Prosperity and despair” “” “

A dream for two continents? “That Europe propose a clear objective to be realised: that of contributing to the eradication of the tragedy of famine in the world, starting from Africa. If a concrete project could be put into action for the years ahead, perhaps the Europeans would take a greater interest in the European Union”. The suggestion was made by Bishop Amédée Grab of Chur in Switzerland , president of the CCEE (Council of the Episcopal Conferences of Europe), in his inaugural speech at the Africa-Europe Symposium entitled “Communion and solidarity between Africa and Europe”, being held in Rome from 10 to 13 November. The meeting, in which over 150 bishops and representatives of international organizations from the two continents are taking part, has been organized in liaison with SECAM (Symposium of the Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar). The meeting will focus on the respective cultural situations, theological and pastoral prospects and co-responsibilities of the Churches. The texts of the reports are available on line on the website old.agensir.it A project to involve the peoples. The dream of Msgr.Grab and Msgr. Aldo Giordano, CCEE secretary, starts out from the recognition that “a certain sense of tiredness and disinterest can be felt at the popular level in the process of unification” in Europe. “A purpose of this scale” – that of eradicating famine – could “inspire support and involve the peoples”, especially the young. Msgr. Grab once again mentioned the lack of any reference to Christianity in the Constitution: “We have recognized with sadness that a basic misunderstanding of Christianity often exists in Europe: there are those who thought it a question of privilege; others were of the view that to cite Christianity would do an injustice to other religions, especially Islam; others again considered it a threat to the secularism of public life”. The meeting with African bishops in this particular historical moment, said Archbishop Josip Bozanic of Zagreb, CCEE vice-president, “offers a chance to establish new relations with the African continent”: “Europe that is experiencing its unification is called not to become self-enclosed, but to live the dimension that belongs to it, that of the meeting with other lands and countries”. “Changing the economic rules”. “The African and European Churches must speak to each other if they are to have more strength and more influence in society: it is clear that the causes of Africa’s problems depend on outside circumstances. The economic rules, that are creating more poor people every day, need to be changed”, said Archbishop John Onaiyekan of Abuja (Nigeria), president of SECAM (Symposium of the Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar), in presenting the Symposium in Rome. “It is a general feeling that Africa is receiving more negative than positive aspects from globalization”, he said. “We live in a world in which politicians decide according to non-evangelical criteria. We wanted to ascertain what could have been done, and what can be done, to ensure that the Gospel exert a greater influence on the history we are going through”. With regard to the question of vocations – that are lacking in Europe while they are flourishing in Africa – Msgr. Onaiyekan explained, “a solution to the problem needs to be found in Europe. We cannot hope to solve it by having African priests come over here”. And with regard to the phenomenon of immigration, the archbishop of Abuja was clear: “It doesn’t matter what concentration camps in the desert or what other provisions Europe will come up with: so long as there is so much despair with us and so much prosperity with you, the tide of immigration will not cease. It’s impossible to continue in this way. We live in a single world: sooner or later something will give way”. Msgr. Onaiyekan also mentioned the difficulty, even for bishops, to obtain entrance visas for Europe and announced a meeting of African with American bishops. “The future Christianity: either it will be more ‘catholic’ or it won’t be at all”. That’s the diagnosis of Msgr . Bruno Forte, archbishop of Chieti-Vasto (Italy), who reviewed the situation of European Christianity faced by the contemporary challenges: “The Christians of the European continent – he stressed – are called to become protagonists to help keep alive a critical conscience alert to defending the quality of life for everyone, to be the mouthpiece of those who are denied it, and to confront the exclusively selfish logics of many of the major agencies of economic and political power at the world level”. In response to the “search for the lost sense”, the “rediscovery of the other person” and “nostalgia for the Totally Other” – according to Msgr. Forte – we need to keep ever present “the primacy of God in the faith”, place “charity above everything” and “account for the hope that is in us”. POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE