Final Statement on Hope for Africa

Issued at the Conclusion of the III Pan-African Catholic Jubilee Congress on Theology, Society, and Pastoral Life

Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire — August 10, 2025

Preamble: A Jubilee of Hope for Africa and the World

We, the delegates of the III Pan-African Catholic Jubilee Congress: bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated women and men, lay leaders, theologians, youth, Catholic communicators, and partners in the Gospel—gathered in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, from the 5th to the 10th of August 2025, under the theme: “Journeying Together in Hope as the Church Family of God in Africa.”

We came from every corner of Africa and from the global Catholic family, united by our faith in the Risen Christ, whose victory over death is the foundation of our hope. We came as pilgrims of hope bearing the wounds and joys of our nations, our local churches, and our communities. We seek together the face of Christ who renews all things. We have been inspired by the courageous and prophetic commitments and vision of African Catholic bishops articulated in the Vision 2050 adopted at the 20^th Plenary Assembly of the Symposium of the Episcopal Conference of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM). The distinguished presence of  Ignace Cardinal Dogbo (Archbishop of Abidjan), Fridolin Cardinal Ambongo (President of SECAM), Most Rev. Fortunatus Nwachukwu (Secretary of the Vatican Dicastery for Evangelization) and Most Rev. Raymond Ahou (Bishop of Grand Bassan in Côte d’Ivoire) at the Congress stands as a testimony of their commitment to the vision.

This Congress unfolded within a providential moment in the life of the Church:

• The Jubilee of Hope proclaimed by Pope Francis for the universal Church.
• The 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, which secured the confession of Christ’s divinity at the heart of our Creed.
• The 60th anniversary of the close of the Second Vatican Council, whose teachings on the People of God, the Church as Family, and the call to mission continue to inspire us.

These anniversaries are not mere historical markers: they are signposts of the Spirit’s ongoing work in guiding the Church toward deeper communion, participation, and mission. Our gathering was a kairos moment, a time of grace for the Church in Africa to renew its witness as an agent of hope for our continent and for the world (EIA, 9 )

Hope Has a Face – The Risen Christ

At the heart of our deliberations was a truth we joyfully proclaim: Hope is not simply an idea, a sentiment, or an aspiration. Hope is a Person—Jesus Christ, crucified and risen. He is the unshakable anchor for our faith, the sure foundation for our dreams, and the wellspring of courage for our mission (Cf. Spes non confundit, 1).

Hope, grounded in Christ, enables us to:

• Stand firm amid wars, political instability, and violence that afflict many African nations.
• Resist despair in the face of poverty, corruption, and social breakdown.
• Care for our common home even as climate change threatens ecosystems, livelihoods, and future generations.
• Heal the wounds of displacement, forced migration, and the loss of human dignity,
• Create new structures of love and programmes of reconciliation.

Our hope is not naïve optimism. It is a theological virtue rooted in the resurrection—trusting that God is always creating and re-creating, raising life from ashes, and bringing light out of darkness.

A Synodal, Missionary, and Self-Reliant Church

Drawing from the vision of Vatican II and the First and Second Special Synods of Bishops on Africa, we reaffirm the image of the Church as Family of God—an image modeled on the Holy Trinity, marked by communion, equality, participation, synodality, co-responsibility, effective solidarity, and mission.

We recognize with gratitude how far the African Church has journeyed: transiting from a mission Church receiving the Gospel to a Church of the Sheaves, sharing gifts and sending missionaries to other parts of the world. We commit ourselves to deepening this transformation as missionary disciples of the Lord to Africa and the world.

Synodality is the pathway of this mission. It calls for:

• Listening to all voices, especially those on the margins; so that the whole People of God participates in discernment and decision-making (Cf. Final Document of the Synod on Synodality, chapter 3)
• Overcoming divisions based on ethnicity, status, or ideology.
• Fostering co-responsibility in evangelization and pastoral care.

Self-reliance is an imperative for the Church in Africa—not as isolation from other local Churches, but as mature participation in the universal communion of faith. This means:

• Generating and managing resources in transparent manner.
• Supporting our clergy, religious, and pastoral workers materially and spiritually.
• Investing in theological formation, research, and Catholic education at all levels.
• Building sustainable institutions of evangelization, healthcare, and social service.
• Developing African-led missionary funds in Africa to support the work of African missionaries to the rest of the world.
• Supporting African missionaries in the challenging mission in some parts of the world where some African missionaries experience racism and immigration restrictions.

Africa’s Gift to the World

Africa is rich in faith, culture, and values. The African family remains the domestic Church and the moral bedrock of society, preserving traditions of solidarity, hospitality, and mutual care. We affirm the irreplaceable role of women, youth, and elders as bearers of these values and as agents of renewal in the Church and society.

We celebrate the countless narratives of hope across Africa—women leading peace initiatives, youth building digital communities of faith, lay leaders serving with integrity in public life, and clergy and religious living the Gospel in challenging environments. These stories remind us that Africa is not defined by its crises, but by its faith, resilience, creativity, and capacity for transformation.

