Message from the Synodal fathers:
'Africa, arise and walk on!'
Translated from
the 10/24/09 issue of
A denunciation of the imbalances and egoisms that assail Africa. An appeal to the responsibility of local powers and the international community. A call to the continent itself so it may rise up and decisively undertake the way of justice, reconciliation and peace.
In the message that the Bishops' Synod is addressing to the People of God at the end of the special assembly for Africa, there is an awareness that Africa today is no longer on its knees, resigned to the challenges that encumber its future.
The fate of the continent, the Synodal fathers say, is still in its own hands. All that it asks is for some space to breathe, to grow, to prosper. That is why it asks to be treated with respect by the powerful in the world.
If only because, the message says, the poverty and conflicts that beset Africans do not come so much from natural catastrophes as from the decisions and actions of persons who have no consideration whatsoever for the common good, in a criminal complicity between local authorities and foreign interests.
Approved Friday morning, October 23, on the eve of the Synodal assembly's closing, the message reaffirms the choice made by the Church in Africa "to walk in solidarity with its people".
It therefore urges African bishops to consider the commitment for justice and peace as a priority in their pastoral agenda. Their dioceses, it is hoped, would be models of good governance and transparency, and of upright financial management. The priests, for their part, are called on to be examples of faithfulness and fraternity transcending tribal and racial barriers.
The Synodal fathers ask the lay faithful to be the visible face of the Church in the public space. They call for holy politicians dedicated to the common good.
The message has special words for African women as the backbone of society, asking them for greater participation in the life of the continent and a better appreciation of the role that they have in the Church and in the civilian community.
The fathers warn against ideologies which, behind the pretext of cultural modernization, threaten family values and the dignity of life.
On the specific problem of the fight against AIDS, they reaffirm that the Church is committed with all of its resources in the fields of prevention and of assisting AIDS patients.
As for the economic situation, the Synodal assembly calls for a true and proper change in the world order - not only possible but necessary for the good of all mankind - and asks that interventions against the economic crisis should be undertaken not only for the benefit of the rich nations.
They severely denounce the consequences of international debt which weigh most particularly on the poorer nations, and of the environmental devastation wrought on the continent by multinational corporations.
The Synodal fathers also condemned policies that foment wars and violence for the sake of getting greater profits - policies for which the responsibility lies mainly with local leaders who sell out the interests of their own people through the indiscriminate exploitation of their natural resources but also in the trafficking of arms.
And finally, an appeal to promote dialog among all believers in order to oppose religious fanaticism and a request to accommodate immigrants who come from Africa to other continents.
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 25/10/2009 03:12]