long-awaited pastoral visit of Pope Francis to the country, his first on the African continent, soliciting for funds toward “the realization of the Papal Legacy Projects targeting underprivileged members of our society.”

Soon after his election as Pope in March 2013, Pope Francis maintained that he wished to have what he described as a “poor Church, for the poor,” and has continually expressed solidarity with the poor, requiring of Church leaders to “be shepherds with the smell of sheep.”

The plans by the Catholic Bishops in Kenya to establish projects benefiting the poor was part of the updates on the preparations of the Pope’s visit given on Sunday, November 8, by Bishop Alfred Rotich who is the Chairman of the Secretariat of the Pope’s visit under the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB).

Bishop Rotich called on Kenyans to continue contributing financially toward the visit of the Pope, explaining that the intended projects targeting the poor in society will “ensure that the benefits of this Apostolic Voyage outlast the Holy Father’s visit and touches the lives of the most vulnerable, who are closest to God’s heart.”

He went on to welcome those willing to contribute in kind as volunteers in providing various services saying, “We need volunteers in ushering, first-aid services, transportation, accommodation and meals for pilgrims and other visitors during the Papal visit.”

The full text of Bishop Rotich’s statement is available here.

Bishop Rotich shared a podium with State House Spokesperson, Manoah Esipisu at Nairobi’s Harambee House.

Mr. Esipisu also gave updates on how the Kenyan government is preparing to receive the Holy Father, beginning with a statement on “the government’s close partnership with the Church in working to pull off a very successful experience for the Pope on this, his first visit to the continent as Head of the 1.2 billion-strong Catholic Church.”

He sought to calm any anxieties over insecurity during the Papal visit saying “security agencies continue to fine-tune plans to secure the city during a particularly busy period, and when we expect Nairobi’s population to swell by an additional one million people.”

“The Kenya Police Service, the Kenya Prisons, the National Youth Service are among agencies mobilizing for the event,” State House Spokesperson revealed and added, “Tentatively, some 10,000 police officers will be deployed. Additionally, 10,000 young people from NYS will be involved in crowd management.”

“Unlike the visit by President Barack Obama when the government encouraged Kenyans to stay home, we are encouraging Kenyans to flock into the city in their numbers to cheer the Pope and celebrate mass with him,” he said.

Pope Francis will arrive in Nairobi on Wednesday, November 25 and will leave for Kampala, Uganda on Friday, November 27 and later for Bangui in Central African Republic (CAR) on Sunday, November 29.

Prayer toward the Papal visit in Kenya

The Church in Kenya has published and distributed a prayer ahead of the Pope’s pastoral visit, in both English and Swahili. Here is the English version of the prayer:

Almighty and ever-living Father, you chose your servant Pope Francis as the successor of Apostle Peter and the shepherd of your flock.

Look favorably, we pray, on his pastoral visit to our nation Kenya, inspire us to receive him well.

May your Holy Spirit enlighten our minds and hearts to be generous and receptive to his message and encouragement.

Grant that he may be for us, your people, a visible bond of unity, which brings healing and reconciliation, love and peace, so that in you, shepherd of souls, all may know the truth and attain eternal life.

Amen.

Muslims Ready to Receive the Pope in Uganda

The Muslim community in Uganda has expressed readiness to join the Catholic community in welcoming the Holy Father to the country.

“We have no problem whatsoever with the Pope’s visit, since we currently enjoy cordial relations with the Christian community, including Catholics,” The head of communication and information at the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC) headquarters at Old Kampala, Hajj Nsereko Mutumba has been quoted as saying.

In a report by Uganda’s Daily Monitor, Hajj Mutumba outlined the common experiences of both Christians and Muslims in Uganda saying, “We all face the same problems; poverty, illiteracy, HIV/Aids, malaria and other health hazards don’t target a particular religion, but attack us all together, a reason we must work together to get rid of them.”

Meanwhile, Kampala’s Archbishop emeritus, Emmanuel Cardinal Wamala has described the Pope’s visit to his country as “a real sign pointing us to something.”

“The visit of Pope Francis to Uganda is a sign. His visit is a real sign pointing us to something…this great man, this busy man, this person who seems to be loved by everyone and who loves everyone…what message is he bringing to us in Uganda?” Cardinal Wamala has been quoted as speaking on Catholic Radio Sapientia in Uganda.

Cardinal Wamala who has witnessed the Apostolic Visits of Blessed Pope Paul VI in 1969 and that of Pope St. John Paul II in 1993 to his country will turn 89 in December.

“I hope that Pope Francis finds me still alive. Like everyone else I am eagerly waiting for this visit with great excitement,” Cardinal Wamala has been quoted as saying.

