SECAM Decries Exclusion of Church, Civil Society Organizations from AU–EU Summit in Angola

Nairobi, 21 November, 2025 / 10:11 PM

Members of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) have criticized the organizers of the 7th African Union (AU)–European Union (EU) Summit in Angola for excluding Church-based and civil society organizations from the event.

In a statement issued Thursday, November 20, SECAM’s Director of the Justice, Peace and Development Commission and Liaison Officer at the AU warned that the exclusion undermines the credibility of the November 24-25 meeting meant to shape Africa’s future.

“SECAM is compelled to highlight the restrictions imposed on civil society organizations in the official Summit process,” the Catholic Church leaders said.

“Numerous African civil society organizations, including those willing to self-finance their participation, have been excluded,” they said, adding that those excluded include faith-based organizations with a long-standing presence on the ground, humanitarian and justice networks linked to the Church, women’s and youth associations, farmer and Indigenous organizations, local development movements, and peacebuilding and reconciliation bodies.

“This exclusion raises a critical moral question: How can a summit focused on Africa’s future exclude those who support African communities daily?” SECAM members queried.

Because of what they described as insufficient participatory channels and a lack of transparency, civil society actors convened a Parallel Peoples’ Summit at the Catholic University of Angola on November 19–20.

“This is not an act of rebellion. It is a necessary response to insufficient participatory channels, a lack of transparency, technocratic top-down processes, and an imbalance of power between institutions and communities,” the Bishops said.

They urged AU and EU leaders to acknowledge the enduring consequences of the Transatlantic slave trade, colonialism, neocolonial structures, and resource exploitation.

“The Church in Africa expects the AU–EU Summit to demonstrate honesty about history and a genuine commitment to reparations, acknowledging the ongoing impact of the Transatlantic slave trade, slavery, colonialism, neocolonialism, economic domination, and resource extraction as matters of historical fact and moral responsibility,”  they said.

They expressed concern that the EU “has not fully committed to reparatory justice for Africans and people of African descent, despite the fact that key members benefited from the Transatlantic slave trade and colonization.”

“The legacy of this exploitation persists today in an unfair trade system and the transgenerational trauma suffered by Africans and people of African descent,” SECAM members added.

Citing Catholic social teaching, they called for development models that prioritize human dignity over geopolitical interests. 

The Catholic Church leaders warned that current AU–EU initiatives risk perpetuating extractive economic systems unless they are grounded in the needs and rights of African communities.

Reparatory justice, they said, requires both structural reform and restorative healing.

The statement also underscored the urgency of addressing Africa’s debt burden, which the SECAM members described as rooted in historical injustices. 

“Africa’s forests, water sources, mineral resources, biodiversity hotspots, and vulnerable communities must never again be sacrificed for profit, geopolitics, or external interests. Respect for African sovereignty and the sovereignty of its people is vital; African sovereignty belongs not only to governments but also to its citizens,” they said.

SECAM members noted that the Church in Africa hopes for a renewed and strengthened AU–EU partnership.

They however, noted that the partnership requires inclusion rather than exclusion and transparency, “rather than opacity.”

“A partnership that listens to the people will endure,” they said, and added, “A truly inclusive summit will foster trust, and a dialogue rooted in justice will have the power to heal historical wounds.”

“The Church in Africa stands ready to accompany Africa and Europe toward a future of justice, peace, and human dignity,” the Catholic Church leaders said.