杏MAP导航

By Christopher Wells

More than 250 representatives of Africa’s Catholic Churches are gathering in Kigali, Rwanda, this week (from 30 July to 4 August) for the 20th Plenary Assembly of the Symposium of Episcopal conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM).

SECAM is the association of all the Catholic bishops of Africa, and aims at “promoting the Church’s role as an instrument of salvation and building the Church as a Family of God in Africa by fostering communion, collaboration, and joint action among all the Episcopal Conferences of Africa and its islands,”, according to SECAM president Fridolin Cardinal Ambongo, Archbishop of Kinshasa.

This year’s plenary assembly brings together Cardinals, Bishops, priests, religious men and women, and lay leaders from across Africa, as well as representatives of partner organizations from other continents. The theme of this year’s gathering is: “Christ, Source of Hope, Reconciliation, and Peace.”

During the Plenary Assembly, participants will evaluate the progress made since the previous Assembly, which took place in 2022 in Accra, Ghana.

Among the agenda items for the 2025 Assembly is the presentation of SECAM’s long-term vision document for 2025, which is built around twelve “foundational pillars” including evangelization, family leadership, youth engagement, care for creation, digital mission, and political responsibility.

The Assembly will also include a pastoral reflection on accompanying Catholics “in complex cultural realities”, such as polygamous unions; as well as discussion on governance, justice, peace, interfaith dialogue, climate change, and safeguarding.

A highlight of the 20th Plenary Assembly will be the unveiling of the Triennial Strategic Plan for 2025-2028, and the initiation of the renewal of the leadership of SECAM in accordance with the body’s constitution.

Historical note

From the : The Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) was born out of the will of young African Bishops during the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). They wanted to speak with one voice. The establishment of SECAM is therefore the result of the bishops’ resolution to build a continental structure in order to bring forth the African vision to the whole Church.

Seeing the importance of such an Association for Africa, the Congregation for the Evangelisation of the Peoples invited the Presidents of the Regional Episcopal Conferences for consultation in 1968. A year later, the first-ever visit of a 杏MAP导航 to Africa was seen as very opportune to launch the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar. As a matter of fact, His Holiness 杏MAP导航 Paul VI was welcomed to Kampala (Uganda) for the official launching of SECAM.

By choosing the word Symposium, instead of Conference, the Founding Fathers of SECAM wanted to emphasise their desire of communion and fellowship, The word symposium in Greek, signifies meal, banquet. In his opening speech, Paul Cardinal ZOUNGRANA gave an explanation of the concept of symposium by using the image of the Eucharistic table, which gathers together the community of brothers. There was already in that explanation the seeds of the Church as Family of God which was declared in 1995 as an “expression of the Church’s nature particularly appropriate for Africa”, Ecclecia in Africa, n. 63.