Methodist Bishop: Boko Haram Cannot be Defeated by Force Alone

Vatican Radio || 05 November 2015

Force along cannot end the Boko Haram insurgency in north-eastern Nigeria.

This according to Chibuzo Raphael Opoko, a bishop of the Methodist Church of Nigeria, who spoke at a meeting of the Global Christian Forum taking place this week in Tirana, Albania.

The meeting was discussing discrimination and persecution of Christians around the world.

Boko Haram has been carrying out attacks in Nigeria for over five years, in which thousands have been killed.

“Since the new government [of President Muhammadu Buhari] came, there have been reduced activities – tensions and bombings – of Boko Haram,” Bishop Opoko said.

“Not that it is non-existent, but I know the federal government said it gave the military authorities until December of this year to end the insurgency caused by Boko Haram,” he said.

However, Bishop Opoko told Vatican Radio the use of force cannot defeat an idea.

“Issues of faith, issues of belief, can never be halted by force, or by counter-violence,” he said. “Issues of faith are issues of dialogue. Issues of faith are issues of presenting insight and knowledge, issues of bringing about education of the people, so they can have an enlightenment.”

Bishop Opoko said the fact young Muslims often do not attend schools in the north of the country causes problems.

“The situation we you have what is called the Al-Majālis: a group of young people who will never go to a school - who will never be exposed to a school – and they are there, and at the end of the day they become vessels in the house of Boko Haram,” he said.

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Dozens of African Nuns Graduate in Finance and Administration at a Nairobi-based Institute

CANAA || By Sr. Scholastica Kaliki, OSB and Sr. Immaculate Tusingwire, MMM || 05 November 2015

The multi-purpose hall of Chemichemi Institute of Religious Formation in Nairobi was fully packed as sisters, priests and lay people gathered to witness the graduation ceremony of 108 religious sisters belonging to different religious congregations.

The sisters who graduated had completed a two-year course in Finance and administration, having gained skills in accounting, management, human resource, stewardship and accountability, project proposal and project management, project monitoring and project evaluation, Strategic planning, among others.

The Saturday, October 31 colourful event was the third graduation ceremony of the Sisters’ Leadership Development Initiative (SLDI) program under the auspices of the Association of Sisterhood of Kenya (AOSK) who own the Chemichemi Centre.

SLDI program has been spearheaded by the African Sisters Education Collaborative (ASEC), with the financial support of the Hilton Foundation.

The Guest of Honor at the graduation ceremony, Dr. Jane Farr flew of the U.S-based Hilton Foundation expressed her joy over the achievement of the sisters who were graduating.

“Now the sisters are empowered with leadership skills and financial competences and are ready to share the new life in their apostolates and communities,” Dr. Farr remarked.

She further said that as a result of the competences acquired by the nuns, the new relationship and support network had been formed, assuring ASEC that the Hilton foundation will continue to fund the program.

ASEC members “believe that education is the key to assisting African nations in their quest for economic development and self-sufficiency” and have the goal “to contribute significantly to increased access to education in Africa by helping to educate women religious and enabling them to acquire necessary credentials for teaching, healthcare, spiritual or social service ministries in their countries.”

Dr. Farr emphasized the fact that the certificates the African nuns were receiving were signs of their empowerment and readiness to go out and empower others with confidence, building their congregations and the entire society.

The nuns expressed their gratitude for the support they received throughout the duration of their course and promised to put in practice the skills acquired at the institute.

To make the sisters IT conversant, each graduating sister received a laptop to enhance their ministry.

The Eucharistic celebration was presided over by Father Stephen Mukami, a Spiritan Missionary.

Members of a Prominent Missionary Institute in South Sudan Urge Government to Address Deteriorating Insecurity

CANAA || By Fr. Don Bosco Onyalla, Nairobi || 05 November 2015

A section of Comboni Missionaries in South Sudan, a religious and missionary institute that pioneered evangelization in Sudan and South Sudan, has expressed deep concerns over insecurity, which is negatively affecting the work of evangelization.

Through a letter intended for the local government authorities of Lakes State including those at the grassroots, Comboni missionaries ministering in Mapuordit mission of the Catholic diocese of Rumbek have asked government security agents to take decisive measure to arrest the worsening security situation within their mission territory.

“The main purpose of this letter is to ask the authorities and Elders of this village, Payam, County and State, to make some real effort to address the situation of deterioration which we see all around us,” the missionaries stated.

The missionaries give the example of Father Placide Majambo who “suffered a gunshot to the back, during an ambush of the hospital vehicle well marked as such” on September 11, 2015.

