AMECEA: Statement by The Chairman of AMECEA, H.E. Berhaneyesus D. Cardinal Souraphiel C.M on the Upcoming AU Summit in Kigali, Rwanda – July 10-18, 2016

Your Eminences, Your Graces, Your Lordships, Clergy, The Religious Men and Women, The Laity and all people of goodwill in the AMECEA Region

I start by sending my greetings to our Muslim brothers who have concluded their month of Ramadan. “Id al-Fitr”.

In the last month we have had a series of events that have redrawn our attention to the need for us to pray for our leaders to put the Lord first in their actions and to ensure governance structures are put in place that serve the people.

One of the events was the visit of myself, and Bishop Emeritus Taban Paride of South Sudan to Burundi under the auspices of World Council of Churches.  This was quickly followed by a visit organized by SECAM, AMECEA and SACBC to Burundi under the SECAM banner to Burundi.  In both visits, the church in the AMECEA region had one common message. Solidarity, Peace, Tolerance and Inclusion of the people in governance.

UNHCR registered refugees by country/territory 

of asylum between mid-2015

The next event is the upcoming 27^th African Union Summit where the theme for this summit is “African Year of Human Rights – with particular focus on the rights of women”.  This theme resonates with the Year of Mercy announced by the Holy Father, with his emphasis being the need for all of us to ensure we remember the poor.  Women in Africa do form a huge proportion of those who are poor and affected by poverty.

We also need to remember that in a month’s time, one of the members of AMECEA Countries, Zambia, will be holding their national elections.  Again, we have observed mistrust with the electoral bodies of the country with one month to go, ballot papers are not ready yet.

UNHCR registered refugees by country/territory 

of origin between 2014

In one year’s time, another member of within the AMECEA Countries, Kenya, will be holding their national elections.  What we have read and heard in the media reports is another case of mistrust in the electoral body.

In the last two years, we have also seen elections in Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Malawi and Tanzania.  The consistent narrative has been disputes with the losing individuals claiming stolen votes.  For Sudan and Uganda, there have been claims of straight out intimidation and rigging.

All these situations resonate with the painful experiences of Burundi and other countries in the region and continent.

We are ending up with huge numbers of both internally displaced persons and citizen fleeing their country and becoming refugees.  A report released only this week on movement of people, places Africa as the largest contributor to those displaced from their homes due to violence and bad economic situation.  In the year 2015, 18.4 million persons were made refugees and internally displaced in Africa.  The leading countries in terms of hosting refugees in the continent are, Ethiopia, followed by Kenya and third is Uganda.  This means AMECEA Region is a heavy load of supporting the refugees.  What does this mean for all of us?

As the African Heads of States come together in Kigali, in Rwanda, I ask that we pray together for God’s guidance so that the Heads of States can find it within themselves to steer Africa and indeed our region to prosperity in fear of God.  I call upon you all to join me so that God’s graces and wisdom may shine on our leaders to find ways of:

•     Improving free movement of people in the continent and therefore reducing theexistence of undocumented migrants and human trafficking
•     Actively seeking and respecting peaceful means of resolving conflict especially when it is brought about by transition of power/governments
•   Sticking to the African Agenda with an understanding of global issues. This is to mean, it is critical that they continue working towards ensuring Agenda 2063 is implemented to its spirit and especially when it comes to investing in the youth.
•   Africa reducing investments in arms and invest more in solving the social needs so that peace and prosperity may be realized
•   Working with the Church in Africa as a partner and listen the voice of the voiceless/down trodden.
•   Embracing broad partnerships and ensuring participation of all the people of goodwill in implementing the agenda 2063.
•   Bringing unity and solidarity in Africa, through prayer for God’s Grace and providence for the continent.

 My dear Brothers and Sisters, we the Bishops in Ethiopia have developed a novena for the Success of the 27^th AU Summit and I request that you join us in praying the novena from now until the conclusion of the summit.

I wish you God’s blessings.

+ HE Berhaneyesus D. Cardinal Souraphiel CM

Chairman of AMECEA

Representative of SECAM to the AU

Archbishop of Addis Ababa

Novena Prayer for the Success of the 27^th AU Summit

July 10-18, 2016

OPENING PRAYER

V         Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful

R         And enkindle in them the fire of your love

V         Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created

R         And you shall renew the face of the earth

Let us pray:

O God who taught the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit, grant that by the gift of the same Spirit we may be always truly wise and ever rejoice in His consolation. Through Christ our Lord Amen.

Almighty God I humbly come before your Holy Throne of power, standing on behalf of myself, my family, my work and our continent Africa. I beg for your divine blessings of success, over all the preparations of the forth-coming AU summit. I implore for your divine grace and intervention during this time in my life, my family, my work and our continent Africa. Lord Jesus Christ I pray for your divine protection; Come and be at the center of my life, my family, my work and the AU summit; Command your divine saving power to take over, control and guide. You are a merciful God hence I seek for you everlasting compassion.

Lord we commend to you our continent, our heads of states and all your children in Africa, let your divine province support our lives, our plans and our future. Grant your divine love, peace and growth to all our nations. May the Spirit of God bless and inspire all of us, particularly our leaders, especially as we move towards this summit. Lord guide all the plans, bless all the deliberations of this summit, and make them fruitful for the good of our life and our continent. Protect and take care of all the heads states, the delegates and the participants of the summit. Merciful God, you are the creator and the fountain of everything, show us your divine mercy through the act of your salvation. Lord, we pray that you break all the bondages that holding against our life and our continent. In this African year of Human Rights, give us the spirit of respecting everyone’s rights especially the mothers in our continent, let us treat one other with fairness, equity and freedom, may all the violence in the continent be replaced with love and peace.

Oh loving God, bind all our nations together as one family with the loving relationships that are integral. Take away all our heavy burdens, restore all that has been lost and renew the face of Africa. Bring something new in our lives, in our work and in our continent. Oh Lord Bless all the work of our hands; Bless all the work of our brains; Bless our good will and spirit, for the praise and glory of your Holy name and the good of your children in Africa, and all over the world Amen.

Our Father…              Glory be to the Father…        Hail Mary…

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