KENYA: Amidst Difficult Realties In AMECEA, Apostolic Nuncio Urges Bishops To Continue Playing Significant Role
The second annual meeting of AMECEA Executive Board has taken place at Domus Clericum, Nairobi, on 16-17th October 2019, with the Apostolic Nuncio to Kenya and South Sudan H.E. Hubertus van Megen joining them for the opening session during which he expressed gratitude to bishops in the region for their hard work despite the difficulties they are facing.
The chairman for the executive board Rt. Rev. Charles Kasonde, bishop of Solwezi Diocese, took the opportunity to remind the executive board members that the meeting hinges on monitoring and evaluating the progress the association is making in implementing the resolutions which the bishops made during their 19th Plenary Assembly which took place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in July 2018.
In his address, the Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop van Megen shared with them some of his personal experiences as he worked and visited some of the conferences in AMECEA.
He expressed particular concern for the Church in Eritrea, Sudan and South Sudan, saying, “I pray for the bishops and the Church in Eritrea which is exemplary to all of us. The Church in this country is like a city on the hill which cannot remain hidden,” he said as he compared the situation there with the Church in the other countries such as Kenya where he sees the Church spreading its wings and playing a significant role in socio-political realities.”
“Also, South Sudan is a very difficult situation, politically. There, the Church ought to play her role but she is still very weak given the experiences of conflicts since 1957. Many Sudanese people are uprooted from their home staying in Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia with refugee status. Obviously, the bishops, priests and Religious are also affected and suffering from the trauma.” he said.
“We pray for all of them. We hope that the Church gains its stability and play its role as the people there have a lot of expectations and see her (the Church) as their saviour, “he continued.
Archbishop van Megen has also urged AMECEA bishops through the Executive Board, to pay attention as Pope Francis always says to the temptation to be caught up in building structures rather than going out to preach the Good News.
“This mandate is sometimes forgotten. The Lord said, ‘Go out to the whole world and preach the Good News. Our temptation is to be caught up in bureaucracies,” he said.
“One thing that I may also add is that we be aware of secularism which is growing in Europe including Italy, yet the Church is still growing here in Africa. You are not the Church of the future but already of the present. So, I do feel you have a lot of work and sometimes this is not very much acknowledged. May God bless you. Be assured of my prayers.”
The AMECEA Executive Board which comprises of the Chairman and members from each of the conference in the region meets twice every year. During this meeting, the Board already brainstormed on the possible theme for the next Plenary Assembly which will be hosted by Tanzania Episcopal Conference in 2022.
During the meeting, the AMECEA Executive Board received reports from its Secretariat as well as its institutions which include the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA), the AMECEA Pastoral Institute (API) Gaba and Blessed Bakanja Seminary.
Commenting about the meeting, Rt. Rev. Kasonde has expressed gratitude that so far things are going in the right direction.
“I am particularly happy to see that the Catholic University of Eastern Africa, CUEA, is moving in the right direction. There is still a lot to be done, for sure. I want to encourage in a special way the clergy and Religious men and women who are staff members at CUEA. They are doing a commendable work,” he said.
Among the stakeholders who came to meet with the Executive Board were the the CRS regional director who shared their vision on catalyzing transformation change in addressing environmental issues in the region, and the USCCB’s Mission Invest Africa regional officers who gave their report and shared with the new approach that they are taking as they continue to work with dioceses and Religious congregations in the region.
