Luanda, 05 February, 2026 / 6:37 PM
Members of the Regional Conference of Major Superiors of Southern Africa (RCMSSA) reaffirmed their resolve to continue strengthening the effectiveness and witness of consecrated life in response to the challenges that both society and Consecrated life faces in the region.
In a statement issued on Monday, February 2 at the conclusion of their second Plenary Assembly, members of the RCMSSA highlight deficiencies in initial, ongoing, and specialized formation, and “a limited number of adequately prepared and available formators” as some of the challenges confronting Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life (ICLSAL) in the region.
They further express concern over “the lack of means for community self-sustainability and for mission” and “insufficient concern for elderly consecrated persons,” alongside what they describe as “a certain relativization of the physical and mental health of consecrated men and women.”
In statement sent to ACI Africa on Thursday, February 5, the members of the regional body say that after “intense work of study, listening, and discernment”, they also took note of key societal challenges such as “the proliferation of sects and religious pluralism, poverty, corruption, social inequalities, tribal conflicts, ecological problems, institutional fragilities, migration and human trafficking, and digital exclusion.”
In response to the challenges, delegates at the six-day event that ended on February 2 recommend concrete steps aimed at the renewal and strengthening of consecrated life, including “strengthening the integral formation of consecrated persons” and “continuing to implement the guidelines contained in Laudato si’.”
They also call for safeguarding measures, urging national conferences to adopt “the protocol for the protection of minors and vulnerable adults” and to adhere to “the ‘Talitha Kum’ network against human trafficking.”
The RCMSSA members identified priorities for the 2026–2028 triennium, including “networking, collaboration, strengthening, and exchange of experiences among Conferences and Commissions.”
They also underscored key priority areas, including renewed emphasis on formation at all levels, self-sustainability, vocation promotion, and “the establishment of the Conference headquarters, where the bank account and Secretariat will be based,” during the event at which the statute and financial policy of the regional body were approved.
The delegates at the Assembly, convened at Our Lady of Mama Muxima in Angola’s Catholic Archdiocese of Luanda under the theme “Consecrated Life United for Mission,” also elected new leadership for the Conference: Fr. José Joaquim Luís Pedro as President and Sr. Natália Miguel as the Vice-President.
“Fr. Ademário Delgado of São Tomé and Príncipe, Fr. Kenneth Macharagha of Zimbabwe, Sr. Immaculate Mary Pooka of Lesotho, Sr. Ottilie Endyala of Namibia, and Sr. Zelna Oosthuizen of South Africa” were elected as members of the RCMSSA Executive Council.
The membership of the RCMSSA is made up of the Leadership Conference of Consecrated Life (LCCL), which comprises six conferences across eight Southern African countries, including Botswana, Eswatini, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Namibia, Angola, and Mozambique.
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