Southern Africa’s Oblate Bishops Visit Mongu Diocese in Zambia

Vatican Radio || Akende, Drumbeat || 30 July 2015

Southern Africa’s Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI) Bishops have visited their brother Oblate-Bishop, Evans Chinyemba of Mongu Diocese in Zambia.

The Bishops who were in Mongu recently include  the Archbishop of Windhoek, Namibia himself, Nashenda Ndumbukiti; Bishop Augustinus Tumaole Bane of Leribe Diocese in Lesotho;  Bishop Edward Risi from the Diocese of Keimos-Upington in South Africa as well as Bishop Philip Pöllitzer of Keetmanshoop, Namibia. Others are Bishop Joseph Sephamola of Qacha’s Nek in Lesotho as well as Bishop Barry Wood, the Auxiliary Bishop of Durban, South Africa;

Speaking to Drumbeat in Mongu, Archbishop Nashenda said that the Southern African Oblate Bishops were in Zambia to compare notes on the important mission of evangelization. He explained that as Oblate Bishops in Southern Africa they occasionally come together to reflect on their vocation, mission and focus on their original identity as Oblates.

The Archbishop of Windhoek further encouraged Zambians to be strong and ask the lord to strengthen them despite all the difficulties they might encounter as citizens.

While in Zambia, the Oblate Bishops were assigned different parishes in Mongu town where they celebrated various Masses and interacted with parishioners of the Diocese.

Church Urged to Be Role Model in the Fight against Challenges of Ethnicity

Catholic News Service of Nigeria, CNSN || 28 July 2015

The Church can be a role model in the fight against ethnicity challenges  through the promotion of activities for the common good, equality, justice and protection of the interests of all people of God. However, to achieve this, the Church must continue to focus on the provision of good, qualitative and affordable education, health facilities and concern for the weakest in the society.

These  assertions were posited by the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Most Rev Mathew Hassan Kukah while delivering a paper on: Managing Ethnic Identities in the Church: An African Perspective; at the conference held recently at the Daughters of Divine Love Retreat and Conference Centre (DRACC), Sabon-Lugbe, Abuja. Speaking extensively on the historical perspective challenges of ethnicity in the continent, society and Church life, Bishop Kukah noted that a “sincere ecclesiology remains the key to dealing with this reality”.

According to him: “Each and every one of us has his or her peculiar experience with ethnicity in one form or the other. We have all enjoyed the benefits of ethnicity or suffered its misuse and abuse.” He continued: “Our tendency to see only the dark and not the bright side of ethnicity is indeed unfortunate and, of course, this only deepens our problems.”

While speaking on ancestry myths in some parts of the continent, bishop Kukah used several instances in different parts of the continent to buttress his point. The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese noted that the emergence of the modern state in Africa dislocated communities and seriously altered ethnic identities and politics. He identified several factors which included: colonial influence, greed for political power and control of resources as factors that aided the problems.

The bishop declared: “We must therefore locate the so called cries or marginalization by ethnic entrepreneurs who trade off their people’s misery on the altar of their personal greed in its proper place.” He added that these elites manufacture imaginary cultural identities, focusing on difference as a means of further dividing the people by creating a sense of false consciousness.

Relating the problem of ethnicity as an imported process from the socio-political system, Bishop Kukah noted that African politics has a tendency to monopoly of power by ethnic groups adding that in some cases, the Church has been sucked into this ethnic politics. He stated further that the situation can be  more complicated if the president of the country and President of the Bishops Conference belong to the same ethnic group; making neutrality difficult for the latter in matters of concern.

The bishop further stated: “Ethnic triumphalism could create the impression that when a group has political power, perhaps along with economic power, religious power then becomes the icing on the cake of their ethnic supremacy.”

Bishop Kukah traced the genesis of ethnicity in the early Church and how the problem was effectively dealt with the emergence of Apostle Paul in the life of the Church. He pointed out that because of the confidence reposed in them by the people, “Church leaders must do all that is humanly possible to hold the fort and remain always the beacon of hope for the society.”

For the Church’s exemplary role in championing fight against the challenges of ethnicity, Bishop Kukah, among others suggestions, stressed the need for the Church to offer the world the quality of leadership that inspires hope, as well as seek power to do good in consonance with the social teachings and other guidelines of the Church.

Catholic Bishops in Kenya Call on Government to Postpone Polio Vaccination Campaign Set to Kick Off on Saturday

CANAA || By Fr. Don Bosco Onyalla || 30 July 2015

The Catholic Bishops in Kenya have collectively called on the government to consider postponing the planned countrywide vaccination campaign against polio until the documentations about the safety of the vaccine are made public.

“We are asking the Ministry of Health to postpone the polio vaccination campaign scheduled to commence on 1^st August 2015 until we can assure Kenyans of their safety,” the Bishops stated in a press statement released on Tuesday, July 28.

“Should this not be done, we the Catholic Bishops in Kenya are asking all Kenyans not to participate in the exercise until such a time that the manufacturer’s declaratory documents have been produced, the recommended sampling and testing has been undertaken and confirmed that the vaccines are safe for use in Kenya,” the Bishops continued in a letter signed by the Chairman of Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB), Bishop Philip Anyolo, on behalf of all the Catholic Bishops in Kenya.

The Bishops in Kenya have in the past objected to the use of a tetanus vaccine, claiming that the vaccine was a disguised contraceptive, laced with a hormone that makes women infertile.

In the Tuesday press statement, the Church leaders accused the government of not honoring previous resolutions, namely, that “all mass vaccination Campaigns in this country be done only with an all-inclusive sampling and appropriate testing exercise undertaken before, during and after the vaccination Campaign to ensure safety of vaccines.”

“We have waited for joint sampling of the polio vaccines since April 2015 with no success,” the Bishops lamented, adding, “In light of these happenings, we are deeply concerned about the casual manner in which legitimate concerns raised on behalf of Kenyans are being handled.”

Over 30 Catholic Association of Members of Parliament (MPs) on Wednesday added their voice to the bishops’ statement, threatening to stop Kenyans from having their children get the polio vaccine.

“If there is nothing wrong with the vaccine, why has it not made public the results? Does it have anything to hide?” the MPs queried in a statement read by Wundanyi MP, Thomas Mwadeghu.

On its part, the Government of Kenya has maintained that the Polio Vaccine is safe for use in Kenya and that the campaign will proceed as planned.

“We respect the church but if we try to manage health through individual beliefs, it will be difficult. Let us look at the bigger picture as this is a global campaign,” Health Cabinet Secretary James Macharia has been quoted as saying.

The Director of Medical Services Nicholas Muraguri has also said that the polio vaccination campaign scheduled to begin on Saturday will go on as planned, accusing the Catholic bishops of dishonesty.

“Many meetings have been held after we postponed the campaign five months ago but we reached a point where we had to make a difficult choice to ensure children are not exposed to polio. We will not allow three people to stop this campaign,” Dr. Muraguri has been quoted as saying.

Dr Muraguri said the disagreement with church emanated from demands that tests on the vaccine be done at a certain laboratory while regulations stipulate they are done in a WHO approved laboratory.

The country director of WHO in Kenya, Custodia Mandlhate has been quoted as accusing the Church leaders in Kenya of “lying and being hypocritical.”

Below is the full statement of the Catholic Bishops in Kenya.

PRESS STATEMENT BY THE KENYA CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS

ON THE SCHEDULED POLIO SUPPLEMENTARY IMMUNIZATION ACTIVITIES

The truth will set us free:  The safety of Kenyans must be assured.
 
At the beginning of this year, KCCB adopted a recommendation by the joint Ministry of Health/KCCB Committee of experts on tetanus vaccine that; all mass vaccination Campaigns in this country be done only with an all-inclusive sampling and appropriate testing exercise undertaken before, during and after the vaccination Campaign to ensure safety of vaccines.
 
This recommendation was presented to the Office of the President in a meeting held on 16^th January 2015 convened by Mr. Joseph Kinyua and attended by the Cabinet Secretary and Principle Secretary MoH; the meeting adopted this recommendation and further resolved that a permanent committee be formed for this purpose. We are still waiting for this to be done.
 
On 14^th April 2015, KCCB held a consultative meeting with the Director of Medical Services and senior members of his team, on the Polio vaccination campaign that had been scheduled for April and May 2015. The Campaign was postponed and the following were resolved:

1. That the manufacturer provides us with declaratory documents including the chromatograms from a High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) tests done internally in their quality assurance laboratory. This should include the pre-test prep of the sample.
2. That we undertake joint sampling of the vaccines.
3. That we run the samples through an independent HPLC machine and confirm if our test results will match those of the manufacturer.

None of these resolutions have been implemented to date.
 
On 7^th July 2015, KCCB held another Polio vaccination consultation with the Director of Medical Services and his team. The meeting resolved as follows:

1. That to ensure that the polio vaccines to be used for the Campaign are safe for Kenyan children; a joint MoH/KCCB committee undertakes joint sampling of the polio vaccines to be tested by the National Quality Control laboratory and another private independent laboratory.
2. For faster laboratory analysis, the manufacturer’s declaration with the corresponding Chromatogram would be required so that the laboratory tests to be carried out on the vaccine are to confirm that the results correspond with those presented by the manufacturer. This is the pre-requisite process by Pharmacy and Poisons Board for all drugs to be registered for use in Kenya in line with Kenya’s medicines quality assurance processes.

 
None of these resolutions have been undertaken.
 
In light of these happenings, we are deeply concerned about the casual manner in which legitimate concerns raised on behalf of Kenyans are being handled.
 
We have waited for joint sampling of the polio vaccines since April 2015 with no success.
 
We have similarly waited for the manufacturer’s declaratory information with no success yet millions of these doses are already in Kenya.
 
We are not in conflict with the MoH but we have an Apostolic and moral duty to ensure that Kenyans are getting safe vaccines.
 
What is so wrong or bad about the questions and recommendations by KCCB?
 
Recently, we experienced 30 children being paralyzed after receiving injections of what is highly suspected to have had a problem.
 
There was also another case where anti-malarial drugs, believed to be quinine meant for advanced treatment of malaria and already in use were confirmed to only contain paracetamol when the expected response was not forthcoming.
 
Unless safety is addressed, such cases will continue to happen.
 
The well-being and safety of Kenya people has to be protected.  The future and security of our children is at stake and hence diligent need to address these security concerns.
 
In light of all these concerns, we are asking the Ministry of Health to postpone the polio vaccination campaign scheduled to commence on 1^st August 2015 until we can assure Kenyans of their safety.
 
Should this not be done, we the Catholic Bishops in Kenya are asking all Kenyans not to participate in the exercise until such a time that the manufacturer’s declaratory documents have been produced, the recommended sampling and testing has been undertaken and confirmed that the vaccines are safe for use in Kenya. 
 
May our good Lord continue to bless you all.
 
Signed by:
___________________________________________________
Rt. Rev. Philip Anyolo ( Bishop of Homa Bay)
Chairman – Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops
DATE: 28^TH JULY 2015
 
Rt. Rev. John Oballa Owaa, Vice Chairman (KCCB), Ngong
His Eminence John Cardinal Njue, Nairobi
Most Rev. Zacchaeus Okoth, Kisumu
Most Rev. Peter Kairo, Nyeri
Most Rev. Martin Kivuva Musonde, Mombasa
Rt. Rev. Paul Darmanin, Garissa
Rt. Rev. Cornelius Arap Korir, Eldoret
Rt. Rev. Joseph Mairura Okemwa, Kisii
Rt. Rev. Alfred Rotich, Military Ordinariate
Rt. Rev. Maurice Crowley, Kitale
Rt. Rev. Norman Wambua King’oo, Bungoma
Rt. Rev. Peter Kihara, IMC, Marsabit
Rt. Rev. David Kamau Ng’ang’a, Aux. Bishop Nairobi
Rt. Rev. Anthony Ireri Mukobo, IMC, Isiolo Vicariate
Rt. Rev. Virgilio Pante, Maralal
Rt. Rev. Salesius Mugambi, Meru
Rt. Rev. Emmanuel Okombo, Kericho
Rt. Rev. Anthony Muheria, Kitui & Apostolic Administrator, Machakos
Rt. Rev. James Maria Wainaina, Muranga
Rt. Rev. Paul Kariuki Njiru, Embu
Rt. Rev. Maurice Muhatia Makumba, Nakuru
Rt. Rev. Dominic Kimengich, Lodwar
Rt. Rev. Emmanuel Barbara, Malindi
Rt. Rev. Joseph Mbatia, Nyahururu
Rt. Rev. Joseph Alessandro, Co-Adjutor Bishop Garissa
Rt. Rev. Joseph Obanyi Sagwe, Kakamega

SECAM Marks 46^th Anniversary, Launches Continental Year of Reconciliation

CANAA || By Fr. Don Bosco Onyalla || 30 July 2015

The Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) on Wednesday, July 29, celebrated 46 years of existence and used the occasion to officially launch the African Year of Reconciliation (AYR), which had been recommended by Pope emeritus Benedict XVI in his Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation, Africae Munus.

