UGANDA: Bishops Challenged to Use Church Instruments to Guide Faithful in the Face of Modern-Day Challenges
Catholic bishops of Africa and Madagascar have been urged to stand up and use Church instruments among them the Catechism of the Catholic Church and her social teachings to guide the life of its faithful in the face of modern-day challenges.
In an address to the delegates at the 18th Plenary Assembly and Golden Jubilee celebrations of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) on Monday July 22, Kizito Tenthani, a Catholic presenter from Malawi, said the Church has a role to use its teaching to inculcate the moral values and arouse the consciousness for its men, women and youth to be transformed and be agents of producing reformed systems.
“While it is true that most of the members of the Church are on the receiving end of the negative consequences of corruption, it is an undeniable fact that the Church’s members are also participants in the vice or accomplices. The Church therefore has a role to use its teaching to inculcate the moral values and arouse the consciousness for its faithful to be transformed and be agents of producing reformed systems,” he said in his presentation.
Tenthani’s presentation focused on the ‘Socio-Cultural, Political and Economic Challenges that the Church faces: A Political Economy Perspective’.
He called upon the participants to embrace the spirit of servant hood where one consciously and deliberately denies obvious privileges and opts for a simple life to properly execute the goal and demands to set humanity free.
His emphasized on the teaching of St. Paul to the Philippians, which urges the Church to have the mind of the servant of God, filled with humility and joy of serving saying, “That is the ethical imperative that the Church ought to be teaching.”
He stressed on the importance of humility which calls for resisting the social pressures of the materialistic world dealing with the crisis of expectation and return to the ethos where success follows patience and hard work.
“People should have respect in their work that includes the dignity of labour that whatever they do is for the greater glory of God. Christianity call means one has to work beyond the call of duty,” he explained.
The SECAM Plenary which commenced on Sunday July 20 is held under the theme “Church-Family of God in Africa, Celebrate your Jubilee! Proclaim and Welcome Christ your Saviour.” It will conclude on Monday July 29.
Over 300 delegates from Africa, Madagascar, Europe, America, Asia and beyond are in attendance. These includes 9 cardinals, 55 archbishops, 106 bishops, about 60 priests, religious men, women and youth, representatives of various partners and selected institutions among others.
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By Jacinta W. Odongo; Media Officer, Uganda Episcopal Conference