SIDES OF EVANGELIZATION in Africa. Polygamy, marriages celebrated only with traditional rites and not in church, the attraction of the sects, the lack of financial resources for the pastoral work of priests and catechists, the need to evangelise the young and help them to overcome obstacles such as illiteracy, drug addiction or sexual exploitation: these are some of the problems that challenge the African Church in terms of evangelization, as described by Bishop Joseph Osei-Bonsu of Konongo-Mampong (Ghana) in his address to the Symposium. The bishop from Ghana pointed out the positive and negative sides of evangelization in Africa: positive aspects such as the growth of vocations to the priesthood and to the religious life, even though “female vocations are declining in some countries”; the important role of the laity and catechists, of the family apostolate, and of the means of social communication such as radio. “But unfortunately – he pointed out – in some countries such as Ghana religious institutions are not permitted to have their own radio stations”. Emphasizing the need to inculturate the Gospel by adapting it also to traditional rites (marriages, widowhood, ceremonies for the naming of children, veneration of ancestors, etc.), Bishop Osei-Bonsu urged the Church “to have greater respect for traditional African religions”. As regards dialogue with Islam (“in some countries where Muslims are in the majority the rights of Christians are often not respected”), he urged that Christians and Muslims “mutually respect each other” but that “mistaken attitudes and the lack of reciprocity in religious liberty” be denounced”. “Nzambe AND Nzakomba…”, THE MANY NAMES OF GOD. The archbishop of Kisangani (Congo) Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya drew a portrait of the “Africa of life” in opposition to the “Africa of death”. The characteristics of the Africa of life include the strong sense of transcendence, expressed with the many names of God: “Nzambe, Nzakomba, Nzaw, Ngalo, Mvidi Mukulu, Maweja, Mungu, Nzém a Mpung”. This spiritual view brings with it the duty to “transmit life from generation to generation”, hence the importance of children, of the family and also of kith and kin. Values such as the sense of hospitality, the community spirit and solidarity within the clan are very strong, explained Msgr. Monsengwo, but “in modern Africa they have given rise to parasitism and an ethnocentric ideology”. Even the fine relation with ancestors preserved in the oral tradition presents advantages and disadvantages “in the notion and view of time, progress and development”: “in the event of poverty and disaster, there is a risk of being defeatist, awaiting everything from the ancestors instead of having a healthy reaction capable of remedying the situation”. According to the archbishop, “Africa must learn from Europe a view of time that may excite scientific curiosity, a taste for research and innovation, a recognition of the efficacy of human action, the value of the eternity of the life of man on earth and the sense of history and written traditions”. But the values of solidarity and sharing that are intrinsic to Africa must in turn inspire the West to recognize the need for “a new world order in which the eradication of poverty is not merely ‘humanitarian’ – depending, that is, on a political decision – but structural and systematic”. EXCHANGE AND RECIPROCAL AID BETWEEN THE CHURCHES. “Africa and Europe must reinforce their reciprocal collaboration not only because the closeness of the two continents leads to the growth in relations, but because Europe has a need for Africa, just as Africa has a need for Europe”, declared Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Prefect of the Congregation of Bishops, in his homily during the second day of the Symposium. Cardinal Re recalled the respective problems of the two continents (crisis of the family and of values in Europe; poverty, famine, war and disease in Africa) and suggested some possible forms of reciprocal aid: “The Church in Europe cannot remain indifferent to the needs of Africa”, while “the young Church of Africa may stimulate in the Church in Europe enthusiasm, joy and vivacity of faith, especially in its ecclesial dimension” and in the revival of vocations. The problems of evangelization in Europe were also touched on by Cardinal Audrys Juozas Backis, archbishop of Vilnius (Lithuania): “In Eastern Europe man freed from Communism has rediscovered his liberty but is unprepared to make good use of it. In the West many have succumbed to the tide of secularism, or of the consumerism propagated by the mass media that propose a man free of any ‘constriction’ in family life, at school and in social and national life”. It is all the more urgent, then, to evangelise people on the basis of personal contact, ecumenical commitment and dialogue with other religions, also through the movements, small Christian communities, schools and parishes.