Kigali, 04 August, 2025 / 9:34 PM
Members of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) have unveiled a 12-point roadmap to guide the ministry of the Catholic Church on the continent for the next 25 years – 2025-2050.
The document bearing the 12-point roadmap was deliberated upon and voted for during the 20th Plenary Assembly of SECAM from July 30 - August 4 held in Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali, under the theme, “Christ, Source of Hope, Reconciliation and Peace”.
Each area of focus was presented in five steps: the opening vignette of a pastoral situation, an African wisdom, a concrete observation on African reality, a vision statement, and a call to action in some concrete implementation steps.
Introducing the document, the Secretary General of SECAM, Fr. Rafael Simbine, noted it was a “vision document” that has the objective to inspire.
The document, Fr. Simbine observed, “serves as a source of inspiration from which national and regional Episcopal Conferences, religious congregations, and ecclesiastical movements may draw their strategic plans and programs - whether three, five, or ten years—during this period from this jubilee to the next.”
Evangelization
“Evangelization must be dynamic and renewed to remain focused on the human person, bringing liberation and salvation,” the Catholic Bishops in Africa say, reaffirming that the Church in Africa has inherited a vibrant faith, witnessed to the point of martyrdom.
The Catholic Bishops lament that despite Africa inheriting vibrant faith, some regions on the world’s second largest continent have not encountered Christian faith being deeply rooted in daily life or culture.
The lack of encounter of Christian faith in some regions, SECAM members say, “creates a gap between what is professed and how people live.” They say, “Africa remains a spiritual home where faith and hope are meant to grow and inspire the world.”
They propose the way forward in boosting evangelization, including the need to proclaim the Gospel explicitly and implicitly, rethinking faith formation and initiation, deep evangelization that transforms cultures, and promoting witness of life and a sense of belonging.
Other ways to boost evangelization also include promotion of belonging to the Family of God, strengthening family and domestic church ministries and fostering meaningful, participatory liturgies.
A self-reliant Church
The Bishops regret that the Church in Africa, though vibrant, remains economically dependent. They acknowledge with appreciation the international aid that has helped in building structures and formation houses but say has “created a culture of dependency, limiting local initiative and accountability.”
They blame “poor planning, weak structures, and insufficient training in Church administration further acknowledging that Africa is not poor in potential” for financial insecurity in the African Church.
According to the Bishops, what is lacking in the African Church which they describe as rich in faith, creativity, and resources, is “a shared vision of stewardship, sustainable resource management, and entrepreneurial responsibility.”
The Bishops call for Theological Formation on Stewardship, promotion of local giving, creation of Diocesan Development Offices, training in Financial and Project Management, Legal and Institutional Frameworks and Investment in Education and Enterprise.
They also underline the need to foster a Culture of Accountability, Intra-African Solidarity and integration of Youth and Digital Platforms.
“A self-reliant Church does not reject global solidarity. From the early Church to today, communities share spiritual and material gifts,” they say, and add, “The Church in Africa will continue sharing her missionary gifts globally, but her self-reliance must be prioritized.”
Family Model of Leadership
SECAM members note that the concept of the Church as the Family of God, which was highlighted during the 1994 Synod for Africa, aligns well with core African values such as unity, harmony, collective decision-making, and solidarity.
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The however lament that, in practice, “leadership often remains hierarchical, centralized, and sometimes exclusive.” They say that clericalism, tribalism, and patriarchal attitudes persist, limiting the active participation of the Laity, women, and youth.
“Even within African families, rigid authority structures can reinforce similar models in the Church. The African Church is invited to renew its leadership structures to reflect the true spirit of family, dynamism, dialogue, and mutual care,” the Bishops say.
To address this, SECAM members call for Synodal Governance, Leadership Formation, Empowerment of Laity, Women, and Youth, Dialogue-Oriented Leadership, Family-Inspired Pastoral Strategies, Accountability and Transparency and Model Leadership on Christ's Example.
Formation on Missionary Discipleship and Synodality
“The meaning of mission, discipleship, and synodality is evolving. Mission no longer means only traveling to foreign lands, but also bringing the light of the Gospel to social, cultural, and ecclesial contexts in need of renewal,” the Bishops say.
To realize this, SECAM members underscore the need to listen to Creation, Formation on Baptismal Dignity, renewal of Evangelization Method, revision of Catechesis and Catholic Education, Formation for Priests and Religious and Inclusive Teamwork.
They also advocate for a deeper study of Church documents on mission, the compilation of best practices by SECAM, the Africanization of Christianity and the Christianization of African culture. Additionally, they emphasize the importance of viewing mission as a reciprocal exchange and recognizing the valuable contributions of African theology.
Care of Creation
The Bishops say that the cry of the earth is intertwined with the cry of the poor in Africa, saying, “Pollution, deforestation, plastic litter, biodiversity loss, and land degradation worsen socio-economic inequalities.” “Climate change may expose over 100 million of Africa’s poorest to extreme droughts, floods, and heat by 2030,” the Bishops say, and add, “Environmental degradation, unemployment, and poverty drive many, especially youth, into hopelessness and migration.”
They say that “Africa faces an urgent call for ecological conversion, new mindsets, lifestyles, and spirituality that renew our relationship with God, others, and creation.”
On the way forward, SECAM members call for the integration of care for creation into all Church pastoral and evangelizing efforts and encouragement of the Priests and lay leaders to preach about care for creation.
They also call for the establishment of diocesan and congregational offices for ecological care, working with development, justice, and peace commissions and to foster ecological conversion through gratitude, generosity, and care for creation.
They want the Church to “celebrate September as the Season of Creation, with liturgies, catechesis, tree planting, environmental clean-ups, and community sensitization, drawing on both Church teaching and African eco-spiritual traditions.”