The celebration, dubbed SECAM Day, took place at the headquarters of SECAM in Accra, Ghana, beginning with the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, which was presided over by the Director of the Biblical Apostolate of Africa and Madagascar (BICAM), Father Yves-Lucien Evaga Ndjana.

In his homily delivered in French, Father Evaga acknowledged the growth of the Church in Africa saying, “The commemoration of SECAM Day has within it a vitally important spiritual meaning for it helps us reflect on the Church as family of God which is seen building up each day in Africa.”

Archbishop Charles Palmer-Buckle of Accra, who joined the celebration after the Eucharistic celebration, addressed the gathering on behalf of SECAM Presidency saying, “My dear people of God, I welcome you to the headquarters of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) in the name of the President of SECAM and in my own name as Treasurer of SECAM. Thank you very much for honouring our invitation.”

He went on to explain the meaning of SECAM from its foundation to the member conferences to its present leadership to the diplomatic status with Ghana and the process for an Observer Status with the African Union (AU), which is underway.

He further explained the twofold purpose of the gathering as a celebration of the 46^th anniversary of the founding of SECAM and the launching of the African Year of Reconciliation (AYR) respectively.

“The Second and equally important reason is as follows: After an official visit and pilgrimage by the Standing Committee of SECAM to Rome which was climaxed with an audience with His Holiness, Pope Francis in February this year SECAM, having had discussions with the Pope and some dicastries at the Vatican, decided to celebrate a CONTINENTAL YEAR OF RECONCILIATION to start from July 29, 2015 and end on July 29, 2016,” Archbishop Palmer-Buckle said.

“In this regard, SECAM is organizing several workshops and seminars at the Regional and Continental levels. The promotion of reconciliation will have an ecumenical outreach as well as involving all other religions in Africa,” Archbishop Palmer-Buckle revealed and appealed to governments and international organizations in Africa as well as Partner Agencies “to help in the efforts towards attaining a more reconciled Africa.”

He also alluded to the Synod on the Family saying, “apart from the year of reconciliation, SECAM is also preparing for the forthcoming Synod of Bishops on the family in Rome in October 2015 in the light of the many challenges that the family in Africa is faced with.”

Archbishop Palmer-Buckle concluded his speech by appealing for contributions from Church members in Africa through the initiative dubbed “SECAM Day Collections,” namely, a day when local churches in Africa are expected to organize collections from the faithful to help sustain the activities of SECAM.

“In view of our resolve to strive for self-reliance all our Conferences have been asked to kindly take a special collection in all Churches in Africa on a Sunday close to July 29, 2015 or any day that is convenient to them before the end of this year- 2015,” he explained.

“May our continent be increasingly modelled on the ever timely teaching of Christ, the true ‘light of the world’ and the authentic ‘salt of the earth,’” he concluded as he officially declared “the Continental year of Reconciliation duly launched.”

A couple of those who attended the Wednesday evening event told CANAA that they appreciated the celebration and recalled SECAM Treasurer’s appeal to the laity to support SECAM implement its activities.

“If there is a real follow up, funds will be raised,” a participant at the celebration observed, adding, “there is the need to have a person responsible for such fundraising. As a layperson, I know that we are generous and are always willing to help Church activities.”

“May the Lord, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, give much success to SECAM in its various missions. May the Lord bless our Church on the continent, may he shower us with his joy,” Father Evaga concluded in his homily.

With $4,000 a Month, Sister Feeds Nairobi's Needy, Disabled Elderly

Global Sisters Report || By Melanie Lidman || 22 July 2015

Sr. M. Ivanna B. Ennemoser knows how to make a budget stretch. Ennemoser runs the Kariobangi Cheshire House for the Aged, which serves destitute and disabled elderly people in Nairobi, Kenya. The home is on the edge of an urban slum called Korogocho, where more than 700,000 people live in hastily erected shacks crowded into muddy alleyways. With less than $4,000 per month, Ennemoser cares for 35 heavily disabled live-in residents and provides twice-weekly lunches for 240 more people who suffer from diseases such as leprosy and HIV/AIDS. The 77-year-old Franciscan Missionaries for Africa sister has been on this continent for 52 years – serving in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Ethiopia. She came to Kenya 17 years ago and has been at the Cheshire House for the whole time. Global Sisters Report visited Ennemoser in January to see more of her work with people who are overlooked by society three different ways – being elderly, poor and disabled.

How did the Cheshire House start?

When sisters came to this area to see what needed to be done in this parish, they found that there was nothing for the elderly people. They saw people dying in huts, houses, on streets, under trees. They decided to start something for the destitute elderly. When they started they opened under the umbrella of Cheshire Houses [a British charity for the disabled] for fundraising, but now we operate independently.

What kind of people live at the Cheshire House?

We have 35 residents who are destitute elderly men and women who require full-time care. We are not a hospital, but the people are quite feeble. These are people that we cannot trace anyone to be responsible for them. Maybe they have family far away that has disowned them. Everyone is elderly except for one young man who has multiple sclerosis, and his mother threw him out of the house. We also have four orphans, which we’re not supposed to since we have no space, but they didn’t have anywhere to go. We have two twins here; their mother gave birth at seven months on the table of a hut. Her boyfriend said, “I don’t want those rats, throw them in a ditch or in the latrine,” and then kicked her out. Her grandmother had been coming here for our feeding program, and she begged me for help. The woman simply couldn’t stay with her grandmother, because the grandmother was already supporting three grandchildren, as well as another daughter and two of her children. If we left the twins there, they would die. So we brought them here temporarily. They are so healthy now!

What other types of work do you do at the Cheshire House?

The other side of the operation is a day care. We have two groups. On Tuesdays, we have 120 people suffering from leprosy who come here for socializing and lunch. They pray together, and the residents join them. In Kenya, we don’t see many new cases of leprosy because now there is medication, so people are cured without mutilation. But we still see some cases from Uganda and Tanzania. Most of the people coming here who have leprosy are old cases; they have lost their hands or are blind. We serve them lunch. Sometimes we dance and sing. They go for medical care. We shave them, clip their fingernails, things they are unable to do on their own.

We also hand out food – maize and beans mostly, and once a month we give out soap, cooking fat and salt. On Monday and Wednesday we serve 120 people who are not disabled but simply do not have enough food for their families at home. Many are grandparents, like the great-grandmother of the twins, who have to support many grandchildren. Also, I have 26 employees here, who are all locals from the slum. All the workers come from destitute families, so overseeing the workers is like a third project.

How do you keep your kitchen so well organized?

Every refrigerator and freezer has bags of vegetables that are sliced and labeled. We rotate the workers every day so they’re always doing new things. We use a lot of water and soap here; we use rainwater to do our washing. We used to have a washing machine but it’s broken. I do have one luxury item: a $100 vegetable slicer that slices carrots, cucumbers and broccoli. My family bought it for me, and we use it all the time.

How do you support this project?

We count every shilling. We own two apartments, so we get a bit of rent from that, about $900, but every week we give out $350 worth of food, so it doesn’t even cover the handouts. We get small donations from people, $100 here and there. We get some money from my family and from my parish in Italy. I was born in the Dolomites, the German part of the Italian Alps. They have something called ‘soup day’ when everyone gets together for a meal of soup and the proceeds go here. Our cash expenses are about $4,000 per month, and we get $15,000 in donated food and vegetables each month [past sell-by dated produce from a local supermarket chain]. Last June we were so low I thought we had nothing left. But the diocese at home cannot keep supporting us. Sometimes people donate whatever they can, like medical supplies, and every little bit helps.

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

Congo DR’s ‘Bilenge ya Mwinda’ Introduced to Leadership Skills

Vatican Radio || Francese Africa || 24 July 2015

Over sixty young men from the Diocese of Lisala, in Congo DR, have met at Saint Walburga parish, in the town of Yambuku for their annual assembly. The gathering  brought together youth who are members of the Congolese Catholic movement, “Bilenge ya Mwinda,”  which means “Young People of the Light.”

During the week-long assembly, Bilenge ya Mwinda were given training in leadership skills.

Under  the patronage of the new Bishop of Lisala, Ernest Ngboko Ngombe, the diocesan assembly was animated by Fr. Edward Litambala, a priest of Lisala Diocese. The youth discussed pertinent issues important to their spiritual life such as, "Growing up in the faith" and in view of Congo’s pending national elections, the youth were introduced to “civic education and the promotion of citizen participation in the Republic of Congo.”

Bilenge ya Mwinda was founded in 1972 by the late Bishop Ignace Matondo Kwa Nzambi of Molegbe Diocese in Congo DR.

President Obama Advocates for Gay Rights in Kenya, Kenyan Leaders Dismiss this as ‘non-issue’

CANAA || By Fr. Don Bosco Onyalla || 27 July 2015

President Obama called for respect of gays and lesbians in Kenya and on the African continent while his counterpart, President Kenyatta dismissed the topic on gay rights as a “non-issue” for Kenyans.

The two presidents were responding to questions from journalists who had gathered at State House on Saturday to cover the joint press conference.

“With respect to the rights of gays and lesbians, I have been consistent all across Africa on this. I believe in the principle of treating people equally under the law and that they are deserving of equal protection under the law and that the State should not discriminate against the people based on their sexual orientation,” President Obama stated.

He explained, “If you look at the history of countries around the world, when you start treating people differently not because of the harm that they are doing to anybody but because they are different, that is the path whereby freedoms begin to erode and bad things happen.”

President Obama went on to explain the basis of his viewpoint saying, “As an African American in the United States, I am painfully aware of the history of what happens when people are treated differently under the law. There were all sorts of rationalizations that were provided by the power structure for decades in the United States for segregation and they were wrong.”

“The State does not need to weigh in on religious doctrine; the State has to treat everybody equally under the law and then everybody else can have their opinions,” President Obama clarified.

President Kenyatta, on his part, termed the discussion around gays and lesbians and their rights a “non-issue” for an average Kenyan.

While acknowledging shared values between Kenya and the U.S like the “love for democracy, entrepreneurship and value for families,” President Kenyatta cautioned against the attempt “to impose on people that which they themselves do not accept” in direct reference to the topic of gays and lesbians.

“This is why I repeatedly say that for Kenyans today, the issue of gay rights is really a non-issue,” President Kenyatta affirmed, enlisting the areas of priority for Kenyans such as health, inclusivity of women, infrastructure, and education.

“Once we have overcome some of these challenges, we can begin to look at new ones. As of now, the fact remains that this issue is not really an issue that is on the foremost minds of Kenyans and that is a fact,” President Kenyatta concluded.

Leaders and a cross-section of Kenyans have lauded President Kenyatta’s firm stand on the controversial topic of same-sex marriages, saying his sentiments resonated well with Kenyans.

“He never fumbled. His body language, posture and demeanour carried the sovereignty of our people. He made us proud as Kenyans. It demonstrated that we are a sovereign nation and we are not living as underdogs,” Senator Kipchumba Murkomen of Elgeyo-Marakwet has been quoted as saying.

“Other leaders could have been swayed by the goodies that Mr Obama pledged, to evade the question or to blindly echo his sentiments in due disregard of what Kenyans stood for,” a businessman in Nairobi has been quoted by a Kenyn local daily.

Kenya’s Deputy President William Ruto and National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi are among high ranking officials who spoke against same-sex marriages ahead of President Obama’s visit to Kenya, the homeland of his father.

Before leaving the U.S for Kenya, President Obama had told a BBC journalist in an exclusive interviewthat he would continue to deliver his "blunt message" to African leaders about gay rights and discrimination.

