Pope to SECAM: 50 years of
evangelising in fraternal communion
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| Bishops attend the opening Mass of SECAM's Golden Jubilee |
Pope Francis sends a message to the Symposium of Episcopal
Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) on the occasion of an event to
mark their Golden Jubilee, 50 years since the institution was founded.
By Francesca Merlo
As African Bishops gather in Kampala, Uganda, for their July
21st to 28th Symposium, Pope Francis wrote to the President of SECAM,
Archbishop Gabriel Mbilingi of Lubango, saying he is joining all those gathered
for the event “in thanking Almighty God for the many graces received by SECAM
and for the fraternal communion that has characterized its work over these
fifty years”.
In quoting his 2015 address to the institution, he assured
his prayers that members of SECAM might be strengthened in missionary discipleship,
for “the great work of evangelization consists in striving to make the Gospel
permeate every aspect of our lives so that we, in turn, can bring it to
others”.
In this way, he concluded “SECAM will continue to be
valuable service to the local Churches throughout the entire continent of
Africa.”
SECAM and Pope Paul VI
The aim of the institution, inaugurated during Pope Saint
Paul VI’s pilgrimage to Uganda 50 years ago, was to enable African bishops to
manage religious work in solidarity and collegiality at the Pan-African level
and promote the Catholic Church's participation in education, spirituality and
local communities. On this occasion, Pope Paul VI confirmed the Church in
Africa in her faith, declaring:
“You Africans, you are now your own missionaries.”
“You can and ought to have an African Christianity.”
“You can and ought to have an African Christianity.”
The theme of this year’s Golden Jubilee is Church-Family
of God in Africa, Celebrate your Jubilee! Proclaim Jesus Christ your Saviour.
SECAM noted that, for centuries, Africa has received and
proclaimed the Gospel. In celebrating the Golden Jubilee of SECAM, each
Catholic, every Christian community in Africa and Madagascar, is invited to let
the call to this mission resonate within them and to respond to it with zeal.
The objectives of the Jubilee, according to the
institution’s website, are to “celebrate in thanksgiving God’s wonderous deeds,
His gift of baptism and of the Church; to reflect on the progress made so far,
with the aim of deepening our faith, rooted in Christ, and to resolutely engage
ourselves in the mission of proclaiming the gospel in words and actions.”
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