AMECEA WORKSHOP ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE POST – SYNODAL APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION AFRICAE MUNUS

AMECEA: AMECEA Secretariat last week had a successful workshop which was held in Nairobi Kenya. The workshop on the Implementation of the Post – Synodal Apostolic Exhortation AFRICAE MUNUS had the theme “Shaping the destiny of the people in the region.” The over seventy delegates for the workshop were drawn from all the nine countries of the AMECEA Region and they included archbishops, bishops, priests, religious men and women as well as lay people. They were representatives of the three important departments of AMECEA namely: Social Communications, Justice and Peace and Pastoral and Lay Apostolate.

In his opening speech, Very Rev. Fr. Ferdinand Lugonzo, AMECEA Secretary General borrowed the words of his predecessor, Fr. Pius Rutechura which reaffirmed that the second special assembly is a reminder that the Church in Africa has an unfinished agenda in the area of Reconciliation, Justice and Peace. This he said is a very strong indication that more than anything else, the pastoral focus and priority of the AMECEA Region must be in the area of Reconciliation, Justice and Peace. He added that looking at Africa’s recent history, Reconciliation, Justice and Peace are vital issues at this moment in time. Therefore there is need for the AMECEA region to deepen its reflection on this theme and reveal the real causes of conflict and propose concrete ways and means to bring about Reconciliation, Justice and Peace. This according to Fr. Ferdinand is where the idea of the Workshop on the Papal Exhortation Africae Munus was conceived.

While officially opening the workshop, Most Rev. Tarcisius Ziyaye, chairman of AMECEA reaffirmed the sentiments of the Secretary General Fr. Ferdinand, saying that among the many resolutions that the AMECEA Bishops passed during the AMECEA 17th Plenary which was held last year in Nairobi was the need to strengthen mechanisms of networks of Reconciliation, Justice and Peace and Caritas in order to support the Church in effective response to shaping the destiny of the people of God within the AMECEA Region.

Most Rev. Ziyaye pledged during his speech that matters of Reconciliation, Justice and Peace are and shall remain on the agenda of AMECEA for the next three years and beyond. He said that the need for AMECEA to focus on these matters is intensified with the current history of the region. “While we thank almighty God for the relatively peaceful atmosphere that many of the countries in our Region are experiencing, we cannot close our eyes on the reality of conflict, the experience of injustices and the need to bring healing among our people,” he said.

An invited guest speaker ambassador Bethwel Kiplagat from Kenya pleaded with the clergy from the region to consider creating chaplaincies for parliaments, chaplaincies for civil servants, chaplaincy for the police in our countries in order to reach out spiritually to both government and civic leaders. “Here in Kenya for instance, we have a chaplaincy for the armed forces, it will do this country a great deal if other key sectors such as parliament and civil service have the same so as to reach out spiritually to these leaders in order to steer them back to the right way. In most cases African leaders err because they lack spiritual guidance.” 

Rt. Rev. Martin Mtumbuka, the Chairman of AMECEA Justice and Peace urged the participants in the workshop to be committed to their call through active participation and involvement. “I would like us to go to our suffering brothers and sisters and show them solidarity. We may not be able to have answers to their problems, we may not be able to offer the solutions they so desperately need; but our presence among them is very vital. To relay messages to our suffering brothers and sisters telling them that we know they are suffering and we are praying for them is not enough; to hold meetings on behalf of our suffering brothers in comfortable hotels and discuss their agenda far away from them is not enough. We need to be there for them, be present amidst them, feel their pain and give whatever support we can; this is the true meaning of solidarity; this is what we must embrace” he emphasized.