PLENARY TANZANIA: All is Set for 20th AMECEA Plenary, With Opening Mass at Mkapa Stadium
Dalphina Rubyema
Preparations for the 20th Annual Meeting of the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in The Eastern Africa (AMECEA) have been completed and delegates have already begun to enter Tanzania for the conference which is expected to be open by the Holy Mass on July 10 this year at Benjamin National Stadium Mkapa.
The President of the United Republic of Tanzania, Mama Samia Suluhu Hassan is expected to address the bishops who will be attending the conference on 12th July, at the Julius Nyerere International Conference Center (JNICC), Dar es Salaam.
According to the Secretary General of the Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC), Rv. Fr. Charles Kitima in a statement issued to the media at TEC Headquarters, Kurasini, Dar es Salaam, said the conference is also expected to close with Holy Mass on 17th July 17, this year at Msimbazi Center, Dar es Salaam Catholic Arch Diocese.
“We are very grateful to the Government of Tanzanians for supporting us in making this conference a success and the government on its part has been at the forefront with TEC and has assured us of protection throughout the conference. Mama Samia will also address the bishops of the Conference and after the meeting he will having supper in the same day at the State House in Dar es Salaam,” he said.
Fr. Kitima called on the faithful of the Catholic Church and those with good will, to unite with these bishops in all worship and also to be generous with the dedication of the state and property to make this conference a success.
“Let us be fully committed to joining our AMECEA bishops in Mass on Sunday at 3:30 am at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium and join them in preserving the world that is our common home, as we focus on building a culture of valuing all resources and ensuring that we take care of them equally,” he said Rev. Kitima.
For his part, the Secretary General of AMECEA, Rev. Fr Anthony Makunde, apart from thanking Tanzania for the good preparation of this conference, also he called on every baptized and community in general to be governed by conscience and will, in the whole issue of environmental protection
By referring to the theme of the 20th Annual Conference held in the country under the which said Environmental impact integral human development, Fr. Makunde said, “Let me emphasize that all living beings depend on the environment, so the destruction of human beings not only affects human beings alone, but also other beings… I would like to emphasize that the will reigns in the practical fulfillment of the call of Holy Father.
The conference brings together more than 120 bishops from AMECEA member states which are Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia, Sudan and Uganda along with Somalia and Djibouti which are observer countries. Some delegates have begun arriving in Tanzania.
