Synod on Africa Renews Staff Member’s Faith
John Katunga, CRS’ regional technical advisor for peacebuilding and justice in East Africa, recently participated in the Synod of Bishops on Africa. Here is his interpretation of the synod, in his own words.
My experience at the second Synod of Bishops on Africa at the Vatican was incredible. The three-week synod focused on achieving peace, justice and reconciliation in Africa. At the end, I felt an enormous commitment by the Roman Catholic Church to do something different on the continent. For the first time, I see a prospect for a major change in the Church that is extremely hopeful.
Five key issues that have a direct impact on Catholics everywhere, and particularly in Africa, are being addressed in the 57 propositions that emerged from the synod:
Photo by Josh Estey for CRS
- Evangelization of the family: Husbands, wives, young adults and children need to recommit to living by the tenets of Catholicism in their families. In the opening mass, Pope Benedict stressed that Africans need to beware of the “spiritual toxic waste” from the West and to fight against it. Men need to take better care of their families, turning away from drugs, alcoholism and abuse. Women need to be empowered and their role recognized as the backbone of the Church, caring for the life and dignity of each family member. And everyone needs to ensure that children are protected within families and in society at large.
- The clergy as role models and unifiers: The synod discussion was quite candid about the need for priests and other religious to live the word of God in their personal lives. It was said often that the blood of Jesus Christ needs to be thicker than ethnic, regional or political differences. The leaders of the Church need to be unifiers, not dividers, in resonance with the teachings of Jesus Christ.
- Enhanced formation: Catholic social teachings need to be a permanent part of our psyches. To achieve this, the Church needs to develop courses, programs and activities that bring these lessons to life so Catholics can intuitively act and react in ways that are aligned with these principles. Considerable attention was placed on the need to train leaders of small Christian communities. Attention was also paid to the need for new pedagogies that will lead Catholic clergy, politicians, civil servants and businesspeople to act in ways that support the common good instead of special interests or individual gain.
- Increased dialogue with other faiths: There is a need for more dialogue with people from different Christian faiths and different religions. This dialogue needs to be based on mutual respect and reciprocal tolerance, especially with regard to others’ freedom to establish religious institutions and profess their faith. Extremism and fundamentalism were condemned as harmful approaches that often promote intolerance.
- Environmental protection: The environment has been at the center of so many conflicts, particularly the exploitation of natural resources by multinational companies that fuels violence across the continent of Africa without returning much benefit to local communities. There has also been significant damage to the environment, which can lead to additional fighting over shrinking resources.
The openness and transparency at this synod was incredible. No subject was taboo. Everything was discussed, including AIDS, corruption, poverty and development initiatives. All the debates were publicized, allowing the public to be aware of the discussions taking place. The participation of women and people of other Christian faiths and religions was also very high.
Spiritually, I now feel so fulfilled by my faith. My faith came out of Rome reinforced, because the Church is openly—and now decisively—addressing many challenging issues to reach the vision that Jesus described for us. The spirit and enthusiasm resulting from this synod is flowing powerfully.
Tags: Africa
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