AMECEA: Secretary General Encourages Revitalized Spirit of Solidarity and Cooperation
AMECEA Secretariat, Very Rev. Fr. Anthony Makunde
Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA
At a conference that brought together National Coordinators from various departments within the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA), the Secretary General for the Association asked participants to revitalize the spirit of solidarity and cooperation for the success of planned activities in the region including the ongoing synod process and the upcoming 20th AMECEA Plenary Assembly of the Bishops.
Sharing with over 50 participants about the synod process and interventions by AMECEA Secretariat, Very Rev. Fr. Anthony Makunde said that the role of the regional body is to coordinate and network through distribution of materials and documents of the synod dissemination of information, resource mobilization and having consultations among others.
In his address on Tuesday, February 21, Fr. Makunde a native of Tanzania where the three-day workshop was taking place at Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC) secretariat, Kurasini, told participants to identify cross-cutting issues that will engage departments towards the ongoing synodal process and to “listen carefully to departmental reports and come up with concrete recommendations to be forwarded to the bishops.”
Fr. Makunde highlighted some of the synodal activities AMECEA Secretariat has realized including a joint venture between AMECEA and Jesuit Conference of Africa and Madagascar (JCAM) where series of Webinars targeting different groups sharing about synod is hosted.
The Tanzanian cleric appreciated that by the end of last year, reports from various Conferences showed that the conferences had identified synod contact persons, sensitization and awareness creation programs was ongoing in various dioceses through the media channels, conferences had the synod prayer and questionnaire were translated into local languages and shared conferences while some dioceses developed a road map for synod journey.
Speaking about the upcoming 20th AMECEA Plenary Assembly of bishops which will commence with opening Mass on July 10, and ends with closing Mass on July 17, the AMECEA Coordinator for the department of Promoting Integral Human Development (PIHD) Fr. Paul Mung’athia Igweta noted that the PIHD department is central towards the preparations since it is the ‘theme holder’ for the plenary.”
The 20th Plenary is themed: “Nurturing our common home: Living Laudato Si’ towards enhancing integral human development in the AMECEA region.”
According to Fr. Paul the department is to “Facilitate thematic preparations, plenary discussions and shaping of the resolutions around the theme using the approach of See, Judge and Act.”
So far the cleric said, the department is involved in “research on the awareness and implementation of Laudato Si’ in the region, development of Laudato Si’ Pastoral Guidelines and identification, documentation and preparation for exhibitions initiatives for environmental care by conferences.”
Participants for the workshop were from all the 8 Conferences of AMECEA and the affiliate country of Djibouti and Somalia.
