Listening to each other” “

A new form of partnership and collaboration “as equals” for the development of the two continents: that’s the hope expressed at the meeting held in Lisbon in recent days on “Africa and the European Union. Partners in solidarity. The contribution of the Churches”. Organized by COMECE (Commission of the episcopates of the European Union), SCEAM (Symposium of the Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar) and the Portuguese Episcopal Conference, the meeting ends today after a series of work groups behind closed doors and a final press conference. It was intended to prepare for the Africa-EU government summit which was supposed to be held in Lisbon on 4-5 April, but which has been indefinitely postponed. Partners in solidarity. “Being partners in solidarity – said Archbishop Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya of Kisangani (Congo) and president of SCEAM – is now indispensable, especially in a situation of globalization and in spite of Africa’s meagre contribution to the world economy (2%)”. In Monsengwo’s view, it should be “a partnership for the development of both continents, with precise and commonly accepted rules, otherwise they risk being dictated by partisan interests or even by the law of the strongest”. The archbishop of Kisangani called for “an integral and compassionate development”, “without which peace is threatened”. Bishop Joseph Homeyer of Hildesheim, president of COMECE, emphasized that “the dialogue between the cultures, and especially the dialogue with the poor, is essential, to give a voice to those who don’t have one and to bring justice to the economy”. According to Homeyer, “the fact that the government summit has been postponed is a scandal”. The hope that the way of conducting cooperation between North and South in the world would be changed was also expressed by Michel Camdessus, former director of the International Monetary Fund. Even during the meets of the G8, he suggested, “we should accept the participation of Africans to judge our development policies, just as they accept our evaluation of their policies”. According to the auxiliary bishop of Milan Msgr. Giuseppe Merisi, Italian representative in COMECE, collaboration should have as its priorities “peace, health, education, public debt relief, resources and the return of cultural properties”. The “marginalization of Africa in the processes of globalization” was also denounced by the president of Portugal Jorge Sampaio, while Friedrich Hamburger, director general for development of the European Commission, urged that “the voice of African civil society be not ignored”. An appeal for peace. Discussion in Lisbon also focused on a joint appeal of European and African bishops against a war in Iraq, to be made at the end of the meeting, in view of the fact that the themes of war and peace strongly emerged, right across the agenda, during the first day of the congress. Cardinal José da Cruz Policarpo, Patriarch of Lisbon and president of the Portuguese Episcopal Conference, pointed out that “the position of the Church and of the Pope has helped to create in humanity a new awareness of the inestimable value of peace, with the result that civil society is beginning to react and put pressure on governments”. Don’t forget Uganda! Isolated voices from the forgotten wars of Africa were also heard at the Lisbon congress. Archbishop John-Baptist Odama of Gulu, in Uganda, launched a passionate appeal on behalf of the ever more dramatic situation in the north of the country, in the three districts of Gulu, Kitgun and Pader, where a war has been waged for more than 15 years between the rebels (of whom 90% consisting of child soldiers between the ages of 8 and 14) and the government army: out of a population of 1,200,000, some 800,000 have been displaced and are now crowded in refugee camps, schools, missions and hospitals and, in spite of international aid, are still desperately in need of food and medicines, but above all political assistance to resolve the conflict. Listen to the cry for help of the Ugandan population! We need international support”.