AMECEA PLENARY: Closure of the 20th AMECEA Plenary: Time to Swing into Action.
Cross-section of the faithful during the 20th AMECEA Plenary Assembly Closing Mass
Elizabeth Asasha
With the successful actualization of the 20th AMECEA Plenary Assembly 2022, which concluded on Sunday, July 17, it is now time for individuals, groups, and institutions to act in favor of God’s beautiful creation to salvage our shared home which has been “gravely damaged by our irresponsible behavior” according to Pope Francis in the encyclical letter Laudato Si.
A Eucharistic celebration conducted at the Catholic Archdiocese of Dar es Salaam’s Archbishop Edgar Maranta Hall in Msimbazi attracted thousands of attendees from within and beyond as the plenary came to an end.
The ten-day conference was flagged off with an Opening Mass at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium on July 10, 2022, with more than 120 bishops from the AMECEA region in attendance, and H.E. Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of People at the Vatican in Italy as the guest of honor. The twentieth plenary was centered on, “Environmental Impact on Integral Human Development,” inspired by Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical Laudato Si: Care for Our Common Home.
The subsequent three days were dedicated to a rigorous study session which featured speeches, presentations, and solidarity messages from AMECEA partners and stakeholders who pledged to continue supporting the organization’s efforts to promote and amplify environmental actions to achieve ecological justice and equilibrium.
In a culmination of events, the Chairman of the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA), Rt. Rev. Charles Sampa Kasonde extolled the African hospitality demonstrated by the people of the United Republic of Tanzania, led by their head of State Her Excellency Samia Suluhu Hassan, who spoke to AMECEA delegates on the second day of the Study Sessions, Tuesday, July 12, 2022.
“This is an aspect of the African heart and this is what we have seen, witnessed, and experienced here in Tanzania from the time that we arrived,” said the bishop of Solwezi Diocese in Zambia who has been reelected to serve a second term, sparking applause from congregants.
The Sunday morning communion attracted hundreds of the Catholic faithful who gathered at the historic Hall as it happens to be the venue where the First Plenary meeting took place from 17th-26th July 1961, leading to the birth of the Association of Member Episcopal Conference in Eastern Africa (AMECEA).
A multitude of prelates from all regions flocked to the location of the closing mass to commune and to hear the much-anticipated communiqué; the product of the closed-door meetings and deliberations by bishops on the direction to take to augment sustainable environmental care and healthy coexistence of Mother Nature and humanity in the AMECEA region and beyond.
“What the leaders have done is highly commendable and deserves to be preached since unity is power and division is a weakness,” said one-hundred-year-old Fidelis Nguvumali Ngadaya as he lauded the unity of purpose exhibited by leaders; both ecclesiastical and political in the fight against a common enemy – environmental degradation.
“I am determined to capture some memories because religious leaders raised and molded me into the person that I am today, and I would like to show the pictures to my people when I return to the village,” added Nguvumali as he grappled to capture a photo of the newly proclaimed members of the AMECEA Board of Trustees on his Itel 5606 Kabambe Phone.
A collection of activities carried out throughout the week constituted the 20th AMECEA Plenary and the ultimate launch of the two important documents: The Laudato Si Implementation and The AMECEA Chaplaincy Guidelines is a green light to start living Laudato Si by sharing widely and actively participating in the implementation of the action plan themes enshrined in the papal encyclical letter.
Every four years, bishops from the nine East African nations that make up AMECEA; Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, and South Sudan as well as those that are in league with the association; Somalia and Djibouti, convene to discuss topics related to holistic evangelization and integral development.
The conclusion of the 20th AMECEA Plenary Assembly also marked the beginning of preparations for the next convention, which will be held in Kampala, Uganda, in 2026.