“We are writing to you from our heart of each member of our Comboni Community presently assigned in Mapuordit,” the distressed missionaries share in the letter, adding, “It comes at a time when each one of us is troubled, challenged and feeling deeply discouraged by the recent shocking events which so violently touched our own Comboni Community.”

The mission was established in 1993.

The full text of the letter is here below, also available at:

http://www.combonisouthsudan.org/index.php/1481-comboni-missionaries-urge-authorities-to-address-deteriorating-insecurity-in-lakes-state

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY OF MAPUORDIT AND THE DIOCESE OF RUMBEK

Mapuordit, 1st November 2015.

We, the Comboni Missionaries community of Mapuordit, felt to write to you as the entire community of Mapuordit since you are the people to whom we are directly offering our Christian service together with other pastoral agents involved in this area. We are writing to you from our heart of each member of our Comboni Community presently assigned in Mapuordit. It comes at a time when each one of us is troubled, challenged and feeling deeply discouraged by the recent shocking events which so violently touched our own Comboni Community. Even worse, observing also the gradual disintegration of the peaceful community which we have long laboured and strived for during the last 22 years. Our hearts are deeply wounded and so we need to share these feelings with you, our brothers and sisters in Christ.

At this point we should say that although this letter is an initiative of our own Comboni Missionaries Community, we also have the full sympathy and support of our Comboni Provincial Superior in South Sudan, Fr. Daniel Moschetti, and the other members of our Mapuordit Apostolic Community, namely the OLSH Sisters and the Spiritan Fathers, and we are extremely grateful to them for their valued presence alongside us.

Most people within the Diocese and the Lakes State, would be aware and would daily feel and experience the increasing level of lawlessness and tribal conflict which is literally tearing apart the fabric of family life, relationships, normal social interactions, free movement, and even safe access to educational and health facilities and occasions for worship and celebration of the Sacraments. And this is more evident also in our area of Mapuordit with violent clashes between different clans.

Despite our presence here since 1993, and the toil and effort put into those 22 years, the outcomes is not so bright. People living on the outskirts of the village are not comfortable to sleep in their own homes at night and there are many such families who nightly uproot themselves, coming into the town area, or seeking a safe night’s sleep inside either the school or hospital compounds. The Hospital now has a permanent group of 6 community police, stationed there by the Payam Administrator, with a mandate to protect the hospital at night from the threat of attack by the current aggressors. 

The incident which has caused us this present anguish and sense of disappointment, as well as deep spiritual confrontation, is the very recent one in which on 11/9/15 our assistant Parish Priest, Fr. Placide Majambo, suffered a gunshot to the back, during an ambush of the hospital vehicle well marked as such, and very well known and recognised by the people who live along the route we travel so often back and forth to Rumbek. 

This was just such an occasion, a routine hospital trip to Rumbek, where, on the return journey, in the area near to Makur Agar, a group of 3 armed men stepped out from the tall grass and tried to make the driver stop, by pointing their guns at the front of the car.  Our driver sped off, but as the car passed the bandits, they shot through the back window and Fr. Placide was seriously wounded. Some few days later he was medically evacuated to Nairobi, where he was admitted to Nairobi hospital and underwent delicate surgery to remove the retained bullet in his chest back.

We thank the Lord for the protection has given to Fr. Placide who could be killed on the spot without any reason. At this time, Fr. Placide is undergoing treatment and recovering his spiritual energy and motivations to be back in Mapuordit.  We need the local community to be aware that even at this moment of distress and shock, when we called on support from the local authorities to assist in providing a security escort for the trip to Akot to take Fr. Placide and Br. Hernan who accompanied him, to the airstrip to meet the plane, there were certain “money conditions” demanded from those asked for this service. This was indeed a great shock to us, and led us to feel quite unsupported and disrespected.

As Missionaries, we offer our life of service freely to the community to which we are assigned without the wish for any personal gain, but at the human level, we feel there should also be some genuine display of solidarity, support and closeness from the community when such an incident occurs. We also hope that for our efforts, we would see some signs of community building. We cannot help but feel deeply troubled and sorry for the people with whom we live and with whom we share our lives.

The main purpose of this letter is to ask the authorities and Elders of this village, Payam, County and State, to make some real effort to address the situation of deterioration which we see all around us. How do we see this effort being addressed?

1. We wish for the community to at least show respect for the work we are doing here, to collaborate in respecting and supporting the property and the normal running of the Mission - hospital, schools, pastoral centre. To put pressure on the community to show responsibility in contributing also financially to the service offered for caring for the various boreholes around the area, to have them mended when broken, and not to continually look at the Mission as the source of water, food, education, health services all the things which each family should try to supply for themselves. We are trying and struggling to do our part, but the community of Mapuordit need to show more commitment from the side of each individual, families and the Local and State authorities.

