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By Deborah Castellano Lubov

"The Dicastery for Integral Human Development stands ready to accompany your Church in bringing Christ’s hope, reconciliation and peace to all your people." 

Cardinal Michael Czerny, the Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, expressed this when addressing the 20th Plenary Assembly of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), which officially opened in Kigali, Rwanda. The event brings together not only bishops from all over the continent, but also the Rwandan Prime Minister and representatives from other continents including Asia, Latin America, North America, and Europe.

The Vatican Prefect expressed his delight to join the Bishops, recalling his eight years of service in Africa from 2002 to 2010, and therefore calling it a "homecoming."

'Christ, Source of Hope, Reconciliation and Peace'

Recalling their theme, Christ, Source of Hope, Reconciliation and Peace, the Cardinal Prefect, underscored that "For our Church-Family of God in Africa – and for the Dicastery, too – full development flows from life in Christ."

In this regard the Cardinal called for valuing true development, rather than strictly economic development.

"For example," he said, "economic development is of great importance, but our concept must be broader and deeper than the narrow certainties of the world’s dominant economic actors and financial institutions." "In this spirit," he reminded, "the Dicastery supports the pastoral initiatives and advocacy of local Churches in favour of true development."

Three Steps

The Dicastery’s approach involves three steps: listening and dialogue, research and reflection, and communication and restitution. Accordingly, the Cardinal suggested, "the Dicastery strives to furnish dynamic support to the local Churches in their discernment, planning and action aimed at human development in all its dimensions."

First, Cardinal Czerny noted, there is the need to examine how well it engages in listening and dialogue, asking oneself, "What, in your area, are the principal “joys and hopes, griefs and anxieties of the people, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted”?

In this sense, he said, the Dicastery maintains a two-way bridge with the local Church and its various ministries promoting integral human development. Listening carefully to the Bishops and their coworkers, the Dicastery welcomes your questions and concerns, your needs and challenges.  

"In search of responses to the challenges, the second section dedicated to Research-Reflection, he explained, "deploys the many needed social and theological disciplines and applies Catholic social teaching. It offers new perspectives, new ways and means, good practices for the local Church to use to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to its society."

"The third section on Communication-Restitution," he said, "works to ensure that useful pastoral results and good practices are formulated, formatted and communicated to the local churches, so that they can apply them in a creative and suitable manner."

A helping hand and successful fruits

With these elements, the Cardinal reaffirmed, "The Church extends a helping hand to people – especially the poor – in their struggle to overcome obstacles to their human development and fulfill their human and divine vocation."

Cardinal Czerny praised a successful fruit of dialogue and collaboration thanks to SECAM. He said that, thanks to SECAM's leadership, the Conference on Natural Resources and Violence in Africa took place in Accra in March 2024, in which Bishops and others Representing different parts of the continent, addressed many challenges and obstacles which extractive industries pose to integral human development.

As a result of this exercise, the Cardinal announced that his Dicastery will publish Pastoral Orientations which should be helpful throughout Africa and in other continents.

Food for thought

In conclusion, the Cardinal urged the African Bishops to consider: "What are the main obstacles to integral human development in the territory of your Diocese and your Conference?" "What pastoral actions do you offer to accompany God’s people in facing these obstacles? Are there sufferings which only direct aid or charity seem able to address?" and "Does your local Church succeed in communicating the Church's social teaching as it applies within your territory?"

Cardinal Czerny concluded by reassuring that his Dicastery remains at their disposal.