By Paschal Norbert
DAKAR, MAY 13, 2025 (CISA) – Amid renewed hope in the universal Church following the election of Pope Leo XIV, the bishops of West Africa have emerged from the Fifth Plenary Assembly of the Reunion of Episcopal Conferences of West Africa (RECOWA) with a bold pastoral vision for a synodal, self-reliant, and peace-seeking Church on the continent.
The Assembly, held from May 5 to 12, 2025, at the Hôtel Fleur de Lys in Dakar, Senegal, brought together 148 participants, including two Cardinals, 101 bishops and archbishops, 27 priests, five members of consecrated life, and 13 lay faithful. Under the theme, “For a Synodal and Self-Reliant Church at the Service of Justice and Peace in West Africa,” the week-long meeting was a moment of deep listening, dialogue, and discernment.
In press statement dated May 11, coinciding with Good Shepherd Sunday, the bishops began by expressing their joy at the recent election of Pope Leo XIV, describing it as “a sign that the Church continues on its path faithfully, despite the storms.” They hailed the new pontiff’s election as a beacon of Christian hope and prayed for a fruitful pontificate.
In the spirit of synodality, the bishops affirmed their renewed commitment to journeying together with all the People of God.
“Walking together and carried by the Holy Spirit, the Lord calls us in this time to renew our way of being Church: not as a fixed structure, but as a people on the move, listening to the Spirit,” they affirmed.
Emphasizing co-responsibility among bishops, priests, religious, and laity, the assembly underscored that participation in the Church’s mission must be marked by humility, mutual trust, complementarity, and respect for diverse charisms. This, they said, is the path to building a “fraternal, open and bold Church where justice and peace reign.”
The bishops envisioned a Church that is not only synodal in nature but also self-reliant, where the local Churches generously share spiritual, human, and material resources in a spirit of communion and solidarity.
They emphasized that “each community, rich in its charisms, experiences, and resources, is not an isolated entity, but a living member of a single body.” In this way, the Church resists the temptation of competition and embraces a prophetic model of generosity and interdependence.
A key resolution from the assembly was the reaffirmation of the Church’s call to financial, pastoral, and cultural self-sufficiency. The bishops highlighted that a self-sustaining Church “relies primarily on the concrete commitment of its members,” not foreign aid.
They stressed that autonomy demands a culture of transparency, virtuous management, and sustainable solidarity—essential qualities for the Church to root itself more deeply in its local realities and effectively respond to the pastoral and social needs of the people.
The bishops also turned their attention to the political and social state of the West African region, warning that a peaceful and conflict-free West Africa will remain elusive unless there is a “collective will to prioritize dialogue over division, justice over impunity, and education over ignorance.”
They called for the recognition of ethnic, religious, and cultural diversity as a gift rather than a threat. Echoing the Synod’s final document, the bishops emphasized the need for inclusive participation, particularly among the youth, women, and marginalized communities, in shaping the future of the region.
They made a passionate appeal to governments and civil society across West Africa to adopt practical measures toward peacebuilding. These included embedding civic and peace education in school curricula, promoting intercommunity dialogue, investing in underdeveloped areas to combat inequality, reforming security sectors to uphold human rights, and strengthening institutions to combat corruption and organized crime.
The bishops called for greater regional integration and cohesion among countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), warning that political misunderstandings and divisions “only serve to pitifully accentuate the misery and impoverishment of the populations, and delay any meaningful progress.”
Another significant area of concern was ecological justice. The bishops articulated a theology of environmental stewardship rooted in social justice, insisting that the ecological crisis cannot be addressed apart from the plight of the vulnerable.
They explained, “There can be no true ecological transition without social justice, because ensuring ecological justice means recognizing that preserving the Earth also means preserving human dignity and the earth as our ‘common home.’”
To this end, they proposed integrating ecological justice into school curricula, organizing local awareness programs, and supporting community-based media that highlight environmental issues.
The message also called for both Church and State to foster good governance through integrity in education, strong accountability mechanisms, and robust civic participation.
Quoting Matthew 5:13–16, the bishops called all believers to conversion, urging them to become lights in their communities.
“In addition to all our positive efforts for a better life together, we, Bishops of the RECOWA, call on all, in these moments which seem to them to be a turning point, to be lights, however small, to illuminate our living spaces,” they exhorted.