2. We want the appropriate authority to lobby at government level for a movement of disarmament in Lakes State. Too many guns are visible everywhere and in the hands of everybody in Mapuordit and in all the Lakes State. We want the authorities to ensure the security of every person in Mapuordit and the wider community. If this means bringing an armed guard to the area, then it should be done.

3. We would welcome a discussion at the appropriate level of Government and Local Authority in regard to increasing security for the area.

Finally, we want to assure the people of this area that we remain at their service, and we do offer our daily prayerful thanks for those in the Christian and wider community who really strive to build a new Mapuordit, a new State and Nation in the ways that they can. However, at the same time we would really hope for some positive outcome and further discussions from this letter and for signs that change for the better the lives of the people of Mapuordit.

Yours in Christ,

Comboni Missionaries Community of Mapuordit

C.c. Governor Lakes State

C.c. Commissioner. Yirol West County

C.c. Mapuordit Payam Administrator

C.c. Paramount Chief Mapuordit

C.c. Comboni Provincial Superior - Fr. Daniele Moschetti - Juba

C.c. OLSH Sisters – Mapuordit

C.c. Spiritans Fathers – Minor Seminary Mapuordit

C.c. Director Primary School – Mapuordit

C.c. Principal Secondary School – Mapuordit

C.c. Director Hospital Mary Immaculate - Mapuordit

Kenyan Bishop Calls for Responsible Journalism Ahead of Pope Francis’ Visit: Interview

CANAA || By Fr. Don Bosco Onyalla, Nairobi || 05 November 2015

The Chairman of the Commission for Social Communications of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB), Bishop Joseph Obanyi Sagwe has called for responsible journalism ahead of the visit of Pope Francis to the country in just over a fortnight.

Bishop Obanyi made the call in an exclusive interview with CANAA on Thursday in Nairobi.

“We would like to urge the media to as much as possible present what helps the people through the message and presence of the Holy Father, to help them (the people) grow a step higher in their faith, in their lives, and resist the temptation of misrepresenting those issues that can kill the faith of the people,” Bishop Obanyi told CANAA.

He further said that all the TV channels and radios in Kenya will be at the service of the message of Pope Francis when he will be in the country, adding that the communication department responsible for this Papal visit has “engaged a consortium of communication companies, the best that there are (in Kenya)” to facilitate the delivery of the Pope’s message to the general public.

“We are going to install public address systems and TV screens” in the parks close to Nairobi University grounds during the Papal open air mass.

Bishop Obanyi who is the Local Ordinary of Kakamega diocese is in Nairobi for the KCCB Plenary Assembly, which is discussing the Papal visit among other issues of national concern.

KCCB Chairman, Bishop Philip Anyolo has scheduled a Press Conference on Friday morning, November 6, at the conclusion of the Kenya Bishops’ Plenary Assembly.

The Press Conference will be held at Nairobi University Grounds, the venue of the open air Papal mass slated for November 26.

Here is the full interview with Bishop Obanyi, the ordinary of the Catholic diocese of Kakamega in Kenya.

CANAA: What is your responsibility in the process of preparing for the Pope’s pastoral visit?

Bishop Obanyi: In line with the Commission for Social Communications in the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops, we are tasked with the responsibility of making it (Papal visit) known, and also advertising the coming of the Pope. This is what we are diffusing into the dioceses so that we encourage the Catholic faithful and people of good will from all over Kenya that this visit is not just a visit of a person as an individual but really a spiritual shepherd, whose message and whose presence among us encourages and strengthens the faith of the people. As Communications Commission, we have this responsibility of letting known and encouraging all the Catholics to turn up and people of good will to receive the Pope.

CANAA: How are you going about this task of publicizing the Papal visit?

Bishop Obanyi: My task is to coordinate information and communication among the bishops so that the coordination in the dioceses is done harmoniously. We have radios like Waumini Radio and radios that other dioceses have established and our Catholic publications. We have also reached out to the secular media, the newspapers, the radios, the TVs. We are using every communication media possible so that we can reach all people in Kenya in communicating about the visit of Pope Francis.

CANAA: Over 1 million people are expected to attend the Papal open air mass. How will such a crowd follow Pope’s mass?

Bishop Obanyi: Yes, that is quite a challenge. We already could see that right from the beginning. We realize that communication is very important because the message of the Holy Father must reach all the people and they (people) must have that first contact.

We have engaged a consortium of communication companies, the best that there are (in Kenya). We are going to have mass at the Nairobi University Grounds, with the spill over to the Central Park and Uhuru Park. We are going to install public address systems and TV screens in all these parks so that people are able to follow even when they cannot be near the Holy Father because of the space that is limited.

