SECAM: Cardinal Ambogo is the New President for SECAM
Cardinal Ambongo, new SECAM President
Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA
Members of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) have confirmed Fridolin Cardinal Ambongo Besungu as the new president.
The election of new office bearers comes following the death of Richard Kuuia Cardinal Baawobr who was appointed President of the Continental Church in Africa at the end of the 19th SECAM Plenary Assembly in July 2022, and died shortly afterwards in the month of November.
In a statement shared with AMECEA Online Monday, February 20, after the extraordinary meeting which took place in Accra Ghana, the SECAM Standing Committee confirmed the new office bearers “Observing the provisions of Articles 12 and 13 of chapter IV of the SECAM By-Laws.”
The statement signed by the new SECAM President who has been serving as Vice- President reads in part, “We, the members of the Standing Committee of SECAM confirmed the immediate past SECAM Vice President, Fridolin Cardinal Ambongo, for the position of President of SECAM, replacing the late Richard Cardinal Baa Wobr. We did the same to Most Rev. Lucio Andrice Muandula from the position of Second Vice-President to the position of the First Vice-President.”
During the four-day meeting from 14-17 February, members of the SECAM Standing Committee also elected Most Rev. Stephen Dami Mamza, Bishop of the Diocese of Yola in Nigeria as the Second Vice- President of SECAM and confirmed Most Rev. Gabriel Edoe Kumordji as the Treasurer.
The leadership noted in a statement dated Wednesday, February 15, that “SECAM Presidential Council is recomposed taking into consideration the SECAM linguistic representations (French, Portuguese and English).”
Besides addressing the situation of vacancies at SECAM, members of the SECAM Standing Committee “have also, among other matters, studied and approved the SECAM Strategic Plan 2022-2025.”
