AMECEA: “You are not Alone,” AMECEA Chairman to Members of SECAM Secretariat
SECAM sends Condolences for the loss of Cardinal
Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA
After the death of President of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) Richard Kuuia Cardinal Baawobr, the chairman of the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) have encouraged members of SECAM Secretariat to hold firm to their faith especially during this time of mourning.
Referencing the book of prophet Isaiah in his letter addressed to the Secretary General of SECAM on Tuesday, December 13, Bishop Charles Sampa Kasonde said, “Do not be afraid for I am with you.”
He encouraged members of the Secretariat that even though Cardinal Baawobr served SECAM for a very short time from the time of his election as the President in the month of August, he “fully committed to journey with his brothers and sisters across the continent.”
“My dear Brothers and Sisters at SECAM Secretariat: he who lives in faith shall never journey alone. You are not alone in this time of mourning,” Bishop Kasonde of Solwezi Diocese, Zambia said in his Tuesday message consoling members of the secretariat further, “All the Catholic bishops from AMECEA region are with you.”
He compared the sudden death of the late Cardinal to the life experience of Saint Teresa of the Child Jesus who died at a very young age narrating that the death “teaches us that it is a mistaken notion that if a person is a friend and faithful follower of Jesus, he or she is protected from the troubles of life. Indeed, faithfulness to God is no guarantee against the sudden. Perhaps, this is one thing that Cardinal Richard also wants us to learn in the light of this devastating experience.”
“May our Lord Jesus who in his divine mercy hears the cry of the poor, comfort us all and uphold our spirits during this time of mourning,” he said and continued, “May the Risen Lord increase our faith and grant his servant Cardinal Richard eternal repose.”
Cardinal Baawobr a member of the Missionaries of Africa (White Fathers), died on Sunday, 27 November 2022, and his death was announced by the Secretary General of the congregation Fr. André-Léon Simonart who said his Eminence passed on in Rome while undergoing treatment in one of the hospitals.
