SECAM: President Re-appointed to Pope Francis’ Top Advisory Council

Sr. Henriette Anne FSSA

President of the Symposium of Episcopal Conference of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) His Eminence Fridolin Besungu Cardinal Ambongo has been reappointed to Pope Francis’ Council of Cardinals and the Church in Africa promises support.

In the congratulatory message shared with AMECEA online Tuesday, March 7, SECAM’s General Secretary Fr. Rafael Simbine Junior said, “All over, Africa congratulate you Your Eminence Fridolin Cardinal Ambongo and assure you of continued spiritual and moral support in order to accomplish your noble mission efficiently…and African Continent is proud to have his dear son as member of this papal council.”

He expressed that the entire Church in Africa have received with great joy the news of the renewal of the Cardinal Ambongo’s mandate who has been in the council since October 2020.

The Council of Cardinals also known as the C9 because constitutes of nine cardinal members. It was created by Pope Francis himself in 2013 a month after his election to advise the Pope on the governance of the Universal Church, drawing on the cardinals’ deep local experience.

The advisers in the past years have been reorganizing the offices of the Roman Curia, a task that was completed with the release of the apostolic constitution Praedicate Evangelium last year speaking about the “Roman Curia and its services to the Church in the World.”

The other members of the Council include Jean-Claude Cardinal Hollerich, Archbishop of Luxembourg; Gérald Cardinal C. Lacroix of Quebec City; Sérgio Cardinal La Rocha of São Salvador da Bahia, Brazil; Juan José Cardinal Omella y Omella of Barcelona, Spain; Legionary Fernando Cardinal Vérgez Alzago, president of Vatican City State: Pietro Cardinal Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State; Sean Cardinal O’Malley of Boston and Oswald Cardinal Gracias of Bombay.