Bangui Archdiocese’s 2025-2026 Pastoral Year Launch to Be Time to Live “mystery of unity of Triune God": CAR Cardinal

“We want to become a Church of Christ on the move towards synodality. The challenges of building a synodal Church are immense, and the path is demanding, but hope will help us overcome fears in order to build a community of communion and co-responsibility,” he said.

The launch of the pastoral year is to bring together delegates from the 39 Parishes of Bangui Archdiocese, apostolic action movements, as well as people of goodwill. Representatives of other religious denominations are also expected to participate.

“We want to live the mystery of the unity of the Triune God, in a meeting of closeness and mutual exchange, for a community that is being built,” the Spiritan Cardinal reiterated.

The September 23-28 event is to address a variety of themes, including pastoral conversion; the identity of the Church of Bangui in a changing context; co-responsibility in mission between laity and clergy; and co-responsibility in a Muslim environment.

Other topics include the mission of Christ and the Church’s social engagement in politics, the economy, and culture; the role of basic ecclesial communities as steppingstones of synodality; and prayer and the Eucharist as sources of the common journey.

More in Africa

Missionary Congregation Joins Call for Prayers for 265 Children still Held after Nigerian School Abductions

Read the article

The climax of the event is scheduled for September 28, with the Diaconate and Priestly Ordination of Six candidates.

“It is a joy for the local Church to see new vocations growing in the service of the people of God,” the Cardinal said during the September 8 press conference.

He invited all Catholics as well as believers from other denominations to take part in this spiritual gathering, which, according to him, “will nourish the faith and strengthen the hope of an entire people.”

Cardinal Nzapalainga sought spiritual communion ahead of the planned activities, and added, “I entrust this important moment for the Archdiocese of Bangui to the Lord, and I thank each one for contributing to this time of unity, mission, and peace.”

Reflecting on the presidential election scheduled for December 28, Cardinal Nzapalainga urged political candidates and the electorate to prioritize the democratic path without resorting to violence.

“If we are to go to these elections, it is not to leave behind the dead and wounded; it is to come out alive,” he said.

The CAR Cardinal noted that the Church’s mission is not to dictate political choices but to form consciences and promote informed and responsible voting. “Our mission is not to tell the faithful to vote for this or that candidate, but rather to raise awareness,” Cardinal Nzapalainga said on September 8.