Pope Francis “courageously called us to true ecological conversion”: Senegal’s President on Legacy of Late Pontiff

“Pope Francis had an awakened ecological conscience; at a critical moment in our planet’s history, he courageously called us to a true ecological conversion,” President Faye said referring to the late Pontiff’s call for the care for our common home in his Encyclical Letter, Laudato Si’.

The late Pope Francis, “placed us before a clear and implacable choice: to act or to perish,” the Senegalese President said in his May 6 address at the opening of the May 5-12 fifth RECOWA Plenary Assembly organized under the theme, “For a Synodal and Autonomous Church at the Service of Justice and Peace in West Africa.”

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“We recognize how his insights and pastoral initiatives have positively influenced our world in its search for social justice, peace, unity, and reconciliation,” President Faye said, and implored, “Let us now pray in hope that a Sovereign Pontiff will be chosen in continuity with this glorious apostolic tradition.”

RECOWA comprises 16 West African countries which include Benin, Burkina Faso, Niger, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Guinee, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Mauritania, Cape Verde, Guinee Bissau, and Togo.

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In his May 6 address, President Faye underscored the Church’s important role in shaping values, guiding behavior, and fostering peace in the continent.

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He described the RECOWA Plenary Assembly as “a space of exchange, patiently built on the values of unity and solidarity between our sister churches.”

“You are witnesses of the word that touches hearts and minds, messengers of peace whose voice transcends ethnic, cultural, and geographical divides. Your mission is to build bridges, create spaces of fraternity and invent new forms of charity anchored in a common faith and a joyful hope,” the Senegalese President told delegates and participants in RECOWA Plenary Assembly.

The President also acknowledged the Church’s contribution to various sectors of the Senegalese society, including education, healthcare, and vocational training. He called for the fostering of strategic partnerships between the Church and the State in national development.

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“By her commitment to education, health, and professional training, the Church is a sure and essential ally of the State. She thus participates in the consolidation of the values that make our living together and our common destiny,” President Faye said.

He reiterated his commitment to upholding religious freedom and inclusion, announcing the creation of a new office for Religious Affairs, which he said will address the needs of the West African country’s diverse religious communities.

This move, President Faye explained, is “aligned with Senegal's broader vision for systemic transformation, encapsulated in the Senegal 2050 National Transformation Agenda.”

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He also underscored the importance of the Church’s involvement in promoting peace and justice, particularly in the face of political instability and migrant crises in the West African region.

“Together, in full synodality, we must promote an era of peace and reconciliation,” President Faye emphasized in his May 6 speech.

Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.