Third Pan African Congress Kicks off in Ivory Coast with Calls for Continent’s “spiritual, structural reawakening”

Abidjan, 06 August, 2025 / 10:31 PM

African theologians, including Clergy, women and men Religious and Laity, who have gathered in Ivory Coast’s city of Abidjan for the III Pan-African Catholic Congress on Theology, Society, and Pastoral Life have called for “spiritual and structural reawakening” in Africa, expressing their commitment to confront urgent issues affecting the continent during the five-day event.

Of significant importance is self-reliance, the Coordinating Servant of the Pan-African Catholic Theology and Pastoral Network (PACTPAN) said in his opening remarks at the Congress, underlining the need for the Church in Africa to move beyond “a culture of aid dependency” that he said, “limits our agency, distorts our priorities, and weakens our capacity for sustainable growth.”

“This calls for more than economic reform,” Fr. Stan Chu Ilo said on the possibility of the Church in Africa attaining self-reliance.

Credit PACTPAN

“It demands a spiritual and structural reawakening where local communities become the drivers of their development, where Dioceses and Religious Congregations invest in local talent and resources, and where the Gospel of dignity inspires a new asset-based model of Church stewardship, accountability and transparency,” Fr. Stan said in his August 5 remarks.

Proposing “a movement away from the current needs-based approach”, he said, “A self-reliant Church is credible, prophetic, and free; aAble to speak truth to power and witness to Christ with integrity.”

Organized by PACTPAN on the theme “Journeying Together in Hope as God’s Family”, the III Pan-African Catholic Congress has been described as a call for the people of God in Africa to rediscover their shared vocation as Christians and members of the universal Body of Christ.

“Together, we affirm that the African Church has a vital role to play in shaping the future of global Catholicism, and in bringing healing and reconciliation to a world yearning for justice, peace, spiritual renewal, and human and cosmic flourishing,” Fr. Stan said.

Credit: Radio Grace Espoir

The Congress has been described as “a historic gathering poised to profoundly shape the future of the African Catholic communities and influence the global Church.”

In his remarks, Fr. Stan further described the ongoing Congress as “a sacred gathering” of African Church leaders, Theologians, women and men Religious, youths, lay leaders, PACTPAN’s ecumenical and global partners from Asia, Europe, Latin America, and North America.

The theologians, including Clergy, women and men Religious, and Laity participating in the Congress are engaging with critical issues that the Church in Africa and beyond face.

In PACTPAN’s characteristic palavers, the participants are exploring Africa’s contribution to the global Church’s understanding of synodality, advancement of African theological scholarship, and the place of women and youths in the Church in Africa.

Participants are also set to engage on urgent issues affecting African communities, including human trafficking, religious persecution, and environmental degradation.

Credit: Radio Grace Espoir

In his August 5 address, Fr. Stan described the ongoing congress as celebration of “a vital Church”, a Church he described as one that is “alive in the Spirit, rooted in the lives of our people, and energized by deep relationships.”

“The future of the African Church depends on cultivating relational resilience, a way of being that honours our interconnectedness, bears one another’s burdens, and responds with compassion and courage to the suffering of our communities,” the Nigerian Research Professor at DePaul University in the U.S. said.

He added, “The vital Church breathes with the prophetic fire of justice and the contemplative heart of mercy.”

Reflecting on the theme of the conference, Fr. Stan described hope as “not an idea”, but a virtue that “has a face, the Risen Christ.”

"In him and through him, we find the strength to live as Africans who dream, believe, and build—even amid brokenness,” the Nigerian Catholic Priest who also serves as the producer and host of African Catholic Voices, a podcast service of PACTPAN, said.

Credit: Radio Grace Espoir

He continued, “As I once wrote, ‘the one who has hope believes that the person is in the hand of God.’ That conviction sustains us when the ground beneath our feet trembles. In this Jubilee Year of Hope, we proclaim with boldness: hope rises from the ashes, and God is always creating and recreating the world.”

The PACTPAN official challenged participants in the Pan-African Congress to embrace the event as “a sacred space”, a place to renew the mission of proclaiming God’s love and teaching all the nations, which the Church has received from the Lord.

“Let us build bridges, deepen our spiritual lives, and walk the path of hope. Let us defend human dignity and lives of our people against harm, strengthen bonds of friendship, and foster the ethics of human and cosmic flourishing,” Fr. Stan said, and added, “In doing so, we bear witness to the fruits of the eschatological reign of God.”

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“May this Jubilee Congress become a wellspring of renewal for Africa, the Church, and the world,” he said.

Credit: Radio Grace Espoir

Fr. Stan describes the Pan-African congress as “a moment of grace, communion, and renewed missionary zeal”, saying, “We come together in this historic moment not merely as delegates, but as pilgrims of hope, dreamers of a renewed Church, and builders of a new Africa.”

“As we journey together through these days of reflection, dialogue, prayer, and celebration, let us listen deeply. Let us lift the voices of our youths, our women Religious, our social justice workers, our pastors, and our digital missionaries. Let us listen to those who suffer—and who stand strong in faith and hope, like Mary at the foot of the Cross,” he said.

The Nigerian Catholic Priest said that the Abidjan gathering is in continuity with the memory of African ancestors in the faith. “May their spirit of hope animate this Congress. May we be a reconciling, resurrecting people, proclaiming and living the non-transactional, self-sacrificing love of Jesus Christ in every African Christian community,” he said.