Transformational Leadership for Church and Society

Our continent, like much of the world, faces a crisis of leadership. Too often, leadership is seen as a privilege rather than a service. We commit to modeling and promoting servant leadership: leadership that is accountable, transparent, inclusive, and prophetic.

Christ Himself gave us the model: “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve” (Matt 20:28). We urge:

• The Church to form servant leaders who will be shepherds after the heart of Christ and faithful stewards of the spiritual and material resources of Africa and the Church.
• Families to raise children with values of compassion, hardwork, honesty, generosity, and responsibility.
• Educational institutions to integrate leadership formation into all levels of learning.
• Young people, the Church of now, to see leadership as an act of service and a vocation of love for the common good.

The Digital Mission: Supporting African Faith Influencers

A new frontier of evangelization has opened before us—the digital continent. Millions of Africans, especially the youth, now encounter faith, culture, and ideas through social media, online platforms, and digital networks.

We recognize with gratitude the emergence of African digital faith influencers—young men and women who are creatively proclaiming the Gospel, defending human dignity, addressing moral and social issues, and building online communities of prayer, formation, and solidarity. The presence and giant witness through the many projects presented at this Congress are sources of great joy and hope for Africa and the world.

These digital missionaries are often working with limited resources, facing online harassment, and navigating the complexities of the digital public square without adequate formation or institutional support.

As part of our commitment to integral evangelization in the 21st century, we pledge to:

1. Offer formation and mentorship for digital faith influencers in theology, media ethics, pastoral communication, and digital storytelling.
2. Provide material and technical support—including equipment, connectivity, and collaborative networks—to strengthen their outreach.
3. Support the integration of digital evangelization into diocesan and parish pastoral plans, ensuring that online ministry is recognized as a legitimate and valued apostolate.
4. Promote African Catholic voices on global platforms, so that Africa’s witness enriches the universal Church.

In a fragmented digital world, African faith influencers can be bridges of hope, bringing Christ’s light into online spaces often marked by division, misinformation, and despair.

As theologians and pastoral workers, we commit ourselves to five urgent tasks in service of the Church and Africa today:

• to cultivate a theology and pastoral praxis of reconciliation, reparation and peace that speak to the wounds of our nations, forming peacemakers in every community;
• to embrace the pastoral and social vocation of the theologian by bridging the gap between academic reflection and the everyday faith experience of God’s people, ensuring that theology is rooted in life and life is illumined by faith;
• to promote Catholic Social Teaching by engaging in political theology that addresses the structural realities of poverty, governance failures, and the crisis of the state in African nations;
• to develop a courageous theology built on hope in the Lordship of Jesus Christ, a sound theology of solidarity, and a right understanding of God that inspires responsibility for the future of our people;
• to live and teach a theology that is both prophetic and practical, drawing from the Gospel to shape just societies where human dignity is honored and the common good is served.

Concrete Commitments from the Congress

In addition to the theological and pastoral affirmations above, we commit to:

• Promoting African voices through VoiceAfrique,  a pan-African digital platform for evangelization, Catholic news, and theological dialogue.
• Strengthening the African Catholic Press to foster publication of scholarly theological and pastoral research, critical engagement with culture, and faith formation for all the faithful.
• Expanding theological and pastoral training to include digital literacy, , and peacebuilding skills.
• Encouraging dioceses and religious congregations to adopt policies of financial transparency and ethical governance.
• Promoting ecological spirituality  and supporting grassroots ecological initiatives in line with Laudato Si’ and Laudate Deum
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Our Call to the People of God

From Abidjan, we send this message to all Christians in Africa and to people of goodwill everywhere:

Love and serve God: Pray and participate in the liturgies.

Be agents of hope and reconciliation. Live your faith publicly and joyfully. Witness to the Gospel in your homes, workplaces, and communities.

Build bridges of solidarity. Reject every form of ethnic, political, or religious division. Choose dialogue over conflict.

Defend the dignity of every person. Stand with the poor, the marginalized, migrants, the vulnerable and all victims of injustice.

Care for our common home. Protect Africa’s natural resources, water courses, forests, and lands. Teach the next generation to be ecological citizens and live in harmony with creation.

Support the Church’s mission. Give your time, talent, and treasure to sustain evangelization in Africa and beyond

Entrusting Africa to the Blessed Virgin Mary

As we conclude this Congress, we entrust our beloved continent to the maternal care of Our Lady of Africa. May she intercede for us as we continue strive for a future of peace, justice, reconciliation, and integral human development.

We return to our dioceses, parishes, schools, and communities renewed in the conviction that God’s plans for Africa are not for disaster and war but for prosperity and a future of hope (Jer 28:11).

We continue to journey together as pilgrims of hope, confident that the Spirit who has begun this good work in us will bring it to completion in the fullness of God’s Kingdom.