Commenting on President Obama’s interview with the BBC journalist, Bishop Emmanuel Badejo of Oyo diocese in Nigeria, also serving as the Episcopal Chairman of the Pan-African Committee for Social Communications (CEPACS), said, “As a Nigerian I worry little about President Obama's mind set about the United States needing to have a presence "to promote the values that we care about" as he said in the interview.”

Bishop Badejo would prefer that President Obama figures out other rights aside from those affecting lesbians, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) persons.

“Most Africans care about religious values, about the family, about the complementary nature of man and woman and the culture that makes us Africans. Why can we not choose what "benevolence" to accept from the West? Why can we not just be helped to fight corruption, terrorism, unemployment disease and illiteracy?” Bishop Badejo questioned.

“Nobody should be killed for private wayward or immoral behaviors that do not compromise other people's lives but that does not mean all kinds of exotic sexual adventure must be foisted on other nationalities in the name of rights,” Bishop Badejo observed.

“Every world culture has its own bright and dark spots and history of human rights and Africa is not much worse than others, if we be sincere.  America claims to be a great democracy and the proof of that fact will be found in her capacity for sincere dialogue and readiness to respect the legitimate values and world view of other peoples,” Bishop Badejo said.

Meanwhile, in other forums during his three-day visit to Kenya, President Obama asked the Kenyan youth to seek opportunities at home and encouraged parents to educate their girls.

He rallied Kenyans to “pull together” and confront challenges bedeviling their country, from corruption to negative ethnicity to inequality.

President Obama left for Ethiopia Sunday evening after a landmark trip to Kenya to officially begin a two-day visit on Monday.

South Sudan peace bid was a major focus as President Obama held talks with regional leaders in an attempt to build African support for decisive action against the war-torn country's leaders if they reject an ultimatum to end the violent conflict by mid-August.

SECAM to Launch the African Year of Reconciliation on SECAM Day

CANAA || By Fr. Don Bosco Onyalla || 27 July 2015

The Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) is set to officially launch the African Year of Reconciliation (AYR) this Wednesday as it commemorates its 46^th Anniversary since it was founded.

SECAM, the Pan-African Conference of the Catholic Bishops in Africa and Madagascar, was established in July 1969 in Kampala, Uganda, during the visit by Pope Paul VI, with the aim to promote collaboration and foster communion among Bishops’ conferences in view of enhancing the mission of evangelization and integral human development on the continent.

According to a press release by the Communications office of SECAM, the Wednesday, July 29 event of the launching of AYR will take place at SECAM Secretariat in Accra, Ghana, beginning with the celebration of the Eucharist and followed by a reception “for a cross-section of people.”

The year-long AYR being officially kicked off on Wednesday will conclude on July 29, 2016 during the 17^th Plenary Assembly of SECAM scheduled to take place in Angola.

The celebration of AYR was recommended by Pope emeritus Benedict XVI in the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Africae Munus.

“In order to encourage reconciliation in communities, I heartily recommend, as did the Synod Fathers, that each country celebrate yearly a day or week of reconciliation,” the Pope stated in Africae Munus, 157.

Pope emeritus Benedict XVI tasked SECAM to facilitate the various reconciliation initiatives saying, “SECAM will be able to help bring this about and, in accord with the Holy See, promote a continent-wide Year of Reconciliation to beg of God special forgiveness for all the evils and injuries mutually inflicted in Africa, and for the reconciliation of persons and groups who have been hurt in the Church and in the whole of society.”

“This would be an extraordinary Jubilee Year during which the Church in Africa and in the neighbouring islands gives thanks with the universal Church and implores the gifts of the Holy Spirit especially the gift of reconciliation, justice and peace,” the Pope continued in Africae Munus 157.

In a letter addressed to the Bishops’ conferences in Africa, the Treasurer of SECAM, Archbishop Charles Palmer-Buckle of Accra, writing on behalf of SECAM President, asked each Conference of Bishops to put in place some programs to mark the AYR.

“Each Conference, with the assistance of its Justice and Peace Commission is expected to kindly celebrate the YEAR OF RECONCILIATION according to its own programmes based on the general theme: A Reconciled Africa for Peaceful Co-existence,” Archbishop Palmer-Buckle reminded Bishops of Africa, on behalf of SECAM President Archbishop Gabriel Mbilingi of Lubango, Angola.

The scheduled celebration of 46^th Anniversary of SECAM will also be the second year SECAM is marking SECAM Day, a day set aside during SECAM’s 16^th Plenary Assembly in July 2013, when local churches in Africa are expected to organize collections from the faithful to help sustain the activities of SECAM.

“As you are aware SECAM is having financial challenges. In the light of this, in my capacity as the Treasurer, I am making a passionate appeal to you, my dear brothers in the episcopate, to use your good offices to get all dioceses and parishes in your Conference to take a special collection on a Sunday close to July 29, 2015 or any day that is convenient to you in 2015,” Archbishop appealed to Church leaders in Africa in the letter send to all Bishops’ Conferences on the continent.

Among the areas to be supported by the collections include evangelization, justice and peace, social communications and administration including SECAM standing committee meetings and plenary assemblies.

“Please note that the collections are to be shared on the ratio of 75% for SECAM and 25% for the National Conference,” concludes SECAM Treasurer’s message to the bishops’ conferences in Africa.

Communicating the Family: A Privileged Place of Encounter with the Gift of Love

Episcopal Conference of Malawi || Bishop Martin Mtumbuka || 23 July 2015

Bishop’s message for the 49th Communications Day In Malawi on Sunday, 26 JULY 2015

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

On this the 49th World Communications Day, I recall Pope Francis’ theme as stated above and invite you into a reflection that must take the family as point of reference. This is important because, as you are probably aware, we are still in the process of the Synod on Family. Furthermore, on 31 January the Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM) invited us as evangelizers to respond to the many social changes in our country enlightened by the AMECEA Plenary that took place here in Malawi in July 2014. During the AMECEA Plenary, the family and communication were two of the topics that were discussed from the same perspective of new Evangelization.

This year’s commemoration of Communications Day gives us yet another opportunity to appreciate the linkages between family life and the use of Information Technology as we seek to find new ways of evangelizing. No doubt these gadgets are good for all of us in many ways. However, these gadgets have also got negative influences on the lives of people depending on how they use them.

Communication In The Family
The Catholic Church holds that the family is the most important part of the society and the Church’s mission. Pope Francis (2015) pointed to the fact that it is in a Christian family that human beings learn to communicate authentically and nurture relationships. In his message for the 49th World Communications Day, Pope Francis draws inspiration from the visitation of Mary to her cousin Elizabeth (Lk 1:39-56) whereby these two women shared profoundly about their faith experiences.

From the Pope’s message one can deduce a few points as follows:
1. In a Christian family, communication must be a dialogue that intertwines body (a child leaping in her womb) and spirit (two women sharing the sense of joy).
2. Communication must draw husband and wife and children into inter-personal relationships and into communication with God in prayer.
3. Members of a Christian family must learn to how to express love and support of one another.
4. A Christian family is a school where members learn to understand and accept one another’s weaknesses and to forgive.

In short, communication is crucial in the life of the Church because, as a family of God, members must learn to be in communion with one another. This is the reason why every Christian must inculcate within oneself an attitude of communicating the Good News with whatever IT gadgets are available for his or her use.

Use of IT Gadgets In Families
According to some studies, Malawi is one of the countries where people have fast adopted use of Information Technology (IT) digital gadgets, especially computers and mobile phones. These have indeed become an essential part of the political and socio-economic life of most Malawians both in rural and urban areas. However, in the same spirit of Pope Francis and in view of the Church’s mission of evangelization, I want to raise two questions for our reflection:

a) How are we employing these gadgets to share stories of love and stay in contact with one another?
b) How are parents and educators helping children and the youth to live responsibly in this digital and media environment?

Listening to experiences of many Christians, it appears that the answers would not be very encouraging considering the following:

a) Husband and Wife
• Some husbands and wives receive inappropriate messages on their mobile phones which lead to tension and misunderstandings in families.
• Some husbands and wives prevent their partners to have access to their mobile phones or computer, which creates suspicion and mistrust between them.
• Some husbands and wives receive phone calls and messages at awkward times – again creating mistrust between partners.
• Some parents instead of recreating with their families or discussing issues with full focus are always busy responding to messages from friends on their mobile phones.
• Some parents seem more concerned with buying expensive gadgets than caring for their children.

b. Children:
• Some young people in schools and colleges spend a lot of money on their mobile phones.
• Some youths access pornographic and unhelpful materials via their phones.

c. Priests and Religious men and Women
Let us also face it: the vices listed above don’t concern only husbands, wives and their children. Even some priests and religious men and women have succumbed to the wrong use of these gadgets. Incidents of some us, for example, being preoccupied with these gadgets during Eucharistic Celebration, meetings and/or attending to our phone during meals or instead chatting with members of our communities are on the increase. If those who have renounced so much to follow and serve Christ behave like this, how are they going to help families and the youths to learn proper use of these gadgets?

A Call to Conversion
The experiences regarding use of IT gadgets in Christian families briefly outlined above call for a Christian response. We ought to resolve to make our Christian families a privileged place of encounter with God’s gift of love by communicating in a truly Christian manner through whatever means that are at our disposal. Let these tools and all the others that we have be a means of helping us to live a happy family life and move closer to God. Let them not take away our time for our families and God. Let them not prevent us from fulfilling our duties – whether these duties are education or earning a living. May our mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, who always had time for God and her family pray for us.

Yours in Christ,

Right Reverend Martin Mtumbuka

Bishop Chair for Social Communication
Episcopal Conference of Malawi
26 July 2015

Religious in Angola Celebrate Year of Consecrated Life at Our Lady of Muxima

Vatican Radio || Portuguese pgm || 23 July 2015

Hundreds of Catholics joined the religious in Angola for a two days Marian pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Muxima to celebrate the Year of Consecrated Life. The event which concluded last Sunday, 19 July ended with the Bishop emeritus of Lubango, Zacarias Kamuenho calling for the strengthening of the vocation to Consecrated Life in Angola.

The Angolan pilgrimage was organised by the Conference of Major Superiors of religious institutes and congregations in the country to celebrate the Year of Consecrated Life, declared by Pope Francis. The special Year of Consecrated Life officially opened world-wide on 30 November 2014 and will conclude on 2 February 2016.

The pilgrimage was characterised by the presence of many laity who accompanied the religious men and women who are in consecrated life. The life of consecrated persons was articulated through the celebration of the Eucharist, prayers, devotion to Our Lady, celebration of the Sacrament of Confession and numerous testimonies given by the religious on their lives.

The Shrine of Our Lady of Muxima is located 130 kilometers from the capital, Luanda. The Shrine is considered to be the most popular place of pilgrimage and worship in Angola.

Our Lady of Muxima has always had a special place in the lives of Catholics in Angolans. Situated on the banks of the Kwanza River, it was first designated as a place of Marian prayer by Portuguese missionaries between 1594 and 1602.

Set in the village of Muxima which was occupied by the Portuguese in 1589, the Portuguese went on to build (in the village), a fortress and later the Church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição and a Shrine. Since then, the Shrine has been a popular place of devotion to Our Lady from one generation to the next.

In the local Kimbundu language, “muxima" means heart. A project to construct a basilica designed to accommodate 4000 people inside and 120 thousand persons outside the square front of the basilica is underway.

A Section of Kenyans Accuses CNN of Negative Publicity Ahead of Obama’s Visit, Government Demands Apology

CANAA || By Fr. Don Bosco Onyalla || 23 July 2015

A section of Kenyans has expressed deep dissatisfaction to CNN’s reference to Kenya as being in “a region that’s a hotbed of terror” and taken to the social media, accusing the American news channel of negative publicity ahead of Obama’s three-day visit beginning this Friday.

In an online article, CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr writes, “President Barack Obama is not just heading to his father's homeland, but to a region that's a hotbed of terror,” making specific reference to the Al-Shabaab militant group as posing security threats for Obama’s trip.

“A Kenyan flight bulletin outlining some details of the President's trip has been released, including when airspace in Nairobi would be closed because of the arrival and departure of Air Force One,” the CNN correspondent goes on to say and adds, “Such details are usually kept secret for security reasons.”

The online article followed an interview aired during CNN’s news show Erin Burnett UPFRONT, which the stand-in host Kate Bolduan introduced using the line, ".....and now security concerns for President Obama on the eve of his trip to one of the most dangerous countries in the world."

