AMECEA/CCC : Child Safeguarding Pastoral Agents Called to Respect and Protect Dignity of Human Person
Fr. Small and Fr. Makunde, during a panel discussions
Rose Achiego Ande
Over 100 Child Safeguarding pastoral agents called to respect and protect dignity of human person and to proclaim the truth of God’s love as this their core mission.
Speaking during a convening Catholic Care for Children at a Nairobi hotel on 16th May 2023, the Secretary of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minor Rev. Fr Andrew Small said the agents “must re-establish a culture of care, placing the dignity of the human person at the heart of the Church’s mission.”
Fr. Small reiterated Pope Francis’ quote saying, “the principles of respect for the dignity of all, for right conduct and a sound way of life must become a universal rule, independent of people’s culture or economic and social condition.”
He asked the participants drawn from Kenya, Uganda, Malawi and Sri Lanka to focus on the relationship between God and humanity.
“We live in relationship to God, to each other and to the created world. How God expresses that relationship to humanity through the covenant and we are called to respond. The requirement to be holy, in the image of God who is holy, includes the duty of care for the most vulnerable people,” he said.
He also asked them to imitate Christ for the benefit of having active faith characterized by healing, forgiveness and service, both as individuals and as Church.
“The Church is a sacrament, a sign of God’s presence, of His saving love. A place for personal and institutional conversion. A Church which listens, serves and evangelizes,” he said.
He also emphasized on the necessity to have Child Safeguarding Guidelines review for Bishops Conferences and Religious Life, good policies and procedures, capacity building to fill in the gaps and annual report for accountability and transparency to stakeholders, especially survivors.
In attendance were bishops from Kenya, Zambia and Malawi, Secretary Generals, AMECEA, Pastoral Agents in charge of Safeguarding, Government officials, representative from Vatican from Safeguarding office Foundations and donors that GHR- foundation and Hilton, Educational Institutions that is CUEA and Tangaza, NGO’s, IRCK and ACWECA.
Responding to the presentation by Fr. Small, the Secretary General of the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) Fr. Anthony Makunde appreciated the effort by the Church to emphasize on child care and safe guarding.
He acknowledged that the Church in the AMECEA region has committed itself in various ways in the journey of caring for children a role which he says, “We are not just doing because we have been told to do but because it is part and parcel of the mission of the Church itself.”
To emphasize how the region is dedicated to the concern of caring for children Fr. Makunde said, “The bishops during their 20th plenary assembly last year, came up with strong resolutions on the need to re-emphasize on formation of families knowing that this is where children are taken care of.”
Through this he added, “We (AMECEA region) are joining hands with the universal Church being aware of the structures the Church has put in place.”
Besides, the conferences in the region have developed policies for safeguarding children and there are also safeguarding officers in the conferences as the region carry out capacity building to pastoral agents.
In conclusion Fr. Makunde noted that AMECEA has the advantage of having Small Christian Communities (SCC’s) where the Church in general can be rooted.
