Kigali, 02 August, 2025 / 8:09 PM
Michael Cardinal Czerny, the Prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development (DPIHD), has called upon Africa's Catholic Bishops to champion efforts that will promote the pastoral commitment to addressing the complex social and economic challenges that the people of God on the continent face.
Cardinal Czerny made the appeal on Thursday, July 31, during his address at the opening session of the 20th Plenary Assembly of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) in Kigali, Rwanda.
Recalling his years of service on the continent, Cardinal Czerny said, “I feel back home. I am happy that the Church, Family of God in Africa, is gathered in this 20th Plenary Assembly under the theme: Christ, Source of Hope, Reconciliation and Peace.”
“Our inspiration comes from the Gospel, a Church of the poor and with a preferential option for the poor. This Gospel commitment takes the Church into various fields of concern: human rights violations, injustice, violence, displacement, environmental degradation, and other serious local challenges,” the Czechian-born member of the Society of Jesus (SJ/Jesuits) said.
Cardinal Czerny noted that although these concerns may be described as “global issues,” the Dicastery’s priority is to focus on the specific obstacles that hinder people’s holistic development in each Diocese and Episcopal conference.
“We stand ready to help the Churches to pastorally accompany their people in confronting the obstacles and developing integrally so that they may have life in abundance,” he said.
Cardinal Czerny further said, “The Dicastery supports the mission of the Holy Father and of the Bishops to proclaim the gospel to all creation, ensuring that no one is excluded.”
He also reflected on Pope Francis’s renewed emphasis on the ethical implications of technological advancements such as artificial intelligence.
“The Church wishes to contribute to a serene and informed assessment of AI,” the Cardinal explained and continued, “in light of the integral development of the human person and society.” This assessment, he said, should account for the intellectual, spiritual, and cultural well-being of all people.
Cardinal Czerny cited the Kampala Document (KD), which characterizes the Church as a family of interconnected persons built on love, acceptance, forgiveness, and justice.
“We enter into this communion of the Church through Baptism, preceded by hearing and accepting the Word of God and attaching oneself to Christ,” he said.
The 79-year-old Cardinal underscored the need for a vision of development beyond economic metrics, saying, “Economic development is important, but our concept must be broader and deeper than the narrow certainties of the world’s dominant economic actors and financial institutions.”
Cardinal Czerny explained that the Dicastery’s work is guided by a three-step approach: listening and dialogue, research and reflection, and communication and restitution.
“This is the experiential or inductive method of Gaudium et Spes,” he said, referencing the Second Vatican Council’s Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World.
“In our listening and dialogue section, we ask: what are the principal joys and hopes, grief and anxieties of the people, especially those who are poor or afflicted?. We maintain a two-way bridge with the local Church and welcome your questions, concerns, needs, and challenges,” Cardinal Czerny said.
The research and reflection phase, he explained, brings together the necessary social and theological disciplines to offer practical responses.
“We apply Catholic social teaching to offer new perspectives and good practices for the local Church to use in bringing the Good News to its society,” he added.
The communication and restitution section works to make these good practices available to the local Churches so they can be adapted and applied.
“Thus, the Church extends a helping hand to people—especially the poor—in their struggle to overcome obstacles to their development and fulfill their human and divine vocation,” he said.
Cardinal Czerny also mentioned the Dicastery’s role in disseminating annual papal messages related to peace, health, migration, and the care of creation.
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He invited local churches to work more closely with the Dicastery to share these messages effectively.
Cardinal Czerny also invited participants to reflect on three critical questions: What are the main obstacles to integral human development in your diocese or conference? What pastoral actions are you offering to help people face these obstacles, and are there cases where only charity can bring relief? And how well does your Church communicate Catholic social teaching in your context?
“As you pose such questions, the Dicastery stands ready to accompany your Church in bringing Christ’s hope, reconciliation, and peace to all your people,” Cardinal Czerny said.
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