In the interview, Kenya was described as a country with “questionable security concerns worse than Iraq and Afghanistan.”

These statements have aroused outrage among a section of Kenyans, who have taken to the social media decrying unwarranted negative profiling of their country using the hashtag #SomeoneTellCNN, with the Kenyan government demanding apologies from CNN.

“I don't get why international journalists always report negative things about Africa. Africa is NOT what you think,” one Kenyan lamented, complementing another Kenyan who Twitted, “CNN (reporters are) trying their best to paint Kenya as a terror country, #SomeoneTellCNN that we have a billion reasons to believe in KENYA.”

“Look for the good and inspiring in Kenya. Stop rehashing your old stories of terror,” a Kenyan advised, another one adding, “At least they didn't say "Ebola" hotbed.”

“Unless you are the one bringing the terror, we are a hotbed of investment & great people,” a prominent Kenyan businessman Twitted.

Other Kenyans recalled the country as a tourist destination, inviting CNN reporters to visit the country and enjoy its beauty.

"We are a Tourism hot bed. We don't brag about it by the way," one Twitted. “If we were a terror hotbed wildebeest migration would be a story,” another Twitted.

Some other Kenyans wanted focus shifted to athletics, illustrated by a Tweet like, “Here is the real terrorist that has terrorised you for decades, our heroes! The athletics…”

While some Tweets bordered on insults, other Kenyans chose sarcasms, exemplified by Tweets like, "rather ask CNN if they confirmed with Aljazeera or @least the state broadcaster."

Still, other Tweets played on the initials of the news agency CNN, like “We didn't know CNN means Cooked News Network,” and “CNN is Clearly No News.”

“Obama is still coming regardless of Kenya being a "hotbed for terror". Their opinion don't matter,” a Kenyan Twitted using the hashtag #SomeoneTellCNN

“A tribal hotbed would have been more appropriate than terror hotbed,” One Kenyan remarked on Facebook.

Meanwhile, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Interior, Joseph Nkaissery, has called on CNN to apologize for calling the East African region “a hotbed of terror.”

“This announcement is based on lies. It demonstrates heightened irresponsibility by the media network and smacks of arrogance," Nkaissery told journalists at Harambee House in Nairobi on Thursday.

“Despite the terror attacks recently experienced by the country, it does not in any way turn Kenya into a hotbed of terrorism as alleged by CNN,” Nkaissery said and lamented that this was not the first time CNN was misreporting on Kenya.

“I take this opportunity to condemn this negative campaign by CNN and strongly protest at what is becoming a pattern of an anti-Kenya propaganda by CNN," he said.

“If they are civilized enough they should apologize,” Nkaissery said in response to a question from a journalist during the Thursday press conference.

The Cabinet Secretary went on to laud Kenyans for speaking up on the misreporting and asked them to treat CNN’s remarks with the contempt they deserve.

Obama’s trip to Kenya has been described as historic, considering that it is the first time a sitting U.S President will be visiting the country.

Kenya is also Obama’s paternal homeland and it will be the first time he will visiting Kenya where citizens claim him as kin as U.S commander-in-chief.

The trip has been termed “homecoming” and has been highly anticipated by many Kenyans.

The U.S. president will address the sixth Global Entrepreneurship Summit on Saturday, before traveling to Ethiopia on Sunday.

While Kenyan entrepreneurs are hoping that the visit by the U.S President will have long term benefits on the country's economic development, the immediate consequences of this visit will be clearly felt in Kenya’s capital, with airways and major roads into the city gearing up for a complete lockdown, a disruption that will impair the daily routine of businesses.

Despite the rage under the hashtag #SomeoneTellCNN a recent survey by Pew Research Center has revealed that “the U.S. receives higher favorable ratings in Africa than in any other region” around the globe.

Church in Ghana Announces Pro-Life Conference

CANAA || By Damian Avevor || 23 July 2015

The Catholic Church in Ghana on Wednesday announced a two-day pro-life conference to be marked from August 7-8, 2015 at the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Accra under the theme: Promoting Life and Family Values in the Continuing Culture of Death.

The initiative is being spearheaded by the Health Commission of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC) with the aim to lead Ghanaians to a deeper reflection of the Gospel of Life and the appreciation of the sanctity of life, purity of marriage and the dignity of human sexuality.

Announcing the conference at a Press Conference held at the Ghana National Catholic Secretariat, Bishop Afrifah-Agyekum said that recognizing that Ghana is at the heart of the storm and struggle between the culture of life and culture of death in Africa necessitated the planning of the Conference.

“Realizing the urgent need for the Church in Ghana to rise up and promote the Gospel of life in speaking against the emerging culture of death in Ghana,” was also one of the reasons for the conference, he added.

He noted that the Conference was to strengthen the witness of the faithful and other Christians to promote the dignity of life from conception to natural death; promote long cherished values of family life such as unity, indissolubility, openness to life and incorporating government, leaders and people in the project of building an authentic culture of life in Ghana.

“The Catholic Church acknowledges the important role she has to play in (collaboration) with other like-minded Christian groups and Civil Society Organisations in renewing a pro-life mission in the world and calling on contemporary society to a deeper reflection of the Gospel of life,” Bishop Afrifah-Agyekum said.

“As the leadership of the Catholic Church in Ghana, we the Bishops recognize that a grave responsibility is imposed on us by our apostolic mandate to reiterate the Church’s true and beautiful teachings on the sanctity of life, the beauty of love, the purity of marriage and family life and the dignity of human sexuality” Bishop Afrifah-Agyekum continued.

According to the Bishop, the Conference was aimed at teaching and training the faithful to understand the Gospel of life (evangelium vitae) and to stand and defend the pro-life position of the Church.

In October 2014, the Holy Father, Pope Francis convoked an extra-Ordinary Synod on the family in Rome to enable the Church to reflect on the vocation and mission of the family in the contemporary world and to fashion a response to the very challenges that the family of today faces.

The Synod highlighted several challenges of the family and discovered that at the heart of these challenges was a blatant disregard for family values and the dignity and sanctity of life in the modern world.

The Synod observed that over the years but most importantly in recent times, there has been an increasing encroachment of the proponents of the culture of death in almost every part of the world including Africa.

For Africa, the Synod discovered that attacks and effects of the culture of death were evident in the persistent attempts by some international organisations, wealthy nations and philanthropists to limit, suppress and even destroy the source of human life among Africans.

In an interview after the launching, the Bishop said the unconditional respect for the right to life of every innocent person from the moment of conception to natural death is one of the pillars upon which every civil society stands and therefore the State has the primary duty to defend life.

“To be actively pro-life is to contribute to the renewal of society through the promotion of family values and the common good,” he added, stating that there can be no democracy without the recognition of every person’s dignity nor can there be a guarantee of true peace unless life is defended and promoted.

He lamented that the culture of death was emerging in Africa in a form of population control measures being proposed and propagated in African Nations by some multi-national organizations which had implanted themselves in Africa as Family Planning organizations.

He noted that in reality, these organizations were promoting unnatural and artificial means of birth control such as abortion, sterilization, vasectomies, the use of condoms over and above the Natural Family Planning the Catholic Church upholds.

Activities lined-up for the two-day Conference include, a prayer campaign which had been declared in all parishes, rectorates and stations from July 22, 2015; lectures by both local and international speakers on August 7, 2015; a pro-life/pro-family match from the from the Holy Spirit cathedral through some principal streets of Accra on August 8, 2015; and the issuing of a communique and the encouragement of the mass Media to take up the pro-life campaign throughout the country.

The Wednesday Press launching was attended by members of the Ghana Medical and Ethics Commission, staff of the National Catholic Secretariat (NCS), and Diocesan Directors of Communications, who were attending a meeting in Accra.

Zambuko House in Zimbabwe Teaches Marginalized Children Life Skills

Vatican Radio || Jesuit Communications Zimbabwe–Mozambique || 20 July 2015

About 20 Children from Zambuko House are learning new skills by spending time in the garden tending vegetables as they grow their own food. Zambuko house is a refugee and rehabilitation centre for marginalised children. It is located in Hatfield about 12 Kilometers out of Harare’s central business district.

The vegetable project is a new development at the centre since the Jesuit Development Office linked Zambuko House to the Caritas office in Zimbabwe who appreciated the challenges they were facing because of water shortages, drafted a proposal which was sent to Caritas ltaly who raised funds for it.

Director of Zambuko House, Emilia James said before the borehole was drilled, the children at Zambuko used to walk to Epworth to get water for daily use. During those expeditions to search for water, some of the children were ill-treated by some unpleasant members of the community.

James says the project has the potential to be a fully-fledged fundraising initiative for the centre. As of now, the aim is to produce enough vegetables for consumption. Once they have attained that self-sufficiency, they aim to sell the vegetables to the community, just as they do with surplus chicken from the poultry project they run.

As a rehabilitation centre, Zambuko house caters for a relatively small number of select children. The centre works towards the rehabilitation of boys who have been living on the street by giving them an experience of family living and belonging. In so doing, the dignity that the children have lost as a result of the breakdown of family support and living a harsh life on the streets of Harare is restored.

New Bishops Appointed in Sierra Leone, Assigned Titular Sees

Vatican Radio || 18 July 2015

In Sierra Leone, Pope Francis has elevated Very Reverend Father Natale Paganelli, the Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Makeni to the office of Bishop. Bishop-elect Paganelli has been assigned the titular see of Gadiaufala. He is a member of the religious congregation of Xaverians who are working in Sierra Leon. Fr. Paganelli is originally from Bergamo in Italy.

On 7 January 2012 Pope Benedict XVI accepted the resignation of the then Bishop of Makeni, Bishop George Biguzzi when the latter reached the age limit of 75 years. Bishop Henry Aruna, of the Diocese of Kenema, in the South East of Sierra Leone, was chosen as new Bishop of Makeni. Bishop Henry Aruna was however not able to make his entry into the Diocese. Today, the Holy Father, Pope Francis nominated Bishop Henry Aruna as new Auxilliary Bishop of the Diocese of Kenema. He has been assigned the titular title of Nasbinca. 

Makeni Diocese is located in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone with a total population of about one million eight hundred people. The Northern part of Sierra Leone is predominantly Muslim. The Diocese of Makeni was first established as an Apostolic Prefecture of the Archdiocese of Freetown and Bo in the year 1952. In 1962, it was elevated to a diocese with Bishop Augustus Azzolini as its first Bishop.

The first missionaries to evangelise the area were the Holy Ghost Fathers from Ireland and the Xaverian Missionaries from Italy.

According to statistics of 2014, the Diocese of Makeni has a total of 61 diocesan and religious  priests as well as 40 Female Religious. The total number of parishes is 25. There are also several health and educational institutions that are run by the Catholic Church.

The eleven-year civil war in Sierra Leone (1991–2002) left untold suffering in the lives of its citizens. Sierra Leone’s has also suffered greatly from the disease, Ebola which first occurred in May 2014. Although Ebola cases have greatly declined, sporadic new infections are still being reported. The Ebola situation now is not as it was when the disease peaked in 2014.

The Alumni of Tangaza University’s Centre for Leadership and Management Hold a Networking Forum on Building Sustainable Organizations

CANAA || By Fr. Don Bosco Onyalla || 20 July 2015

The alumni association of the Nairobi-based Tangaza University’s Centre for Leadership and Management (CLM) dubbed The Leaders’ Guild (TLG), last Friday held a networking forum under the theme: building sustainable organizations.

The forum brought together not only some TLG members but also leaders, managers, and entrepreneurs, with 54 participants in attendance, among them religious and laity hailing from different regions of Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia and Australia.

The organizers of the forum engaged WYLDE International, a “consulting firm committed to providing dynamic, inspirational and transformational programs, for small entrepreneurs, medium sized business and large organizations, that will institute a culture of excellence, good leadership and teamwork.”

In his input, the managing director of WYLDE International, Joram Mwinamo led the forum participants through the process of growing organizations from having an idea and startup to growth to establishment to expansion and to transition, corresponding to 5Es, namely, Exploring, Emerging, Establishing, Expanding, and Evolving.

He explained about the need for organizational clarity and focus as well as the need to have systems in place to manage the courses of action and the implementation of organizational activities.

Mwinamo stressed on the need for organizations to engage “good people” who are aligned to the vision and values of the organization and endowed with the needed expertise.