All the TV channels and radios in Kenya are going to be at the service of the message of the Holy Father. We are confident that all Kenyans are going to have a first contact with the Holy Father.

CANAA: Give some updates about the process of accrediting journalists to cover this special event.

Bishop Obanyi: The Communications Commission is already doing that. We already have journalists from the Vatican and other international media journalists who are coming. The committee that has been identified to coordinate the facilitation of the accreditation of all the journalists from different communication channels from different parts of the world is doing this.

CANAA: There can be message propaganda ahead of such a special visit of a world leader through the various media channels. Would you sound some caution to media houses in this regard?

Bishop Obanyi: That is a very important point to note. As a Catholic Church, there is the need to teach people toward responsible media and reporting. We would like to urge the media to as much as possible present what helps the people through the message and presence of the Holy Father, to help them (the people) grow a step higher in their faith, in their lives, and resist the temptation of misrepresenting those issues that can kill the faith of the people.

The Holy Father is coming to strengthen us and to confirm us in our faith. That is the bottom-line. Any other issue that comes out of it must always be in line with what the message and the mission of the Pope is. The rest is for another day.

CANAA: What word do you have for Catholic media houses in reporting about this Papal visit?

Bishop Obanyi: Thank God we have the Catholic media because even when issues may be misrepresented, we have a Catholic media that is well informed and that will bring out the message the way it is supposed to be and also help the people to move forward. We depend on and really wish that the Catholic media is on the frontline to teach us what the visit of the Pope is all about.

CANAA: Any other message ahead of this special visit?

Bishop Obanyi: We are very privileged to welcome and to host the Pope; for the first time Pope Francis on the African soil in Kenya. Therefore, I would urge all Catholics of all walks of life and from all parts of the country to turn up in large numbers. Let us welcome our Pope. And let us get the spiritual benefits that we all need at this point in time.

New Bishop Ordained for Makeni Diocese in Sierra Leone

Vatican Radio || 31 October 2015

The Episcopal Ordination of the Most Reverend Natale Paganelli was celebrated on Saturday morning (October 31st) in Makeni city, in northern Sierra Leone.

The ceremony was presided over by Archbishop Miroslaw Adamczyk, Apostolic Nuncio in Liberia, Sierra Leone and The Gambia, assisted by the President of the Bishops’ conference of Sierra Leone and Gambia, Most Rev. Patrick Koroma of Kenema Diocese and Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Makeni, Most Rev. George Biguzzi.

On July 18th this year, Pope Francis elevated the former Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Makeni to the rank of a Bishop and assigned him the titular see of Gadiaufala.

Bishop Natale or Natalio Paganelli as he is known in the diocese, is a member of the Xaverian Missionaries. He was born in Grignano di Brembate, in the Diocese of Bergamo, Italy on December 24, 1956. He was ordained a priest on December 25, 1980 in Parma.

After his ordination he spent some twenty years in mission in Mexico before going to Sierra Leone in 2005.

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African Prelate Suggests Solution for Filling Pews around World

Zenit || By Deborah Castellano Lubov || October 2015

The churches in certain parts of the world are too empty on Sunday morning, and pastors from those regions wonder what can be done about it. Well, one prelate, who comes from a continent where empty churches is not the problem -- Africa -- says there is a way that he thinks will fill them.

In an exclusive interview with ZENIT last week in the Vatican, Archbishop Charles Palmer Buckle of Accrau, Ghana, said if people welcome the novelty brought by their missionaries, rather than urging them to conform, then not only there will be a surge in Church participation and Mass attendance, but the Universal Church will be enriched.

In the interview, the African archbishop recalls Pope Benedict's description of the Church in Africa as the "spiritual lung of humanity." He also predicts that Pope Francis' Apostolic Visit to Kenya, Uganda, and Central African Republic, Nov. 25-30, will bring a greater sense of unity to the continent, and he shares his hope that the Holy Father will come back to visit the fastest growing Church in the world very soon after the end of the 2015 trip.

The archbishop also speaks to ZENIT about the family in Africa, especially challenges for young couples, whose heads are often turned by media’s distortion of family values.

Archbishop Palmer-Buckle also points out that Africa, as the fastest growing Church in the world, needs tangible support, including institutions, especially while such structures in other parts of the world remain unused and empty.

***

ZENIT: Africans have had a good representation in the synod, what do you feel African bishops and participants have brought?

Archbishop Palmer-Buckle:  You can see that culturally -- because most of the African prelates were formed in Europe and America -- we are bringing a richness that comes from two different cultural perspectives. What is our own African, cultural perspective. And what is the cultural perspective of the French, or Germans or Italians or Spanish and so on.  So I would say we are contributing to the universal Church in a very universal way. We are bringing our own, in addition to what we have acquired in terms of cultural richness.

