This week marks a historic gathering as African bishops convene in Kigali, Rwanda, for the 20th Plenary Assembly of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM). Over 250 participants including presidents of 54 national episcopal conferences, theologians, and global partners are taking part in this landmark assembly. The expectations from God’s people in Africa are high on the outcome from this Assembly.
According to Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo, President of SECAM, this special Jubilee gathering will focus on “giving African people a reason to hope.” It represents a bold step toward a long-term vision for transforming both the Church and society in Africa. That vision developed over the past year in collaboration with theologians and pastoral leaders is structured around twelve pillars of hope. These include evangelization, political transformation, integral human development, leadership, youth and digital evangelization, health, education, and self-reliance.
The bishops are meeting amidst widespread suffering across the continent. As Cardinal Ambongo observed in a recent Vatican News interview, many regions are plagued by political instability, violence, insecurity, and the displacement of entire communities. The shadow of terrorism and religious persecution haunts daily life in many countries. National reconciliation and sustainable development are continually undermined by poor leadership and priority setting, and misguided social policies.
This Assembly, which occurs every three years, is a sacred space of encounter for an African palaver. A space where Africa’s Catholic leaders can reflect on the condition of God’s people. A space to lament with those who suffer. And a space to reflect on the church’s mission as a credible witness and bearer of the teaching, healing, liberating, and saving message of Christ across Africa and the islands.
Africans are praying, watching and waiting. Many are placing their hopes in this Assembly. It comes at a time of global uncertainty and instability. For many African Christians, their faith in God and the Church remains a solid foundation they hold on to when everything else is showing signs of instability. This moment is a turning point.
The choice of Rwanda as host is deeply symbolic. It is a sign of solidarity with a region where God’s people have endured profound suffering. The horrors of genocide, and now the ongoing tensions in Congo, in which Rwanda has been implicated, have left lasting scars. Although a U.S.-brokered ceasefire is currently in place, the peace is fragile. It will not hold unless the deeper political, economic, and ethnic tensions are addressed. Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, and Burundi are sitting atop a molten magma. Anger and injustice are bubbling beneath the surface, held in check by authoritarian regimes, and complex political alliances and coalitions purchased through the blood of the people and the exploitation of their natural resources.
These regimes suppress dissent. They stifle free speech and opposition in the name of national unity. But peace built on fear and force cannot last. Hungry and brutalized people will not remain silent forever. No ruler however strong or messianic can hold back the winds of justice and change indefinitely. True peace requires truth, dignity, and an inclusive state.
The Catholic Church must play a prophetic role at this auspicious time. It must speak to the root causes of Africa’s wounds. The bishops must proclaim a message of justice, healing, and reconciliation through Gospel non-violence. They must walk with the traumatized, the displaced, and the despairing. And they must rise above the toxic mindsets of identity politics and ethnocentric proclivities and nativistic particularism. Africa needs moral leadership—not just from politicians but from pastors and prophets.
Let a clear message of peace go forth from the halls of the Kigali Convention Center. Let all African leaders including President Kagame hear it. The work of social transformation begins with recognizing the dignity and giftedness of every citizen. Our ancestors and our faith traditions teach us that every life must be prized, not priced. Each person is beautiful in the eyes of God. Each has something sacred and unique to offer.
No leader holds the sole key to any nation’s future; together we can bring about a better future for the Church and society in Africa. God has deposited in every one of us a unique gift—some vital wisdom or talent for rebuilding Africa. It is the task of both Church and society to help unlock these gifts. The hope for Africa is not found in foreign saviors or political strongmen in some countries who perpetuate themselves in power. It lies in the hearts and hands of Africans themselves.
Africa is alive with faith. That faith must become a powerful force for building social capital and strengthening bonds of solidarity. It is a treasure, a source of resilience and renewal. On that foundation of faith, hope, and love, we can build the city of God in Africa. The Church must be a place where “social poets” emerge—creative and courageous disciples who are committed to justice, community, and co-responsibility animated by the spirit of synodality, collegiality, and shared leadership, and participation where the people are the protagonists of their own history.
We must continue to plant seeds of hope. All across Africa, countless men and women are standing for what is right. They refuse to bow before the idols of money, power, tribe, or violence. They are the soul of a vital Church, witnesses to truth in a time of trial and signs of hope in a time of despair and anxiety.
As Cardinal Ambongo rightly said, this Assembly is a time to confront the socio-political realities facing Africa. The bishops must rise as pastors of hope—clear-eyed, courageous, and committed. May this Assembly take practical steps that shift the trajectory of Africa’s future for the emergence of a new heaven and new earth in these beautiful and blessed lands.
In Solidarity with the Starving Children of Gaza
As African Catholic bishops gather to reflect on Africa’s pain and promise, we cannot ignore the cries of suffering elsewhere. The cries of Gaza echo our own struggles. VoiceAfrique stands in solidarity with the starving children of Gaza. There is no moral justification for blocking humanitarian aid or subjecting children to hunger—whether in Palestine, Sudan, or anywhere else. No one should suffer simply because of their race, religion, nationality, place of birth or location.
Can we remain silent while modern states deploy weapons of mass suffering under the guise of national security and self-defense? Can we justify the violence of state actors as rational, while dismissing all resistance as irrational barbarism? The truth is: all violence against the innocent is inhumane. The cup of horror overflowing in Gaza must be denounced by all people of faith and conscience.
With Cardinal Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, we affirm: “Christ is not absent from Gaza… He is there, crucified among the wounded, buried under the rubble, present in every act of mercy, a candle in the darkness.”
With Pope Leo we urge all parties to “respect the obligation to protect civilians, as well as the prohibition against collective punishment, indiscriminate use of force and forced displacement of the population.”
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