“If we want to achieve great things that last, we must first conquer ourselves,” Mwinamo said, emphasizing the need to have the right mindset, to practice patience and resilience, to invest in the self through capacity building, to embrace the changing roles in strategic and visionary ways, to let go tasks that others can do, to empower others in the organization, to focus on building the institution rather than “personality cults”, and to capitalize on all available opportunities for value creation.

Sr. Loretta Brennan, who presided over the opening session with a word of prayer, invited the participants to cherish their visions in and to have passion for what they set out to establish.

“If you want an organization to grow, you must have a vision and passion,” Sr. Brennan said. “This is what will sustain you,” she added, further emphasizing the need to establish and maintain good relationships and partnerships.

TLG Coordinator, Sr. Margaret Mutiso of the Daughters of Sacred Heart told CANAA that the forum achieved its objective.

“Given that it was a networking forum, people from different organizations were able to interact and make new connections,” Sr. Mutiso explained, adding, “The theme proved to be relevant to the participants and the invited guest came as was expected and delivered the talk very passionately and effectively.”

“One participant who attended the knowledge sharing forum we had with Uwezo fund in April 10^th gave a testimony on how the forum made him meet the CEO of Uwezo fund and how a hundred groups of young people have been funded by Uwezo fund through him, courtesy of TLG,” Sr. Mutiso continued to share with CANAA about the impact of the networking forum, adding that some participants expressed the desire to partner with TLG.

“As a follow up, TLG will keep in touch with the forum participants and using the data from the evaluation done by the participants, TLG team will discern and determine the next events, including the process of partnering with the interested organizations and individuals,” Sr. Mutiso concluded.

TLG has the mission “to develop competent and holistic servant leaders who positively impact and transform society.”

Beside alumni members, TLG has associates consisting of leaders and managers from various sectors of society but are not the alumni of Tangaza University’s CLM, previously under DePaul University in Chicago, USA.

Trainings on integrating faith and purpose for leaders and managers using the Transformative Experience framework, mentoring and coaching for alumni members, networking opportunities for leaders and managers from various sectors of society, among helping alumni in seeking externship, internship, volunteers and job opportunities through its networks are some of the TLG’s services.

Synod on Family a Major Interest of African Catholic Scholars at the Just Concluded Colloquium

CANAA || By Fr. Don Bosco Onyalla || 20 July 2015

The just concluded theological colloquium on Church, religion and society in Africa (TCCRSA), which brought together selected African Catholic Scholars, saw participants exhibit much interest in the Synod of Bishops on the Family slated for October 4-25, 2015.

Participants drawn from different linguistic and geographical regions of the continent as well as gender, generational, and ecclesial diversity have been gathering in Nairobi for the last three successive years in discussions “aimed to develop, model, and sustain a new and innovative methodology and process of theological reflection, research, and study at the service of the African Church and the World Church.”

“I was pleasantly surprised by the great interest in the Synod of Bishops on ‘Family and Marriage’ to take place in Rome in October, 2015,” Father Joseph Healey of the Maryknoll Society who has participated in all the three conferences told CANAA on Monday in reference to the colloquium that concluded on Saturday.

The October Synod of Bishops will schedule discussions on topics related to the family and evangelization under theme: “The vocation and mission of the family in the church and the modern world.”

Father Healey went on to share with CANAA some of the common views among the colloquium participants, beginning with the concern that the Synod on the family could be dominated by voices from the Church in Europe, which he described as “a danger of a Eurocentric Synod without strong input from Africa.”

Cognizant of the diverse pastoral situations in the Catholic Church all over the world, the colloquium participants expressed the need for concrete pastoral solutions on the local level in each continent, rather than a “one size fits all” universal approach.

The African Catholic scholars further proposed follow-up continental synods.

According to Father Healey, the participants were of the common view to have “an African Synod on African soil with National Bishops Conferences having deliberative, decision-making, legislative power to make pastoral changes and innovations following inculturation and contextualization on the local level.”

Meanwhile, the colloquium convener, Father Agbonkhianmeghe Orobator, who is the Principal of the Jesuits’ Hekima University College in Nairobi, told CANAA that the three-year gathering of selected African scholars has made him realize the value of “a conversational and dialogical approach to doing theology that includes all the voices – clergy, lay, women, men, bishops, theologians, old and young.”

Through the discussions, Father Orobator knows too well “the importance of listening to the voices, insights and wisdom of African women in church and society,” as he told CANAA.

Having edited two books corresponding to the first and second colloquium, namely, Theological Reimagination: Conversations on Church, Religion, and Society in Africa and The Church We Want: Foundations, Theology and Mission of the Church in Africa Conversations on Ecclesiology respectively, Father Orobator will compile the presentations and discussions of this third and final colloquium into a book, to be published as the third volume of the three-year colloquium.       

Diocesan priests in Congo DR Pledge to Work for Conflict Resolution

Vatican Radio || VR Francese Africa || 14 July 2015

In Congo DR’s Diocese of Mbuji-Mayi, one hundred and fifty diocesan priests together with their Bishop, Bernard Emmanuel Kasanda have concluded a conflict resolution workshop.  Mbuji Mayi is in the Oriental Province of Kasai.

During the four-days workshop, the priests of Mbuji-Mayi with Bishop Kasanda discussed the need to use the media and social communications as pastoral tools to advocate against conflict in areas where they exercise their ministry.

The priests pledged to consolidate the mission of the Church in the diocese as a maiden for truth and love. The Bishop of Mbuji-Mayi and clergy resolved to commit themselves to work towards being witnesses of mercy and love in the diocese. They further said they would work hard to proactively deal with any misunderstandings that may arise in order to avoid the escalation of conflict.

During the closing concelebrated Eucharist in the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist, the faithful witnessed emotional exchanges of forgiveness among priests.

Caritas Head in CAR Selected for Humanitarian Award

ZENIT.org || 14 July 2015

Archbishop Dieudonné Nzapalainga among Recipients of Sergio Vieria de Mello Award

The president of Caritas Central African Republic is one of three people selected to receive an international award for work in interreligious dialogue.

Caritas’ Archbishop Dieudonné Nzapalainga, Imam Oumar Kobine Layama and Pastor Nicolas Guérékoyamémé-Gbangou were chosen for the Sergio Vieira de Mello Award as founders of the Interfaith Peace Platform.

The platform promotes reconciliation and dialogue among Muslims, Catholics and Protestants in war-torn Central African Republic.

The three men have travelled together around CAR preaching peace and reconciliation to communities. They have also opened churches and mosques to provide shelter to people uprooted by conflict.

Violence erupted in CAR when rebels took over the capital Bangui in 2013. Nearly 3 million people are in need of help as a result of the ongoing conflict and almost half a million people have fled their homes.

The Sergio Vieira de Mello Award is named after a United Nations official who was killed along with 21 other aid workers when the UN headquarters in Baghdad were bombed.

A New Bishop is appointed in Ghana, A University Launches Master’s Program in Theology

CANAA || By Damian Avevor and Fr. Don Bosco Onyalla || 16 July 2015

On Tuesday, June 14, Pope Francis appointed Father Emmanuel Fianu, a member of the Society of Divine Word (S.V.D.), as bishop of Ho in Ghana.

Born in Tegbi in the Volta region of Ghana in 1957, the bishop-elect took his perpetual vows in 1984 and was ordained a priest in 1985.

He studied biblical theology at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome and has served in a number of administrative and academic offices in his congregation and various Church institutions.

Until his appointment, the bishop-elect has been serving as secretary of the General Council of his Congregation. 

He succeeds Bishop Francis Anani Kofi Lodonu, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese, upon reaching the age limit, was accepted by the Holy Father.

According to Vatican Information Service, the Catholic Diocese of Ho has a population of 658,845 with some 200,670 Catholics, who are served by 82 priests and 90 religious.

Meanwhile, the Spiritan University College at Ejisu in Ghana, has rolled out a Master’s Degree Programme in Theology.

Affiliated to Duquesne University, Pittsburgh in the U.S., the move to launch the MA program is aimed at strengthening the ties between the two sister institutions and to enable their students to receive certain educational benefits from each other, as expressed by Father Anthony Anomah, the Spiritan University Rector.

“The Master of Arts in Theology provides a graduate-level foundation in central areas of Theology,” Father Anomah said and added, “It is designed for those who wish to teach Theology, prepare for Doctoral-Level Studies in Theology or as a renewal Programme. It is an integrative curriculum for the theological education of people engaged in a variety of pastoral ministries.”

He noted that the courses were well structured with flexible hours to suit the working class and that it will be a summer part-time programme scheduled between May and August each year with residential and non-residential facilities.

Spiritan University College was opened in 1990 as an Institute of Philosophy to give the first stage of priestly and missionary formation specifically to candidates of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit (the Spiritans).

African Catholic Scholars Discuss Challenges and Opportunities of the African Church Ahead of Synod on Family

CANAA || By Fr. Don Bosco Onyalla || 16 July 2015

African Catholic scholars gathering in Nairobi, Kenya, for the third year in a row for the theological colloquium on Church, religion, and society in Africa, on Thursday shared about the challenges and opportunities of the African Church ahead of the Synod on the family, among other deliberations.

One participant identified “lack of self-criticism” and not being so “good at evaluating ourselves” as one of the weaknesses of the African Church ahead of assemblies involving the universal Church.

The participant sited some gaps in the last Synod on the family with specific reference to aspects particular to the African Church, which were missing in the 46 questions and answers for the Instrumentum Laboris.

“No mention last December in Lineamenta on HIV and AIDs, not one reference. No mention to female genital mutilation. No mention of children-headed households,” the participant observed as discussions started on the first day of the three-day conference.

“One reason is that African Bishops have not come up with a strategy to clearly and incisively present in Rome those priorities,” the participant went on and clarified, “Unlike other continents, which plan together and then come with clear priorities, our African interventions are often scattered and not planned together.”

Last month (June 9, 2015), the Vatican-based Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments, Robert Cardinal Sarah, encouraged Church leaders in Africa to speak “with one credible voice” on the family.

Cardinal Sarah was addressing representatives of African Church leaders in Accra, Ghana, who gathered for a consultative meeting ahead of the October Synod on the Family.

The input on challenges of the African Church at the Nairobi colloquium followed the presentation, “Gospel of Family – from Africa to the World Church” by Bishop Kevin Dowling of Rustenburg, South Africa.

Bishop Dowling addressed the opportunities that the African Church can offer, suggesting that the Synod on the family would do better to avoid the restatement of doctrines and ideals in “predominantly Eurocentric constructs.”

In his view, more time should be expended “on hurting and struggling parents and families, on all the systemic issues, which threaten relationships between people in societies and make it so hard for parents today to nourish their relationship with their own children and so bring them up in wholesome and life-giving ways.”

“Instead of individualism, anthropocentricism, and the capitalist concept of a development that cannot be sustained, Africa and other indigenous communities offer the world a more wholesome and holistic value, I am because you are, and out of this flows the all-encompassing value of relationship, of being with, of community, of Ubuntu, of reverence for the other, of respect for the elders, of the extended family, small Christian communities, of your child is our child, and everything else that characterizes an African way of being, which includes the spiritual in its worldview. It leads to such extraordinary experiences and examples of generosity and self-sacrifice,” Bishop Dowling explained.

“Let us from Africa share our ways of finding and building hope and communion through our stories and the vision of truly being family in which diversity is truly a gift,” Bishop Dowling, who has served as Chairman of the International Sudan Ecumenical Forum through which he was engaged in the Sudan Peace Process said.

He identified the disconnect between religion and culture as one of the challenges the secularized Western world is currently facing.

“We cannot presume that this secularized world will not touch or have an impact on our children, our young people, families and society in Africa. In some places, it is already having an impact,” Bishop Dowling remarked.

The colloquium, which is the third and final gathering of a three-year research program has the theme, “An Agenda for Vatican III: Ideas, Issues, and Resources from Africa or the World Church.”

“Instead of looking back at Vatican II, we want to now begin to examine those issues that will shape and frame the mission of the Church for the future, so we are looking forward now; and that is why we’ve called it ‘looking towards Vatican III.’ We are saying that we should at this point be looking forward, fifty years after Vatican II,” the colloquium convener, Father Agbonkhianmeghe Orobator told CANAA on Thursday at Hekima Institute of Peace Studies and International Relations (HIPSIR), the venue of the conference.

