“A vital gathering”: Tanzanian Bishop on First-Ever AMECEA Regional Conference for Safeguarding in Seminaries

He said that the October 21-23 conference taking place at Roussel House of Donum Dei Missionary Sisters in Karen, Nairobi, is to provide the delegates an opportunity “to engage in open dialogue and share best practices and strengthen policies that uphold the highest standards of protection and care.”

He added, “Through the conference, AMECEA will create opportunities to connect with faith-based leaders, safeguarding practitioners, trauma experts, and committed formators who accompany Seminarians towards a foundational commitment to safeguarding practice.”

The Spiritan Bishop who has been at the helm of Same Diocese since his Episcopal Consecration in June 2010 further said that the three-day event set to conclude on Thursday, October 23 also aims “to enhance cross-regional learning on best practices in formation, build commitment, and resolve to build a strengthened safeguarding culture in Seminaries.”

Credit: Paulines Africa

In his keynote address at the opening of the conference, the Chairman of the AMECEA Pastoral Department urged participants to let the event be a moment of renewal and “collective resolve to make the Church truly a safe space for all.”

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Referring to AMECEA member countries, which include Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia, and Djibouti and Somalia as affiliate members, Bishop Kimaryo emphasized the need to foster care for minors and vulnerable adults.

“As a region and as a Church, we are invited to renew our commitment to a culture of care, one where the dignity of every child and vulnerable person is protected,” he said.

Credit: AMECEA

He cited the late Pope Francis, when he had an audience with victims of abuse in 2018, saying, the care and safeguarding of minors and vulnerable adults “requires courage to confront past failures, humility to listen, and honesty to learn. Pope Francis urges us to ‘listen to the cries of the little ones who ask for justice.’"

Alluding to the theme of the AMECEA conference, the Tanzanian Catholic Bishop who will turn 69 on October 30 emphasized that "the pulpit is a sacred space, where hearts are nourished, faith is strengthened, and hope is rekindled." He noted that this "sacred space can only be credible when it radiates love and care."

"This gives a clear rationale and justification for why every minister called to serve at the pulpit must be well grounded on safeguarding and committed to the very spirit of care it embodies," he emphasized.

Credit: Paulines Africa

This conference, Bishop Kimaryo continued, “is a reminder that the mission of Christ’s Church is not only to preach the Gospel but to embody it, especially in how we protect, heal, and uplift those entrusted to our care.”

Credit: Paulines Africa

“Let this conference, therefore, be a moment of renewal of hearts and of systems. May the spirit of God guide our reflections and our actions, so that love and care may not only define our theme but also our witness to the world,” the Tanzanian Spiritan Kimaryo implored in his keynote address on October 21.

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Credit: AMECEA

Nicholas Waigwa is a Kenyan multimedia journalist and broadcast technician with a professional background in creating engaging news stories and broadcasting content across multiple media platforms. He is passionate about the media apostolate and Catholic Church communication.