Promotion of regenerative agriculture with minimal chemical inputs to restore soil health and sustainable food systems is also among the recommendations of the Bishops.
Youth and the Renewal of the Church
The Catholic Bishops in Africa recognize that Africa's youthful population presents both a blessing and a challenge for the Church. They highlight some of the challenges, including lack of spiritual formation and support, and social media, peer pressure, and global influences which they say often pull the youths away from faith.
To support young people, the Bishops emphasize the importance of empowering youth for the renewal of the Church, fostering adult support and mentorship, enhancing youth engagement in social issues, and embracing digital tools for evangelization.
They also stress the need to root the Church more deeply in African culture. Additionally, they call for the promotion of vocations, the development of lay leadership, and the protection and safeguarding of the youth.
Justice, Peace and Integral Development
On this pillar, the Bishops observe that Africa is grappling with political instability, communal conflicts, and social crises that contribute to displacement, violence, and widespread poverty.
They note that the failure of many political leaders—including those of the Catholic faith—to uphold justice and human dignity has further intensified these challenges.
According to the Bishops, poverty, underdevelopment, and violence are often rooted in systemic injustice and the lack of lasting peace.
They stressed that the Church, through its mission of promoting human development, must collaborate with governments to help restore peace, justice, and sustainable progress.
As the way forward, the Bishops call for the strengthening of “education for justice, peace, and social cohesion in Catholic schools, seminaries, universities, and through Justice and Peace Commissions.”
They also want the prophetic role of bishops’ pastoral letters renewed at national, regional, and continental levels to denounce injustices and awaken consciences and to “make SECAM’s key documents on justice, peace, and development available to Catholic universities and formation centers,” among other recommendations.
Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue
SECAM members acknowledge that Africa is characterized by a rich tapestry of ethnic, cultural, and religious diversity, often reflected within families through interreligious marriages, conversions, and shared participation in social events such as weddings, baptisms, and religious festivals.
However, they express concern over the rise of new religious movements with radical tendencies, particularly within digital spaces, which they say promote exclusivism and breed mistrust. They note that although online platforms are widely accessible, they have increasingly become channels for hate speech and religious intolerance.
The Catholic Bishops in Africa further observe that the imported nature of Africa’s education systems has contributed to the erosion of traditional cultural values, hindering genuine dialogue and understanding.
They also said that the lack of strong collaboration between theologians and bishops has weakened the Church’s ability to present a unified and holistic Christian approach to promoting unity.
To foster ecumenism and interreligious dialogue, the Catholic Bishops make recommendations including the strengthening of the “collaboration between Protestant and Catholic theological institutions, inspired by the Dombes Group experience”
The establishment of “joint commissions with Catholics, Protestants, Evangelicals, Muslims, traditional religions, and new religious movements to reflect on common concerns”, is also among the proposals of the Catholic Bishops in Africa.
Mission in the Digital Environment
“In the dynamics of in-depth evangelization, the Catholic Church in Africa has also committed itself to using information technology (ICT) beyond traditional means of social communication,” SECAM members say.
They, however, lament that many religious and faithful Christians lack mastery of computer tools. This group, the Bishops say “are poorly trained or informed, and are not always able to make the necessary discernment for efficient use of digital technology and respect for human dignity.”
Furthermore, SECAM members say that “the rapidly emerging artificial intelligence forces us to train young people to be witnesses of the faith in this new areopagus, a new place of evangelization.”
To address this challenge, the Bishops underline the need to “ensure that in Catholic universities across the continent, in formation houses, and in parish centers, young people become familiar with computers and new means of communication.”
They also want evangelical criteria for ethical use of digital technology defined and further underline the need to “encourage all church structures to create a virtual presence by creating websites where Christians can participate in the life of the Church.”
The Health of the People of God
While the Church plays a vital role in African healthcare, especially in rural and underserved areas, the Catholic Bishops in Africa underline unequal access to healthcare, underdeveloped mental health and disability services among the challenges that persist.
“Africa faces a double burden of disease, where both infectious and non-infectious diseases claim lives. Poverty, fragile health systems, and socio-economic factors, often rooted in colonial legacies, exacerbate health inequalities,” they say.
To address these challenges, the Bishops advocate for prioritizing primary healthcare, promoting health education, strengthening advocacy and inclusion, and upholding the sanctity of life.
They also emphasize the need for enhanced pastoral training, the development of Church-based health insurance schemes, and the reform of cultural practices that hinder well-being.
Liturgical Life of the Church in Africa
In Africa, since the Synod on Evangelization, the Bishops say that the Church has committed itself to "true and balanced inculturation in order to avoid cultural confusion and alienation in our rapidly evolving society.”
“There are many initiatives to make this inculturation effective in the liturgical life of our local churches,” they say and add, “Lively and festive celebrations should be observed in all dioceses and parish or base communities.”
The Bishops call for the deepening of “knowledge of traditional cultural practices long neglected or even uprooted by early missionary evangelism and the need to “diversify the liturgical actors by opening the lectorate and acolyte to women where their integration is not yet effective,” among other proposals.
Church and Politics
On this last pillar, the Catholic Bishops in Africa say that “Despite Africa's journey toward democracy, many nations remain trapped in cycles of poor governance, corruption, inequality, and repression.”
While the Church has often stood with the people, advocating for democracy and justice, the Bishops say that “there have also been moments of silence or complicity.”
“The Church must balance its prophetic mission with careful engagement in political matters, promoting values of service, justice, and human dignity while avoiding partisan entanglements,” they say in their 27-page document.
On this pillar, the Bishops make some recommendations including the need to provide ongoing civic education rooted in Catholic Social Teaching, promoting of policies that bridge social divides and advance human dignity and prioritization of reconciliation and healing in conflict-affected regions, among others.
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