As Africa grapples with escalating challenges including poverty, violence, and political instability, Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo of Kinshasa has urged the Church to be a vital source of hope and reconciliation.
In the face of numerous issues plaguing Africa, a prominent African cardinal has called on the Church to be a beacon of hope for a continent grappling with despair. Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo of Kinshasa highlighted the urgent need for the Church to address poverty, political instability, violence, ethnic and religious conflicts, wars, terrorism, and other social issues.
Ahead of the 55th anniversary of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), Cardinal Ambongo emphasized the Church’s mission to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ, which embodies hope, peace, joy, harmony, love, and unity. He underscored that true reconciliation in Africa must encompass justice and peace, integral components of evangelization.
“Commitment to peace, justice, human rights, and human promotion is a testament to the Gospel, demonstrating concern for people and aiming for holistic human development,” said Ambongo. He stressed the importance of initiatives that promote spiritual and material growth while combating actions that degrade and destroy human dignity.
The cardinal urged every member of the Church in Africa, especially those in positions of power and influence, to live out the Gospel’s dictates, transforming society from within and eliminating structures of sin, violence, corruption, and injustice. He called for a Church that genuinely acts as a reconciled Family of God.
Ambongo also praised the Church’s growth in Africa, noting that it now accounts for 18 percent of the continent’s population and exports clerics to Europe and America. However, he acknowledged significant challenges, including uniting Africa’s fragmented societies and addressing internal tensions within the Church.
Father Stan Chu Ilo, Associate Professor at the University of St Michael’s College in Toronto, echoed these concerns, highlighting the need for unity and reconciliation in Africa. He called for a contextual and inculturated Church that serves all Africans and addresses issues such as poverty, dependency on Western financial support, and the youth’s engagement in the digital age.
Chu Ilo emphasized the importance of the Church becoming a strong social force, supporting agriculture, political engagement, education, and healthcare. He warned that failing to engage the youth could jeopardize the Church’s future amid rising Pentecostalism and other new movements.
The call for the African Church to invest in youth evangelization and empowerment, and to foster greater lay participation, was clear. Chu Ilo stressed the need for a shift from a priest-centric and bishop-centric Church to one that embraces shared responsibility and participation for mission work and integral development.
As the Church in Africa navigates these challenges, it must seize opportunities to become a transformative force, bringing about social change and fostering unity and hope across the continent.
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