“Vatican II is a process; it is not an event that is fixed in history that once we have completed everything, then we move on. No! Time continues. History unfolds. The story continues,” Father Orobator clarified, adding, “Vatican II is moving towards the future and therefore as part of that future, we are saying, what are the issues that Vatican II allows us to see even better and deeper?”

Meanwhile, in his presentation, Father Eugene Elochukwu Uzukwu, a Spiritan and Professor in broad areas of theology identified the African reception of Vatican II and the African reception of Christianity on one hand and the African indigenous religious experience and the cultures that emerge from these indigenous religious experiences on the other hand, as “the two broad sources that should be utilized by any group trying to plan for Vatican III.”

Participants expressed appreciation for the colloquium, sharing how the two previous conferences have offered positive impact in their various ministries and service among the people of God.

National Movement of Catholic Students Receive Training in Advocacy Skills in Zimbabwe

Vatican Radio || By Zimbabwe-Mozambique Jesuit Communications || 10 July 2015

Zimbabwe’s National Movement of Catholic Students has brought together student leaders to receive training in lobbying and advocacy skills.

The 15 students gathered at Silveira House, some 20 km out of Harare in Chishawasha, attended the study workshop aimed at imparting leadership, lobbying and advocacy skills in them. The training was meant to create progressive student leaders who embrace lobbying and advocacy as methods of solving issues and resisting the generally used violent ways associated with student activism.

The workshop was facilitated by Blessed Mushamiri a graduate in Law from the University of Zimbabwe who is also a former NMCS member. The workshop attracted student representatives members from NMCS, the Zimbabwe Congress of Student Union (ZICOSU) and the Zimbabwe National Student Union (ZINASU).

NMCS is a Catholic movement of tertiary students present in more than 35 tertiary institutions across Zimbabwe.

Archbishop in Malawi Recalls Country’s Challenges after 51 years of Independence, Seeks Divine Intervention

CANAA || By Fr. Don Bosco Onyalla || 13 July 2015

Archbishop Thomas Msusa of Blantyre in Malawi, made a recollection of the various challenges his country is facing and called for concerted efforts by all citizens to build a responsible nation founded on trust in God to bring economic transformation.

The message was contained in the homily the Archbishop sent to CANAA on Monday, which he delivered before the President of the Republic of Malawi on the occasion of the country’s 51^st Anniversary of the Independence on July 5, 2015.

The Archbishop spoke about the challenge of floods, xenophobia, insufficient budgeting unable to provide for good education and health services, unemployment among the youth, the disparity between the rich and the poor, corruption, and the rising incidences of violence and insecurity as some of the challenges his country is facing as it marks 51 years of self-rule.

“On our own, we find it almost impossible to call this day a celebration, a "chikondwerero" to be remembered,” the Archbishop remarked and added, “facing the magnitude of our troubles, let us turn to God for inspiration and guidance.”

He went on to wonder why Malawi is considered the poorest country globally saying, “Why are we called the poorest in the world? Where is our poverty coming from? What is our real problem?”

He saw the need for moral transformation among Malawians, which requires God’s intervention and drew inspiration from the dialogue between King Pharaoh of Egypt and Joseph explained in Genesis 41: 14-16, 33-41.

“Finally, fellow Malawians, we always talk of Malawi as a God fearing nation and let it be so….for we have discovered that the problems we have in this country cannot be solved by our human efforts alone,” Archbishop Msusa said in conclusion, adding, “I urge every believer in God to pray for God’s intervention.”

Below is the full text of the homily delivered before the President of the Republic of Malawi by Archbishop Thomas Msusa on the occasion of the 51^st Anniversary of the Independence on July 5, 2015.

 "BUILDING A RESPONSIBLE NATION TRUSTING IN GOD FOR ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION"

GENESIS 41:14-16, 33-41

1.Introduction

Celebrating our unity as one family……..one Malawi!

Dear brothers and sisters,

Today is a very important day for all of us gathered here representing and praying for the whole nation. Celebrations are very important moments and they bring joy and a new purpose in life. As we do when we celebrate the birth of a son or daughter, when we keep vigil at night in preparation for a marriage, even when we gather to mourn our dead, we experience the gift of being a community and a family where everybody is welcome.

Yes, every religion and every nation in the world keep important days of celebration very dear to their heart. Indeed, the 51 years anniversary of our Independence is a great call for all of us as Malawians to come together, to celebrate, to reflect and to thank God for our freedom.

Last year we met together again to celebrate the great Golden Jubilee of our beloved country Malawi. It was the conclusion of a long journey that lasted fifty years since the day that marked our Independence with a new name Malawi, a new flag, a new national anthem and a great desire to prove that we could change our lives.

While last year we concentrated our reflection on looking at our past history, this year we have gathered here with a particular task of looking ahead to our future with hope under the theme:.

2. Looking at our Past with gratitude………………..

We are grateful for our past, we thank the people who fought for our freedom, the people who came before us and made us the people and a nation we are today; yes, it is our continued desire that we live the present days with joy, we want to rekindle hope for the days ahead, for our future. We have achieved a lot in the past years as a nation:

We have built up an infrastructure that comprises the health service, the education system, a parliament, we have the Republican Constitution that promotes the rule of law, and again we have transportation and communication systems in place and so many others, ...

We saw the re-introduction of multi-party democracy in Malawi and have managed general elections after every five years; the freedom of expressions and freedom of religion continue to help us become more human; …

We have lived peaceful relations with other neighbouring countries… and recently: We have proved to ourselves that we can help our brothers and sisters who experienced floods… and those who suffered because of xenophobia... for these and many other positive factors, let us congratulate ourselves for doing well so far!

3. The Present Challenges……………..

However, I still see that perhaps, we as government of the people and for the people, we religious, business, political and community leaders, 
do feel that we do not have all the answers or all the powers
 or sometimes even do not have the courage to fix the problems 
in our cities, villages and institutions.


Some of the issues we are obliged to face, are the challenges of the growing dissatisfaction of our young people who witness an increasingly contentious disparity between the rich and the poor; the terrible corruption that has reached every level of our society to the extent that there is a general feeling that even our politics has too little to offer so as to remedy the situation of our country.

On our own, we find it almost impossible to call this day a celebration, a "chikondwerero" to be remembered. Facing the magnitude of our troubles, let us turn to God for inspiration and guidance. For today, we are confronted by the outside world telling us that: We are and we remain the poorest country!

Of course, some have disputed this: perhaps they do not know that “anthu akusowa mchere wothira mchigwada…their daily ndiwo for the whole year”. Perhaps, they do not know that some are unable to get k100 for a month or two.” Perhaps they do not know that with this winter season, some do not have a blanket to cover his or her head… despite all this, the question remains: Why are we called the poorest in the world? Where is our poverty coming from? What is our real problem?

Looking at our present situation, we find it difficult to celebrate the 51 years of independence with joy. This year is proving to be a very difficult time and I don't need to repeat here what every Malawian is well aware of.

The floods and the many lives lost; a difficult season for our agriculture with too many people crying, for their fields were washed away by floods and some dried up completely; there are many farmers unable to recover from the sale of their cotton what they invested in their fields; the painful experience of xenophobia and the feeling of being rejected; the budget that has been approved recently and yet I foresee that it will be difficult to provide enough support for the essential services: good education, hospital services and job creation for our youth.

Never in the past, like today, violence is erupting all around us, we are killing our own policemen, torching their offices and sometimes pushing them to retaliate, and we are robbing and assaulting each other, thus creating insecurity in our own towns and villages.

Brothers and sisters, Are we not surprised to hear that our brothers and sisters: the albinos have powers in their body parts that create wealth? Are we not surprised when we hear so and so are selling body parts and yet we do not hear the results of their cases?

Amidst all these, I ask myself: What is our problem? Why we are poor today and our neighbouring countries are doing well economically? Why? Why? Why?

4. The need for moral transformation………

Perhaps today we are poor not because of lack of means and possibilities. As we often repeat Malawi is a rich country, but her people are poor. Our poverty is much deeper than the lack of industries, mines, foreign currency in our misused banks. Perhaps, we the people of Malawi are poor because we have missed out human and moral transformation more than economic transformation.

Perhaps Malawi today, more than ever before, needs transformative and not transitional religious, community or traditional, political and business leaders. When people talk of transformative leaders they think of and are preoccupied with economic transformation. Economic transformation can never be achieved without ‘Moral economy’ displayed by us leaders of every sector of society!

Let me confess here that I do not point a finger at one leader or a leader of one or two sectors…no! It is all of us!

Everybody realizes that Malawi as a country, now needs, more than ever before, community leaders who are not only well educated but also leaders who are well formed in conscience to be able to uphold moral values of human dignity, common good and option for the poor when making decisions that affect the lives of the millions of people in this country.

Efforts to advocate and lobby for the just economic, social and political policies and systems can bear fruit only when they are anchored on sound moral principles. Financial, social and political economy can be realized if it is built on an ethical moral economy as upheld and displayed by each one of us.

5. The need for God’s intervention…………..

Today is an opportune time to recognize that we need help beyond ourselves, we need a power greater than ourselves, we need God’s help because on our own we are masters at creating divisions more than bridges.

My brothers and sisters, this is the time we need God’s intervention, for I still believe that if we continue to do things the same way we have always done, we shouldn’t be surprised if we get what we have always got in this country.

6. GENESIS 41:14-16, 33-41

Let us reflect together on the reading of today from Genesis 41: 14-16, 33-41, and discover what King Pharaoh of Egypt and Joseph got after holding dialogue together:

For those of us who are very familiar with the Bible, we know what happened to King Pharaoh and his dreams. We know that the King was deeply troubled by his dreams Gen. 41:1-13):

We know that in the first dream, Pharaoh was standing by the River Nile, and he saw seven sleek and fat cows emerging from the river. These were followed by seven ugly and poor looking cows, which proceeded to eat up the sleek and fat ones.

In the second dream, Pharaoh saw seven ears of corn that were healthy and good, growing on a single stalk. Then seven other ears of corn sprouted, thin and scorched by the east winds, which swallowed up the seven fat, healthy corns.

Pharaoh summoned all the magicians and sages in Egypt and recounted his dream to them, but there was none to interpret it for him except Joseph the prisoner.

Now, Joseph, a man favoured by God with the gift of interpreting dreams told Pharaoh the meaning of both dreams that seven years of great abundance are coming in the land of Egypt, but these shall be followed by seven years of severe famine where all the abundance will be forgotten in the entire land of Egypt.

Joseph did not stop there. He gave King Pharaoh the following two pieces of advice:

i.Seek out a discerning and wise person and put him in charge of the land of Egypt.

ii.Appoint commissioners for the land to organize it during the seven years of abundance, they should collect all the food of these coming good years, gathering the grain for food in the cities, and they should guard it. This food shall be the reserve for the country against the seven years of famine so much that the nation will not perish.

7. What do we learn from the story of Pharaoh and Joseph………

Dear Brothers and Sisters, I do not want to pretend to be Joseph here, yet in my simple perception I see that the story of Pharaoh’s dream is pointing at something very practical and relevant to us that are gathered in this hall, ready to celebrate 51 years of independence in Malawi.

Like Pharaoh who humbled himself and sought wisdom from the wise people in the entire land of Egypt, we too ought to humbly sit in this big hall for a while, and do some soul searching about the disorders of our country, especially now at the age of 51. Why are we poor?

Pharaoh

The character of Pharaoh is particularly interesting for me:

Here is a leader yet humble – so humble enough to seek advice from the wise people of his land.

As if that was not enough, he was not even bothered by the fact that Joseph was not an Egyptian but a slave, a prisoner among them. He accepted that Joseph be brought out of the prison and help him to interpret the dreams.

Joseph

The character of Joseph is also very interesting for me:

He is described as a person humble before his God, able to discern meanings of dreams and stand before King Pharaoh and told him the truth of what was to happen and what to do to avoid loss of human life in Egypt due famine.

Dear brothers and sisters, if we may reflect a bit on the advice of Joseph to Pharaoh, there is something that we can learn about us, leaders when we appoint our advisors. In my case, here in the Archdiocese of Blantyre, I appointed priests, who together are called “College of Consulters” and they advise me on how to run this great archdiocese. Today, as a religious leader, I have to learn something in this story.

