Churches in communion

“A step forward in the consolidation of communion and pastoral solidarity linking Africa and Europe”: thus wrote European and African bishops in declaration issued at the end of the four-day seminar in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, November 10 to 14. The Conference, titled “New situations of the Ad Gentes mission. Exchanges of priests and pastoral agents and formation. Vocations”. The initiative is the result of the joint cooperation (for the third time) of the Symposium of the Bishops Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) and the Council of the European Bishops’ Conferences (CCEE). Concerns. A message sent to participants at the seminar by Cardinal Ivan Dias, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples opened the meeting in Abidjan. In the message, His Eminence underlines the importance of the topic of the seminar, involving “a key theme of the Church’s missionary dimension”, which is a “priority and a true pastoral urgency”. The cardinal thus voiced his concern: “It must be said – he wrote – the situation of several African priests who perform their ministry or are in Europe without the consent of their bishop, is a major concern of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. This missionary Congregation hopes that concrete proposals emerge from the seminar to regulate this situation, which doesn’t help the mutual enrichment of the two continent’s Churches, as it is lacking a witness of communion and truth. The unity of the Church, the communion of the Church, is the condition for achieving the Mission”. Closer cooperation between Churches. During the seminar the bishops looked at “the various challenges confronting the churches in Africa and Europe in relation to formation, continuous formation and training of priests and also examined critically the different kinds of presence of African priests in Europe and vice versa”. In the context of priests sent for further studies to Europe, participants at the seminar call on their brother bishops “to ensure adequate preparation in every sector before the priests are allowed to migrate into Europe”. In the message is conveyed gratitude “to all priests, religious that have left their homes, their families and their countries to offer their lives as missionaries across the world”. The bishops equally underlined the need “for greater cooperation between us bishops and between the Church in Africa and in Europe in the training and sharing of personnel for the various pastoral ministries. This – continues the message – would require well worked out written agreements and contracts that take into consideration whatever is necessary for the wellbeing of the priests as much as possible. This should be in the spirit of greater communion and solidarity”. Every person is a gift. During their resolutions, the bishops prayed for peace in those African countries experiencing ongoing armed conflicts, like Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. ” Unfortunately – said cardinal Josip Bozanic, archbishop of Zagreb and CCEE vice-president upon the opening of the seminar – in many places, especially in Africa or in Europe, human rights are still being violated”. For this reason, “a large number of African migrants come to Europe thinking that they will find a paradise and are faced with much suffering instead”. As relates to the migration phenomenon, cardinal Bozanic said: “The Church is committed to ensure that every person is received as a gift, while the States must not be denied their right and the duty to enforce regulated migration flows for everyone’s good, for those already living there and for new migrants. At the same time, the States’ acknowledged right doesn’t justify the fact that some of these people are treated with no respect of their dignity: as if they were things and not people”. The letter to President Sarkozy. Don’t abandon Africa, since “keeping a part of humanity in a state of impoverishment, dependence and desperation, triggers feelings of frustration that jeopardize solidarity, justice and peace”. Thus wrote the bishops in a letter to French president Nicolas Sarkozy, who held the G20 presidency during the last summit in Korea. In fact, the bishops were gathered in Abidjan while the G20 summit was being held in Seul. In the letter, the prelates invite world leaders to “have the courage to take on responsibility to promote the true development of mankind at global level” and to not restrict their action to “rescuing national currencies and financial resources”. Instead, national commitments must to support individuals and populations that cannot access developing economies”. “A large number of countries in Asia and in America recently underwent exceptional growth”. According to the prelates, “this possibility can be extended to other Countries that would otherwise be left to uncontrolled competition, fomenting unemployment, corruption and degrading trafficking, especially in Africa”.