ZENIT: Is there something you believe, regarding the family, is most important to African bishops?

Archbishop Palmer-Buckle: In fact, for us in Africa, the family is so crucial. Already in 1994, at the special assembly of the synod of bishops for Africa, we already chose what we call ‘Church as family.’ So already at that time, we had chosen to develop our Church as family, mainly because family, as a concept, as an institution, speaks to us, from the depths of our culture, anthropologically, spiritually, philosophically, religiously. So yes, we chose this in 1994.Then already in 2009, when we were here for the second special assembly for Africa of the synod of bishops, Pope Emeritus, Pope Benedict XVI, made a prophetic statement that Africa is ‘the spiritual lung of humanity,’ already at the opening Mass, and then in his post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation, Africae Munus. He puts it in twice, as a development, that we would have to contribute strongly to Africa and the Holy Mother Church. So for us, coming to participate in the synod for the family, is like bringing coal to new castle. We are here to share. We have been here sharing from our own experience, from our own cultural perspectives, but we are open and here to listen to what the family means to Europeans, Asians, Latin Americans, to people from North America. We are listening very attentively because we would like to avoid the pitfalls that families in these so-called advanced countries have fallen into. We would like also to help them look at families from its beautiful, original perspective. You maybe use primitive in the sense of traditional, original perspective. So we believe we are being enriched and we are enriching also, all the other participants.

ZENIT: What do you believe is the biggest problem facing families in Ghana?

Archbishop Palmer-Buckle: Definitely, most of our families in Africa are young people, because this is a continent where more than 65% of our population is less than 35 years of age. So two-thirds of the African population is young. So if you would take from when they are 18, about when they get married, to about 45… it means the family is crucial to everything in Africa, to education, to religious formation of the people, to the cultural development of the people, to the social, political and economic aspects…So I would say, in Ghana, my biggest worry is how to help the people who marry. Know that Christian marriage is different from our traditional mentality of marriage, we admit there are some issues, like polygamy and other things. But also we need to help our young people who are getting married. [We need to] bring that cultural richness of family, love for for children, love for a more extended relationship, so it is not just father, mother, and children, but also for grandparents, for uncles, for aunties, and even for people who may not be from the same clan, but have been adopted into the family. 

My worry is how to help them keep the wealth of Christian marriage and Christian families, and at the same time the deeply Christian values that are also found in the African understanding of marriage and the family life. Definitely, because of poverty, because of lack of education, because of weak Christian values in many aspects, our young people are going through many challenges, because of the media. The media has become a component of the formation of the young people. So we will have to see how to use the media positively to influence the formation, education, the Christian understanding of doctrine and faith, and also to help them learn to avoid the negative influence of the media culture.

ZENIT: Could you explain specifically what things the media is doing incorrectly?

Archbishop Palmer-Buckle: A lot of the media is West, and when they speak about family, it is only father, mother, children, and they are presenting other, sorry to say, unacceptable forms of family. They present often too many freedoms of the woman and man and even of the children, which can bring about disintegration of the family. Often it stresses self-centered  over self-sacrifice, and individualism to the destruction of the individuality. They ignore what makes a family a family, namely that it is a school of formation, of education, of where we learn to forgive, where we learn to live with differences.

The media at times suggests, if it’s hard, just quit. It leads to a defeatist attitude, a certain aggressiveness. It does not lead to solidarity and collaboration, but more to a detriment of these true familial elements. Those are some of the negative western media influences which make it harder for our young people to get married and stay in marriages and use that also to bring their contributions to society, because society is a bigger family, where we have many of the same aims.

ZENIT: What are the biggest difficulties the Church in Africa faces?

Archbishop Palmer-Buckle: Let's put it this way. The Church in Africa is growing very fast, and therefore will need a lot of help to put together the needed institutions to facilitate that growth, such as seminaries, Catholic universities. We need a lot of help from these countries which have these facilities, which, unfortunately, many are lying empty. They bring a lot of our people, many here to Europe, to teach in seminaries, to be in the parishes, etc., for them to share and bring the African mentality and values. Bringing the teaching from the African philosophy, African anthropology, African sociology, African spirituality, and the rest. To bring our contribution to the Universal Church.

Another thing that sometimes we are not happy about is that there are many African missionaries in Europe and America already. We have priests offering services and religious sisters offering services in Germany, France, Italy, in Spain, even some of the Eastern European countries, in the United States of America, in Canada, and many others. We would like them to be seen as missionaries who have come to share and therefore, we pray, that Christians in Europe and America do not constrain them ...

