By Paschal Norbert
ABUJA, April 12, 2022 (CISA)- The Regional Episcopal Conference of West Africa (RECOWA-CERAO) will hold their General Assembly of members from May 2 to 9, 2022, in Abuja, Nigeria, under the theme “Fratelli Tutti: Path to building human fraternity and sustainable peace in West Africa.”
In a news statement dated April 7, the Catholic Bishops in West Africa are expected to deliberate on the third encyclical of Pope Francis Fratelli Tutti, which is dedicated to fraternity and social friendship, and the challenges facing the region.
“The 2022 RECOWA General Assembly will pay attention to our common humanity, appreciating those issues that speak to us more on the understanding that we all are brothers and sisters,” Fr. Zacharia Nyantiso Samjumi, the Secretary-General of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN), is reported to have said at a press conference on April 6.
Fr Samjumi explained that the RECOWA plenary will “discuss peculiar issues that affect the lives of millions of people in West Africa and explore how best the Church can support governments toward improving the living conditions of the people.”
“From Senegal to Nigeria, RECOWA has been a strong voice against land grabbing, child trafficking, illegal migration, terrorism, placing the issue of climate change on the concurrent list to curb desertification and many others,” he says, adding “These issues will still form part of the agenda at 2022 plenary, which is expected to bring together over 150 Bishops.”
The Secretary-General of CSN, while representing Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, and president of RECOWA, urged the faithful to “support the entire process, in order to witness a successful hosting, and to the media personnel to give the event the needed publicity.”