Advisors have the privileged position to speak before us leaders. The question is how best do our advisors make use of this privilege? Obviously, there is also something about how we leaders appoint our advisors, how did I appoint the college of consulters? What criteria did I follow to appoint my advisors!

In my little experience, perhaps, most often we have a bunch of advisors whose role leaves a lot to be desired. Perhaps, some of our advisors tend to speak in order to please us, who appointed them. Such advisors mask the problems in our parishes, institutions, mosques, in our political parties and in our society.

Unlike Joseph, we may have advisors who fail to declare the truth. Here, Joseph is a great lesson to them. He did not miss words in telling Pharaoh the truth.

With all the difficulties that we leaders face in our dioceses, synods, districts, villages and in Malawi as a nation, we need people of courage to tell the truth even to us leaders so that we should know the reality of our community and be advised on how to respond to it.

You, our advisors, tell us your leaders that there is disorder when there is disorder, and proceed to propose how you think the problems can be solved.

Remember that all of us are responsible, since together we fall or together we stand. This is what Joseph did to King Pharaoh, he told the truth to the king.

At the same time, our Churches, Mosques and Malawi as a whole need humble leaders that can take advice from the advisors, and even from the ordinary citizens out there, people like Joseph, a foreigner.

In this story, King Pharaoh, whose knowledge of the Lord is very questionable, stands out as our teacher in that he knew not only how to listen, but also how to allow those pieces of advice influence his decisions.

Pharaoh listened carefully to Joseph, a slave and a foreigner and approved Joseph’s proposals. Furthermore, he noticed that Joseph himself was the right man for the job, even if he was not from their group.

Pharaoh did not appoint Joseph by looking at blood relationships or at his tribal background. Rather, focusing on how to address the problem of famine ahead of them, he appointed Joseph whom he found to be the right person for the job.

8. Application to our Situation………………

Fellow Malawians, the selection of the guiding theme for this 51^st anniversary is not by mere coincidence. There are particular concerns clearly spelt out hear:

1. Building a responsible nation.
2. Trusting in God.
3. Economic transformation.

There are concerns that our country is not progressing at the desired pace. Politically, we have seen Malawians getting more divided on tribal, political, regional and religious lines. Since the 2014 elections, we have seen a birth of a movement for federal Government. Whether we agree on what they mean or not, the question for us must be, ‘Why are people calling for federalism today?’

Economically, there are also some perennial challenges in service delivery. When the most affected sectors are hospitals or health centers, agriculture and education, then we know that the ones that will suffer most are the ordinary citizens out there.

9. Grateful to the President for Flood intervention………......

Talking about the floods again, I take this opportunity to thank Your Excellency, Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika, the President of the Republic of Malawi for moving in quickly to declare the floods a national disaster.

Your Excellency, your statement was so loud that organizations and partners from various parts of the world came to our assistance. We should also thank God that the Government has managed the flood crisis so well up to this time.

10. The need for planning……………

However, we know that apart from handling the floods, there is also a looming hunger that is coming. The only hope for all Malawians is the Government and in this I quote President Franklin Roosevelt, who said,

“When widespread economic conditions render large numbers of men and women incapable of supporting either themselves or their families…aid must be extended by Government, not as a matter of charity, but as a matter of social duty.” (A message to the New York State Legislature, August 28, 1931).

Your Excellency, brothers and sisters, We need someone like Joseph to help Government manage the little harvest of this year and supplement the shortfall. Moreover, more than looking at this year’s drought with a short sight, there is need to even go beyond this drought and look into long term strategies that will translate into rural livelihood and food sustainability whenever the country experiences these recurrent droughts. Malawi can produce enough food, using the lakes and rivers that the country has.

11. Our Natural Resources……………

Your Excellency, ladies and gentlemen, Government must also be commended for the initiatives it is taking to explore the vastness of the natural resources that God gave to Malawi. Indeed, the forests, precious stones, lakes, rivers and mountains - these are a heritage that is given to us by God.

In his recent encyclical, On the Care of our Common Home, Pope Francis has appealed to all people of good will for a responsible use of the natural resources of the earth, our common home. He has reminded us that any harm that is inflicted upon the earth due to irresponsible use and abuse of the natural resources simply backfires on ourselves when effects of climate change hit hard on us through various natural disasters. For instance, we have experienced flooding here in Malawi.

Fellow Malawians, we ought to be proud of the natural resources that God gave Malawi. Let us use them with a sense of stewardship and for the common good of every Malawian, especially the poor.

It comes to my knowledge that there are indeed some of us who are actually abusing our natural resources. When one sees trucks full of wood crossing borders day in day out, without any intervention, one wonders what the future holds for Malawi. It is as if natural resources are a heritage for a few individuals in this country, yet these resources are a common heritage for us living today and for the generations to come.

As leaders, we must feel the pain to see all these things happening. It is painful to see our 51-year-old nation persistently in crises, appearing disintegrated society; a nation whose young people are being chased and killed in xenophobic attacks in South Africa where they are seeking greener pastures. If Malawi had people like Joseph in charge of natural resources, the problems that Malawi is facing would not be so disastrous as it is today.

Dear brothers and sisters, let me call to your attention what again President Franklin said, “The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.” (FranKlin Roosevelt, Inaugural address, January 20, 1937).

What is often happening with us leaders is that each party, each group, each village, each parish has its own vision. Each ethnic group wants to dream alone, totally disregarding the others. If we want successful development in this country, the individual dreams ought to be put together in the same pot and make them into one Big National Dream: a Responsible Nation, Trusting in God, Economically Transformed.

12. A Call to Conversion and embrace Gospel Values……………

We Malawians are known everywhere in the world to be hard workers, people that are gifted, very friendly people and we befit the name, “the Warm Heart of Africa.” And that is what we are! Let us all work for a transformation of selfish activities and greed so as to make Malawi a nation that is well ordered towards progress.

Perhaps, we religious leaders have managed to build big churches and mosques, but have missed the task of building and forming the moral conscience of our people shaped by Gospel values so as to ‘be’ the moral conscience of the society.

Perhaps, we have built many churches, and yet it is not enough to have many churches whose people are not morally transformed by the gospel values of justice and love!

 That is why Prophet Isaiah invites each one of us to Conversion, to a Change of heart, to a true change of heart and mentality:  

When he says, “Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good things of the land” (Isaiah 1: 17-19).

Here Isaiah calls us for a real change that is from the “inside out.” We need the inner change and not from the “outside in.” We need human and moral transformation before economic transformation takes place.

For us to celebrate the beginning of a real transformation of our country we need:

-To affirm the dignity of every person, the "umunthu wa anthu onse", especially the poorest.

-To preserve the richness of our Country built on good governance, transparency, and accountability, fairness with clean politics devoid of corruption, regionalism and nepotism.

-To start walking with our Pope Francis who takes upon himself the virtues of St. Francis of Assisi as he says: “Let us not be afraid of goodness, let us protect one another and the environment through genuine love and service.”

The economic transformation will be attained as a result of our moral transformation that has to come first and must be fully put into practice by every Malawian citizen.

The Catholic Bishops in Malawi once said,

"As a nation we have much to be grateful for, but in the process of charting the way forward, we realize that we need to work together. The principle of the common good, love and truth and genuine concern for the poor must continue to guide us. .. In so doing we hope to usher in a new era that is characterized by honest and respectful dialogue and an ardent common search for solutions towards the integral development of Malawi."

(Reading the signs of the times - Pastoral Statement 31 October 2010).

13. We join hands together, praying for our country………………

Finally, fellow Malawians, we always talk of Malawi as a God fearing nation and let it be so….for we have discovered that the problems we have in this country cannot be solved by our human efforts alone. I urge every believer in God to pray for God’s intervention.

Our God is so powerful and nothing is impossible for Him. And as for you my fellow Catholics, let us take our Rosary; let us use it in our prayers, in our parishes and communities! The Rosary is the weapon to defeat whoever brings malice to our nation! For united we stand, divided we fall….

May God bless our nation!

God bless you all!

THANK YOU!

ARCHBISHOP THOMAS MSUSA

ARCHDIOCESE OF BLANTYRE

Pope Sends Condolences for Attack on Italian Consulate in Cairo

ZENIT.org || Staff Reporter || 13 July 2015

Pope Francis has firmly condemned the terrorist attack early Saturday against the Italian Consulate in the Egyptian capital of Cairo. 

This sentiment was expressed in a telegram to the president of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Abdel Fatteh Al Sisi, sent by Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, on the Pontiff's behalf, the same day.

According to BBC, militants of Islamic State have claimed responsibility for the car bomb explosion that severely damaged the Italian consulate in Egypt's capital, Cairo, killing at least one person and injuring several others. According to the health minister, policemen and civilians were among the injured. The explosion almost completely destroyed the building's main entrance, shattering windows, and flooding the building after water-pipes had ruptured.

The Pope's telegram began by saying he learned of this terrorist act in Cairo with "great concern" and that the Pope "raises his firm condemnation against such acts."

"The Pope calls on political and religious actors at all levels to work together to fight, with even more determination, the scourge of terrorism and to promote harmony and solidarity," it added.

The message concluded with the Holy Father expressing his deepest sympathy to all those affected by the indiscriminate violence, especially the affected families. It also assured the faithful of his prayers, offering consolation, and imploring "an abundance of divine blessings on all the Egyptian people."

Selected African Catholic Scholars to discuss “agenda for Vatican III” from Thursday

CANAA || By Fr. Don Bosco Onyalla || 13 July 2015

A community of selected African Catholic scholars will be gathering at the Hekima Institute of Peace Studies and International Relations (HIPSIR) in Nairobi this Thursday for a three-day conference under the theme, “An Agenda for Vatican III: Ideas, Issues, and Resources from Africa or the World Church.”

The conference is the third and final gathering of the three-year research program dubbed the Theological Colloquium on Church, Religion, and Society in Africa (TCCRSA), “aimed to develop, model, and sustain a new and innovative methodology and process of theological reflection, research, and study at the service of the African Church and the World Church.”

According to the conference booklet availed to CANAA on Monday by the convener of the colloquium, the Principal of the Nairobi-based Jesuits’ Hekima University College, Father Agbonkhianmeghe Orobator, the expected participants represent the African continent in its main linguistic diversities (English, French, Portuguese, and Arabic) and traditions (Ethiopian Christians, Egyptian Coptics and African).

The booklet lists the 36 participants expected at the Conference, two guests, and four translators.

“The colloquium aims for a pan-African participation and representation of linguistic (French, Portuguese, and English speaking), gender (women and men), geographical (North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa: east, west, central, and south), generational (established theologians and young/new scholars), and ecclesial (laity, religious, clergy, and bishops) composition,” the conference booklet reads, adding African theologians in the Diaspora among the participants.

The third TCCRSA, which will conclude on Saturday, was scheduled to coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of the conclusion of Vatican II that took place from 1962 to1965.

Through forums for conversation, listening, presentation of commissioned papers and responses, and joint working/research sessions, participants will reflect on various topics, among them, imagining the Church of Vatican III, ecology and soteriology, the clash of religions and the future of humanity, pressing and contested ethical and moral issues with African perspectives, the gospel of family in Africa and the Pope “Francis effect” and how it translates in Africa.

The first TCCRSA took place in 2013 under the theme “African Theology in the Twenty-First Century: Identity and Profile, Contexts, and Models” and its reflections published in the book titled Theological Reimagination: Conversations on Church, Religion, and Society in Africa, available at the Paulines Bookshops in Nairobi.

“The Church We Want: Theological Voices from Within and Outside the Church at the Service of Ecclesia in Africa” was the theme of the second TCCRSA, which took place in August 2014.

The reflections of this colloquium were compiled in the book, The Church We Want: Foundations, Theology and Mission of the Church in Africa Conversations on Ecclesiology, edited by Father Orobator, Agbonkhianmeghe and published by Paulines Publications Africa, 2015, in Nairobi.

 

Holy Family Today Would Run Away from Egypt, Not Toward It

Crux || By John L. Allen Jr. || 5 July 2015

At the very origins of Christianity lies the story of the Holy Family’s flight into Egypt, escaping persecution under an Israelite king. In the crypt of a small Cairo church, one can still find the well from which tradition holds that Joseph, Mary, and the child Jesus drew fresh water during their exile.

