ACCRA NOVEMBER 24, 2015 (CISA) – The Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) has issued a communiqué welcoming Pope Francis to Kenya.
“As representatives of the Church in Africa we warmly welcome the Holy Father, Pope Francis, as he makes his first apostolic visit to our continent,” said the statement by the Standing Committee of the symposium.
“We rejoice that the Holy Father’s visit, coming so soon after the Synod on the Family, will strengthen the faith of our peoples in the Church as Family of God and confirm us in our long- cherished Christian and African values.
We are convinced that the family is and remains the fundamental and indispensable pillar of the life in the society,” the bishops said.
While appealing for peace and reconciliation in troubled areas of Africa and the world, the bishops appealed to all parties involved in the conflicts in these areas to lay down their arms and embrace the path of dialogue and peace for the sake of posterity.
“We condemn all acts of terrorism that have occurred in any part of the world and urge the perpetrators and their sponsors to stop, we extend our condolence and sympathy to all those who have been affected, and the Government and people of such countries,” the statement said.
Pope Francis will be visiting Africa (Kenya, Uganda and the Central African Republic) from November 25-30, 2015.
The bishops’ statement came at the end of a bi-annual meeting November 16-20, 2015 at the SECAM Secretariat in Accra, Ghana.
