By Arnold Neliba
ACCRA, JULY 28, 2023 (CISA)-In not supporting SECAM, we risk rendering the Church irrelevant at the continental level and indeed at the Diocesan and Conference levels, Fridolin Cardinal Ambongo has cautioned.
In his message ahead of SECAM day celebrations to be marked on July 29 and 30, the President of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) said a meaningful universal communion is better mediated through a continental body like SECAM.
“lf we do not own SECAM and use it to expose and express the African identity of the Church, we are making the universal Church deficient because, its fullness, lies in all nations and tribes being at home in this Church. The Church is called to address issues at the continental level, which no individual bishop or conference can do alone,” he says
According to the archbishop of Kinshasa, Bishops can make their contribution to the reshaping of the continent when they are in communion through SECAM and that the “walking together” that the synodal process is inviting us to now has been a reality that SECAM has sought since its foundation.
In line with this year’s SECAM day celebration on the theme ‘SECAM a practical experience of synodality’ and with the ongoing synodal journey, the Church invites the continent to rediscover the treasure behind the formation of SECAM.
“ln the mind of the Founding Fathers, this Symposium exists to preserve, foster and promote communion, joint action and collaboration among all the Episcopal Conferences of the entire Africa and Madagascar,” he says quoting SECAM Statutes.
“ln fact, by choosing the word Symposium, the Founding Fathers of SECAM wanted to emphasize their desire of communion and fellowship. The bonds of communion, family hood, teamwork, community sharing, and togetherness, which has characterized SECAM since its foundation, led to the choice of the image of the Church as the family of God,” he adds.
Recalling and in the spirit of the last plenary Assembly of SECAM held in July 2022 on the theme ‘Ownership of SECAM by the bishops’ Cardinal Ambongo says if we talk about collegiality and communion in the Church, it makes sense that it should first exist and operate at local levels, which includes the continental level, for it to be meaningful at the universal level.
“The African continental level provides a stage to experience communion, distil our thoughts and identify the main concerns and issues, whether pastoral, formative, political, or social. As individuals, we will be lost and rendered irrelevant at the universal level of the Church. We cannot express at the universal level of the church our being African Catholics without SECAM,” he stresses.
In his clarion call to the church in Africa and Madagascar, the President of SECAM has asked bishops, priests, religious men and Women and laypersons, to contribute to making SECAM great, known, loved and supported in its mission.
