Our gratitude

“Consolidated common commitments”: Cardinal Péter Erdo, archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest and President of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences (CCEE) described in these terms the engagement “with African bishops in the framework of the joint programs of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences and of the Symposium of the Bishops’ Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM)” in his address at the second General Congregation of the Synod for Africa under way in the Vatican until October 25th. “Joint activities addressing questions such as migration, human trafficking and other Christian problems of man” were carried out across “African and European cities”.A common path. In 2003 CCEE and SECAM envisaged the urgent need to delve into the common responsibility of African and European bishops especially as pertains to evangelization, on the basis of sacramental communion. In 2004, on the tenth anniversary of the Special Synod for Africa (1994), the first historical symposium was held in Rome, attended by 50 African bishops and 50 European bishops along with representatives of organizations engaged in solidarity work. The theme of the meeting was “Communion and solidarity between Africa and Europe”. Today CCEE and SECAM are involved in the four-year project (2006-2010) “Communion and solidarity between Europe and Africa in the era of human mobility” with annual seminars. A second symposium of African and European bishops will conclude the project in 2010. Promoting reconciliation. With particular regard to the African continent, Cardinal Erdo remarked: “As you well know, European soil also bears the stains of blood”. His Eminence referred to the events of the Second World War and retraced the aftermath of the fall of the Berlin Wall, when “the population, notably the Catholics living in the Western and Eastern sides of the wall, could finally enjoy the freedom to meet” each other and acknowledge “the complexities of our joint history. Throughout history, East European populations in particular, experienced colonization and exploitation. As recently as in the first centuries of the modern era entire populations living in the villages of Eastern and Southern Christian Europe ended up in slave markets in the Far East”. “Europe’s recent history – the CCEE President said – left many open wounds”. For this reason the Churches are in the front line to seek and promote “the reconciliation of the hearts, the purification of memory and constructive brotherhood” in the “Central and Eastern areas of our Continent”. The first were “the German and Polish bishops”, with a “major act of reconciliation”, which initially “wasn’t fully understood by many in the respective societies”.The force of the Church and the force of the martyrs. Nonetheless, according to the prelate, “even if the voice of the Church and the faith witness of the Christians might be feeble, even if it doesn’t hit front page news, this meek voice is louder that all the noise, the lies, the propaganda and the manipulation. We bear witness to the force of the martyrs of Africa and Europe”. “Now – he added – the witnesses of the Lamb, murdered in the 20th century in reason of their faith, are being beatified and canonized”, while “we, Catholics of Europe, on the basis of our own historical experiences, closely follow the fate of African Christians. We have learned to respect your faithfulness, your testimony of faith and that of the African martyrs – whose numbers have dramatically surged over the past few years – for Christ and for His Church, thus, for us. We owe our gratitude and profound esteem to the African Church”. For the CCEE President, “the exchange of gifts doesn’t only involve the Western and Eastern parts of Europe. Indeed, it is a duty of the faithful and of the local Churches, at Continental and universal level. And European Catholics are determined to be engaged in solidarity”, “never failing to acknowledge the needs of their brothers in moments of crisis”. At the same time, Cardinal Erdo concluded, “we wish to learn more of your liturgical, Catechetical experience, and of the dynamics of priestly vocations, for the joint creation of the Church of Christ in Europe, in Africa and across the world”.