The Synod of Bishops for Africa is taking place at the present time in Rome. It began on October 4 and will finish on the 25th of the same month. A large number of men and women religious were present at the opening ceremony. Marie Pierre Otiba from the General community was there. She was a member of the choir, which sang at the opening Mass and, during the ceremony, she danced with other sisters from different African countries.
Until the 25 October, 244 prelates from all over the world, 197 of them African, a number of experts and invited guests making up a total of 400 participants, will discuss the mission of the Church and the problems of the continent under the title: “The Church in Africa at the service of reconciliation, justice and peace. You are salt of the earth; you are the light of the world”. This synod is focused on a continent where Catholics have increased in number from 55 millions in 1978 to 164 millions in 2007
During the Mass which opened the second synod of Bishops for Africa, 15 years after the first synod, Pope Benedict XVI defined the African continent as the spiritual “lung” of the world.
"When we speak of the treasures of Africa, we immediately think of natural resources, the riches of the land, which unfortunately have been, and continue to be exploited resulting in conflict and corruption”. The Pope continued. “Africa represents an immense spiritual lung for humanity which is suffering a crisis of faith and hope. But this lung can also fall ill”.
The Bishop of Rome warned that two illnesses are threatening the African continent at this moment: one is the danger of religious fundamentalism and the other is materialism. (Yahoo – News)
The whole Church participates in this important event at different levels and in different ways. Different organisations have arranged conferences on diverse themes related to the Synod.
The words spoken by Father Agbonkhianmeghe E.Orobator, S.J. from Kenya, at the beginning of one of his conferences, give us a good idea of the theme and the objectives of the Synod.
"The Second Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for Africa, announces a theme which is closely linked to the difficult situation experienced by Africa today at the socio-political, cultural, religious and economic levels: reconciliation, justice and peace. The emphasis of the Synod on this theme represents a “kairos” (moment of grace) for the Church and the continent. Wherever we look we realise that Africa aspires to reconciliation, justice and peace; from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Somalia; from Darfur (Sudan), destroyed by war to the region of the Niger Delta or Nigeria; the cry for reconciliation is heard in divided communities; the demand for justice comes from millions of refugees, people displaced within their own countries. Millions of people affected by war and conflict long for peace. These echoes from the Continent provide the structure through which we consider the theme of this Synod"