ZENIT: What do you mean by constrain them?

Archbishop Palmer-Buckle: Do not constrain them to adapt to the European cultural mentality of Christianity because if you want an African priest to be at your parish in the United States, in Canada, or in Europe, and them to behave exactly like the German priest, the Italian priest, the French priest, American priest, then you are not enriching yourself.

They shouldn't be compelled to conform, but should be conformed to bring novelty. A new way of worship, a new way of sharing, a new way of talking, a new way of evangelizing, so that Africa can bring its contribution also to the Church. But sometimes, people think, they see the African priest, and they think, 'Oh, he is here to fill a gap, or a short time thing,' or something like that. They don't think of him as a missionary, but the truth is that he is a missionary, and he is there to bring to the Universal Church the wealth that the Church of Africa offers.

This novelty of preaching, or perhaps singing, and being with the people in traditionally African ways, is not something that should be changed to conform. The African missionaries bring this richness and newness where they go and this could help the universal Church bring people back to Church. Pews are often empty and I believe if our priests can share and offer their unique identity, the pews will fill.

ZENIT: What are your hopes and expectations for Pope Francis' visit to Africa?

Archbishop Palmer-Buckle: We are looking forward to Kenya, Uganda and the Central African Republic, and permit me to add that already in February, SECAM [the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences  of Africa and Madagascar], its committee, our continental body, we also asked him, we invited him to get ready to visit in 2019 when SECAM will be celebrating its golden jubilee.

SECAM was born in 1969 with the first visit of Pope Paul VI, to Kampala [Capital of Uganda]. We are looking forward to his coming. We believe his first visit to Africa will really charge up this continent, because the continent of Africa is the fastest growing Church in the world, but also to give us direction, so that we won't just be growing vibrant and wild, but that we will grow vibrant and united. His presence will give us a deeper sense of unity.

Everywhere he has been to, he has influenced Catholics, non-Catholics, even anti-Catholics, and the rest. So we believe that his visit will not only charge up and strengthen the Church in these three countries, but also will be a boost for the whole African continent. And we hope and pray that what he will see in Africa will also push him to come again in 2019 when we are celebrating SECAM's 50th Anniversary.

ZENIT: Has the invitation been extended already?

Archbishop Palmer-Buckle: We extended it verbally and I think we have also extended it in writing yes.

ZENIT: Has Pope Francis responded yet?

Archbishop Palmer-Buckle: We'll leave it to the Holy Father to do that. [smiling]

Source...

Catholics in Ghana Urged to Fight Corruption

CANAA || By Damian Avevor, Ghana || 02 November 2015

The President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Bishop Joseph Osei-Bonsu, has called on Catholics in the country to make every effort to tackle the menace of corruption in the various strata of society as a way of evangelizing the nation.

Bishop Osei-Bonsu made the call on Saturday, October 31, 2015 at the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Accra, during the officially launched the 90^th anniversary of the formation of the Noble Order of Knights of Marshall in Ghana.

He lauded the anti-corruption commission in Ghana for raising public and civic awareness of the harmful effects of corruption on the national development effort and for doing much to dissuade people from the practice.

“Today, the corruption in the Judiciary has received nationwide attention, thanks to the work of Anas Amereyaw and his team. It is gratifying to note that no Marshallan Judge is among those who have been negatively mentioned in the vice,” the Bishop said.

“Indeed, there is a story of a Lady Marshallan Judge in Kumasi who resisted the bribery attempts several times,” the Bishop continued, adding, “I salute her and pray that she will persevere until the end.”

Speaking on the theme of the year-long anniversary, The Marshallan and the New Evangelisation for the Transmission of the Faith, he said that if there was corruption, it was largely because people including Marshallans were not acting with integrity wherever they were.

The anniversary is scheduled to conclude in November 2016.

Bishop Osei-Bonsu proposed to the Noble Order to consider establishing an anti-corruption Organisation to fight corruption and complement the efforts of existing ones like Ghana Integrity Initiative, Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition and the Centre for Freedom Accuracy.

He called on members of the Knights and Ladies of Marshall, a Catholic friendly Society in the Church, to vehemently denounce injustices as part of the Order’s evangelization mission.

He asked them to champion the cause of justice which was necessary not only in the judicial system “but also in our dealings with our fellow human beings,” saying, “there is the need for justice both in the secular world which we live and in the Church.”

The Bishop who is also the Supreme Spiritual Director of the Noble Order further challenged the members of the Order to live transformed family lives saying that their membership to the Order “should bring about fidelity in marriage so that spouses will not suffer heartaches from illicit extra-marital relationships. It should lead parents having more time for the upbringing of their children so that they become good citizens in future.”