Sadly, Egypt today has become a place a small number of Christians are running away from, not toward, while most express a grim determination to hold on no matter how bad it gets.

Along with my Crux colleague Inés San Martín, I spent last week in Egypt collecting the stories of these persecuted Christians.

Our hope was to reverse-engineer Stalin’s famous dictum that one death is a tragedy, while a million is a statistic. Rather than accumulating facts and figures, we wanted to unearth the individual dramas beneath such data.

For instance, we met Wadie Ramses, a 64-year-old Christian doctor who was kidnapped in Egypt’s Sinai region last year and held for 92 days, blindfolded and handcuffed, until his family paid a ransom. Periodically he would be put in a car and driven around listening to verses from the Qu’ran, while his captors beat him with a rubber hose for refusing to accept Islam.

We met Andraous Oweida, a 44-year-old construction worker and father of two who was wounded and almost crushed to death when the Egyptian army plowed their armored personnel carriers into a crowd of Christian protestors four years ago, leaving 22 people dead, including several of Oweida’s friends.

We met Nadi Mohani Makar, 59, once a prosperous merchant in a mid-sized town called Dalga when a mob burst into his home, shot his wife in the leg, set the house ablaze, and dragged him off for a beating. He was held by local police for 15 days, allegedly as a precautionary measure, and then informed that he was no longer welcome in town.

We met Nabil Soliman, a former security guard from Upper Egypt who lost his home, his job and all his property to a mob of Muslim radicals in 2013. He survives today with his wife, children, and grandchildren in a run-down Cairo apartment that’s barely worthy of housing livestock, let alone human beings.

Soliman is one of millions of Egyptians infected with hepatitis C, and because he can’t really afford the complicated bundle of medicines needed to treat it anymore, he may literally be facing a death sentence for the simple fact of being a Christian.

 

Top of Form

 

Bottom of Form

We met Ayman Samwel, a 33-year-old pharmacist who’s part of the Zabbaleen, Cairo’s legendary underclass of “garbage people” who are almost entirely Christian.

Last week Samwel was rousted from his bed by police at 3:00 am and dragged off to a station house, where he says he was beaten for four hours and subjected to verbal abuse about his faith. As Samwel describes it, it’s part of routine harassment of his community.

We met Saqer Iskander Toos, 35, whose father was killed in August 2014 in another spasm of anti-Christian violence. Muslim friends helped Toos and his brother escape their village, then buried the father since his sons weren’t allowed to return.

In a final humiliation, a mob later dug up the father’s corpse and paraded it through the streets.

I could go on, but the point is that such stories are depressingly easy to find.

Two big-picture points suggest themselves about the situation facing Christians in Egypt, which to greater or lesser degrees is shared across most of the Middle East.

First, Christians are not the only one suffering.

Right now Egypt’s most embattled minority group is arguably the Muslim Brotherhood, the conservative Islamic movement whose members are subject to arrest, torture, and extra-judicial execution by security services. Other minorities, such as Egypt’s small Shi’a Muslim population, also experience hardships, as do many women, gays, free-speech activists, and other constituencies.

The day before we left, the country’s top prosecutor, a Muslim, was killed in a car bomb attack, presumably by Islamists upset at the crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood.

Second, Christians in Egypt insist their aim is not special privilege but equality as citizens. They see themselves as fully Egyptian, not the “other”, and their suffering as part and parcel of the broader difficulties facing the entire nation under a regime which, to put it charitably, has a checkered history vis-à-vis human rights.

(By “regime,” they don’t mean just the current government of President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi. They mean the military, political, and economic complex that’s governed Egypt since the 1952 revolution that brought Gamal Abdel Nasser to power.)

That said, there’s no doubt that Christians are especially at risk in places such as Egypt, where they’re a convenient target anytime someone is mad at the state, the West, or any other perceived enemy.

Christians will take a natural interest in such suffering by fellow religionists. Concerned citizens of any stripe, however, should be able to recognize these abuses not as a confessional matter, but an urgent human rights challenge.

There’s also a clear strategic value at stake: If Christians go down in Egypt, they’ll go down all across the entire region, and with them any realistic hope for pluralism, democracy and stability in the Middle East.

Here’s hoping that realization takes hold in time to do Soliman, Ramses, and the other victims we met this week some good.

Make Medicines Affordable for the Poor –Southern African Bishops

Vatican Radio || By Fr. Stan Muyebe, Justice and Peace Commission for SACBC || 8 July 2015

The Justice and Peace Commission for the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) has raised serious concerns about patent laws in South Africa that severely diminish the financial capacity of the health department to purchase new and more effective drugs for the public health care.

“As a country we need an innovative approach that effectively balances protection of the poor and the ability of pharmaceutical companies to recover costs and make reasonable profit off the medical products they make. Intellectual property protection, as it currently prevails in South Africa, fails to achieve this balance. It makes new and more effective medicine financially unaffordable for the health department and therefore unavailable to the millions of poor people in South Africa,” siad the Commission Chairperson, Abel Gabuza, who is the Bishop of the Diocese of Kimberly.

In particular, the commission is concerned that some effective drugs for cancer and TB are priced beyond the reach of government hospitals and poorer patients, as the poor people in urban and rural areas are increasingly bearing the burden of cancer.  Various cancer drugs are patented and priced out of reach, including Trastuzumab for HER2- positive breast cancer, Bortezomib used to treat multiple myeloma and mantle cell lymphoma and Sorafenib, an effective medication for kidney cancer.

Bishop Gabuza has called on the Department of Trade and Industry to save the lives of cancer patients by urgently finalising the National Policy on Intellectual Property for approval by Cabinet.

“It is regrettable that the process of finalising the patent reforms seems to be hijacked by the narrow interests of multinational pharmaceutical companies. We strongly appeal to the Minister of Trade and Industry to take the bold stance of prioritising the lives of our people over the profit-making interests of powerful pharmaceutical companies,” Bishop Gabuza emphasised.

Bishop Gabuza also indicated that SACBC’s Justice and Peace Commission has signed on to support the, "Fix the Patent Laws campaign." The Fix the Patent Laws Campaign was started in November 2011 by the Treatment Action Campaign, Doctors without Borders and SECTION27. The campaign aims to ensure access to affordable medicines for all people living in South Africa, including those affected by cancer.

South Sudanese Archbishop Petitions Warring Leaders to Leave South Sudan in Happiness

Catholic Radio Network || Radio Bakhita, Juba Archdiocese || 9 July 2015

 Juba Catholic Archbishop has petitioned President Salva Kiir Mayardit and SPLM/A in Opposition leader Dr Riek Machar Teny to stop fighting in the country to leave a legacy of happiness as they may not live for any longer soon.

Archbishop Paolino Lukudu Loro in his massage on the eve of Independence Day on Wednesday July 8th pleaded that if it is in the powers of the warring leaders to stop the war let them do so, Radio Bakhita reported.

He cautioned the leaders against leaving South Sudan in chaos as they disappear from the political scene.

The Archbishop said that the nation expected President Kiir to make changes in administration with a new perspective.

The Archbishop urged all South Sudanese to think about South Sudan as a nation and not about the leaders or fighters.

Catholic Bishops in Nigeria give their “stand on marriage, family and human society”

CANAA || By Fr. Don Bosco Onyalla || 9 July 2015

The Catholic Bishops in Nigeria have given their position on the institution of marriage and the family, reiterating their opposition to same-sex marriage saying, “Marriage is the sacred union of one man and one woman for the begetting and care of children.”

The Bishops’ stand was given through a statement officially released on Wednesday, July 8, and signed by Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Jos, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) and Bishop William Avenya, Bishop of Gboko who is Secretary of the Conference.

The statement cites the referendum in Ireland and the Supreme Court decision in the United States of America, which legalized same-sex marriages, as well as attempts to have same-sex agenda imposed on African countries through “legislative and judicial maneuvers to redefine marriage.”

“We therefore hereby express our concern with regard to the persistent and continuous propagation and globalization of the homosexual lifestyle and the effort to redefine marriage which is a distorted view of human sexuality, coming especially from the Western world,” the Bishops said.

Bishop Emmanuel Badejo of Oyo diocese in Nigeria, who is also the Episcopal Chairman of the Pan-African Committee for Social Communications (CEPACS), remarked on the role the Church leaders from Africa will play at the October Synod on the family saying, “the current mood in some countries on  marriage and family has put even greater responsibility on the Bishops who will represent Africa at the forthcoming Synod to present with respect but even greater force and clarity the position of Africans and the Church in Africa on the family as a model for the world to emulate.”

In a message Bishop Badejo sent to CANAA accompanying the Bishops’ statement, he appealed for appreciation of the firm faith on the part of Africans saying, “The unshaken faith of Africans in the sanctity of human life and the family needs to be respected and applauded rather than scorned and penalized by those who would like to use their resources and position to pressure Africans to change their beliefs and values.”

“The joint meeting of the Bishops of Africa and of Europe which took place in Maputo, Mozambique at the same time with the meeting of some bishops at the Gregorian University in Rome last May already established that it is desirable for the Universal Church to take more seriously the African resilience on family values as a way of revitalizing other parts of the world that has become barren of such pro-life motivations,” Bishop Badejo concluded.

Below is the full statement of the Catholic Bishops in Nigeria.

OUR STAND ON MARRIAGE, FAMILY AND HUMAN SOCIETY

The Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria would like to once again reiterate the perspective of the Church on more recent developments concerning the sanctity and dignity of human life and the institutions of marriage and the family all across the world.  The recent rise in Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender activism, the popular vote in the Republic of Ireland and the Supreme Court decision in the United States of America will tend to provoke a notable and rapid shift in public opinion about the nature and meaning of marriage and family as it has been known for millennia. This, in many countries, has inevitably led to powerful legislative and judicial maneuvers to redefine marriage in order to include "same-sex marriage". We wish to state that this is a sad, unjust and lamentable situation based largely upon a distorted perception of natural law, the will of God and human nature.

Canada, Spain, France, United Kingdom, Ireland and most recently, the United States of America are some of the countries that have gone down this path. They are nations who undeniably have cultural, social and economic influence upon many African nations including Nigeria. Mozambique has not yet accepted same-sex marriage but they have struck down their legal ban on sodomy, thereby opening the door to the festering of the homosexual culture/subculture within their society. Our people daily interact with these and other nations at different levels. These countries also generate a lot of the media content consumed in our country and continent as well as much of the educational materials used in our schools.  They also give generous humanitarian aid to various establishments and projects in our country and continent. In these ways, their views, thoughts and trends are easily embedded into the heart of our society and influence many people especially the impressionable young ones.

As Catholic Bishops of Nigeria, we are grateful for these interactions and support. We are however also concerned for the influence which some of these trends could have on morality and values.  We therefore hereby express our concern with regard to the persistent and continuous propagation and globalization of the homosexual lifestyle and the effort to redefine marriage which is a distorted view of human sexuality, coming especially from the Western world.

We call on our leaders to be circumspect.  Accepting this western trend by officially endorsing homosexual unions or "same-sex marriage" will be devastating and detrimental to our nation, Nigeria as it will lead to the inevitable deconstruction of the family and the society at large with other serious but negative implications.

On our part we hereby re-emphasize that Marriage is the sacred union of one man and one woman for the begetting and care of children. It forms the core of the family which is the bedrock and foundational cell of our civilization and as such it is sanctioned by God, upheld by our culture, celebrated in our society and protected by our government.  The family deserves the protection from all civilized institutions as it predates society and is not subject to it. So our role is to promote it, protect it and preserve it at a time like this when many countries have unfortunately chosen a different path.

We call upon President Muhammadu Buhari and all our esteemed leaders, legislators and judges to shun all pressures and protect all Nigerians from the growing but dangerous influence of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender propaganda.  We appeal to professionals in the domains of media, music, entertainment, teaching, medicine, marketing and business to become faithful gatekeepers by protecting the public from the infiltration of this propaganda which is often spread through various media and forums. We encourage parents to educate their children on the immutable meaning of marriage so as to strengthen them to stand fearless by the indelible truth in a rapidly changing world. We urge young people to learn and hold firmly unto sound religious and cultural values that celebrate the beauty and blessings of marriage as the lifelong union between one man and one woman.

Finally we pray that God will grant us all the courage, integrity and perseverance needed at this time to uphold the unchangeable truth about the dignity of human sexuality and the sanctity of the institution of marriage.