SECAM: Cardinals in Africa Invited for August Consistory, SECAM Plenary Assembly
Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA
The Cardinals serving in the African continent have been invited to attend the two upcoming events: the 19th Plenary Assembly for Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) and the consistory for the creation of new cardinals.
The SECAM assembly is slated for Monday July 25, to Monday August 1, while the Consistory for creation of new cardinals will be held on Saturday August 27, after which 29-30 August, the Cardinals will reflect on the new Apostolic Constitution Praedicate evangelium, on the Roman Curia.
“We will soon celebrate the 19th Plenary Assembly of SECAM in Accra, Ghana, from Monday, July 25, 2022 to August 1, 2022. As you know, according to the statutes, all Cardinals are members by right. All those who are available will be welcome,” his Eminence Philippe Nakellentuba Cardinal Ouédraogo said in a letter shared with AMECEA online Wednesday, July 6, adding that, “the Holy Father Francis is convening a public Consistory for creation of new Cardinals and for the voting of certain causes of canonization on August 27 and 28, 2022.”
On behalf of the Bishops in African and it’s Islands, the SECAM President Cardinal Ouédraogo congratulated the two new African Cardinals Bishop Richard Kunia Baawobr, Bishop of Wa, Ghana and Bishop Peter Ebere Okpaleke of Nigeria who are among the 21 new Cardinals recently announced by Pope Francis.
In his message the Archbishop of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso highlighted that the two upcoming events are times of grace and fraternal communion for the Cardinals hence the proposal for a meeting between African Cardinals before the consistory.
“While wishing you a good preparation for these different times that we will live together soon, we reiterate our fraternal communion while praying that the Lord keeps us faithful to his mission within the Church Family of God and in our world whose quietude is strongly tested,” the Burkinabé Cardinal concluded.