The Mass was concelebrated by Archbishop Charles Gabriel Palmer-Buckle of Accra, who performed the launching.

Pope Francis Calls for Peace in CAR Ahead of Pastoral Visit, Kenyan Bishop Announces ‘final countdown’

CANAA || By Fr. Don Bosco Onyalla, Nairobi || 02 November 2015

In just over three weeks before Pope Francis begins his maiden pastoral visit to Africa, he has expressed concerns over the violent conflict in the Central African Republic (CAR) and appealed to the warring parties to end the violence.

Speaking during the Angelus Prayer at the Vatican on Sunday, the Solemnity of All Saints, Pope Francis made a special appeal for peace in CAR where he is scheduled to visit at the end of the month, from November 29 to November 30 after Kenya and Uganda respectively.

“I appeal to the parties involved to put an end to this cycle of violence,” Pope Francis said, recalling “the painful events that in recent days have exacerbated the fragile situation in the Central African Republic,” which, he said, have been a great concern for him personally.

“I am spiritually close to the Comboni Fathers of the parish of Our Lady of Fatima in Bangui who are welcoming large numbers of refugees,” the Holy Father acknowledged, expressing his “solidarity with the Church, with other religious denominations and with the entire Central African nation, so sorely tried as they make every effort to overcome divisions and return to the path of peace.”

Pope Francis further made known his intention to open the Holy Door of the Cathedral of Bangui, the capital city of CAR.

“To express the closeness of the entire Church in praying for this nation so afflicted and tormented, and to urge all Central Africans increasingly to be witnesses of compassion and reconciliation, on Sunday, November 29, I intend to open the Holy Door of the Cathedral of Bangui during that apostolic journey I hope to be able to make to that nation,” Pope Francis said after leading pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square in the traditional Angelus Prayer.

The initiative to open the Holy Door in Bangui is one of the novelties for the upcoming Holy Year for Mercy scheduled to begin on December 8, during which Holy Doors will be designated in every diocese globally.

The doors to be opened as part of the Jubilee of Mercy are to be located either in the cathedral, in a church of special significance or a shrine of particular importance for pilgrimages.

The rite of opening “Holy Doors” symbolically shows how the Church’s faithful, entering the place of worship through the door as pilgrims, are offered an appropriate path for their salvation during the time of jubilee.

Kenyan Bishop Announces Countdown to Papal Visit

The six-day pastoral visit of Pope Francis to Africa will begin from Kenya where the Pope will stay from November 25 to 27, then travel to neighboring Uganda.

The Chairman of the Secretariat responsible for the Pope’s visit in Kenya under the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB), Bishop Alfred Rotich on Sunday announced “the final countdown to the arrival of the Holy Father.”

In a statement addressed to Kenyans titled “UPDATE ON THE PREPARATIONS OF THE VISIT TO KENYA BY POPE FRANCIS AND A CALL TO NATIONAL REFLECTION,” Bishop Rotich expressed concern about utterances by a section of politicians.

“Our Nation is facing great trials that threaten to tear it apart,” the Bishop said and clarified, “The recent political name calling, ethnic incitement lack the good taste on expected decorum by our leaders who were elected to steer us to unity and peace is worrying.”

Calling on “all Kenyans to seek peace and tolerance in difficult times,” Bishop Rotich demanded “an honest ceasefire and end to the incessant name calling among our politicians,” urged “an end to the ethnic undertones and inciting remarks by leaders who were elected to protect the welfare of all people,” and called “for national prayers and conversion.”

“Let us take this opportunity to seek a new life and a new beginning in our country, our families and our places of work,” Bishop Rotich said on behalf of Pope’s visit Secretariat.

He also reported that all preparations to receive the Holy Father “are on course.”

“The choirs that will sing during the papal mass are practicing in different parishes and registration of the young people who will spend time with the Holy Father is almost concluded,” Bishop Rotich reported and encouraged Kenyans to continue making their financial contributions toward the various preparations through mobile money transfers.

Ugandan Publication to Offer Free Publicity

In Uganda, Monitor Publications Ltd (MPL) has offered to use its print and broadcast platforms for free to help the Catholic Church publicize the visit of the Holy Father in the country, including the running of adverts toward the raising of funds for the Pope’s pastoral trip.

The publication’s move is said to have been in response to a request by Kampala Archdiocese Chancellor, Father Joseph Ssebunya, who visited the company and expressed the need for support to successfully host the Pontiff.

The Holy Father will visit the capitals of Kenya, Uganda and Central African Republic, with the three respective Archdioceses being the ecclesiastical hosts of the Pontiff.

Church leaders from across the African continent are expected to take part in this Papal pastoral visit scheduled for November 25-30.