ANB-BIA SUPPLEMENT

ISSUE/EDITION Nr 463 - 01/10/2003

CONTENTS | ANB-BIA HOMEPAGE | WEEKLY NEWS

THE CHURCH

An in-depth meeting of Catholic Bishops from all over Africa to prepare for the years to come,
will take place, 1-12 October 2003, at Dakar, Senegal’s capital

Africa’s Catholic bishops are meeting in Dakar, for their 13th Plenary Assembly, to determine their present-day role in Africa, the world and the universal Church. When visiting Kampala, Uganda, in 1969, Pope Paul VI had said: «By now, you Africans, are missionaries to yourselves». The beginning of the third millennium now challenges them to do even more and to make their presence more effective.

This means a close look must be taken at the present structures of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) which is the pan-African Association of Bishops’ conferences. The world is undergoing profound changes (marked especially by the phenomenon of globalisation) and these are having a profound effect on the Church’s mission to «go and teach all nations».

Other facts, some not-so-good and some encouraging, which cannot be ignored, include the many and never-ending conflicts taking place in Africa; the devastation caused by hunger, malnutrition and diseases (malaria, tuberculosis and especially HIV/AIDS); the move towards a certain degree of African unity; the organization and the development of national and regional African Episcopal Conferences. All these necessitate an in-depth re-examination of SECAM‘s structures and the way in which it works.

New discernment

The bishops have every intention of preserving SECAM‘s original objectives, which include providing a forum for bringing African perspectives to bear upon the issues of the Universal Church; and giving an opportunity for African bishops to meet and plan together. However, (as an official SECAM document states), it is all-important these days to consider the issues from a new point of view, taking into account the following principles:

1. To regard the Special Synod for Africa, held in Rome in 1994, as a new beginning, in the sense that the Synod’s options, orientations and directives must constitute a beacon for clarifying the Church’s mission in Africa.

2. SECAM‘s two main programmes of action must be to ensure: A real pastoral concern and a better understanding of the Church as God’s family (with everything which follows).

3. To develop SECAM as a means whereby Africa’s various Bishops’ Conferences can meet and coordinate their ideas. SECAM must be such that:

• More than actually taking upon itself to determine new plans of action, it must inspire, encourage, recommend, suggest, coordinate;
• It must provide a forum for reflecting together on the challenges facing the Church’s mission in Africa;
• It must be such that at a continental level, it can achieve whatever is not possible in regional and national Conferences.

4. SECAM must be very much a «watchdog» for the Church in Africa — endeavouring to coordinate by joint action, the various pastoral initiatives taking place throughout Africa.

5. SECAM must give the opportunity whereby: Due consideration can be given to challenges facing the Church in her mission; an opportunity is made available for studying the needs of the Church and the «pros» and «cons» affecting the Church’s ministry. With this in mind, it is all-important for SECAM to:

a) Help National and Regional Bishops’ Conferences fulfil their mission and carry through any decisions taken at a continental level;

b) On a continental level, organise fora and study sessions so that local Bishops’ Conferences can become aware of Africa’s real concerns and needs;

Thus the Church in Africa will take note of Africa’s realities and challenges. The Church will be able to proclaim her message in a more relevant and credible way.

SECAM’s needs

The above means that SECAM must not work isolated from the grassroots. Meetings must be organised to gather information in such a way that the pan-African Association can be provided with the necessary information to be used at its Assemblies. Thus, SECAM will truly represent the Church in Africa in all matters which concern the continent directly, without prejudice, obviously, to the prerogatives of the Holy See.

SECAM will keep its present-day structures: i.e.:

• The plenary assembly is SECAM‘s highest body. It meets every three years. It draws up the major guidelines and serves as a study, exchange of ideas and debate forum. It brings together all Africa’s bishops. They can thus get to know each other and profit from hearing about each other’s pastoral experiences and the situation of the local Church;
• The Standing Committee, consisting of the presidents of the regional Bishops’ Conferences. The Standing Committee prepares the plenary assembly and ensures its decisions are carried out. It has a renewable three-year term of office and directs the affairs of SECAM between the plenaries;
• The Presidential Council is a restricted committee which consists of the President and the two Presidents of SECAM, coming from Africa’s three main linguistic zones (English, French and Portuguese);
• The General Secretariat. This is a body which forms SECAM‘s kingpin. It consists of the secretary-general and two assistants coming from Africa’s English, French and Portuguese linguistic zones;
• Various Commissions and Committees including the Committee for African Internal Affairs (CAIA), whose role is to study and appraise the African political and social situations so as to enable SECAM take relevant positions.
• There’s also The Catholic Biblical Centre for Africa and Madagascar (CEBAM-BICAM); the Pan-Africa Episcopal Committee for Social Communications (CEPACS); the Theological Committee (COMITHEOL). All these Commissions and Committees organize regional and continental sessions.

There are two other departments which must be mentioned: The Justice and Peace Department and that of Evangelisation, with responsibility for studying matters concerning the evangelization of Africa. This also serves as a link between SECAM and all African missionaries world-wide.

SECAM‘s new outlook should include:

• The setting up within each regional and national Episcopal Conference, of a commission with responsibility for relations with SECAM;
• Ensuring that ideas and information can be shared between the Presidential Council the Bishops’ Conferences;
• Making it possible for the Presidential Council to embark on a programme of visits to the bishops of the various countries. (For encouraging, sympathising or working with them).

Autonomy and partnership

Within the framework of this decentralisation programme, SECAM could also help to organise the many meetings of priests (both diocesan and religious); of Religious Sisters; of the laity, which regularly take place at a continental level, dealing with the problems and challenges facing the evangelization of Africa. While being represented at SECAM‘s plenary assemblies, these associations should however enjoy a great autonomy.

When considering the notions of autonomy and partnership, thought must be given to SECAM‘s relations with other organizations which work in Africa — e.g. Caritas–Africa and the International Organization of Catholic Education (OIEC-Africa).

How are SECAM‘s ordinary activities to be financed? Each diocese pays the same amount.

• Justin Mendy, Senegal, September 2003 — © Reproduction authorised, with usual acknowledgment