Participants at the Second Pan-African Catholic Church’s Congress on Theology, Society and Pastoral Life have commended the enduring resilience of African women and described them as the path of hope for the continent.
This is contained in a statement signed by the President of the Congress , Bishop Edward Hiiboro Kussala of Tamburo-Yambio, South Sudan and the Co-President, Rev Sr Josee Ngalula from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and made available to participants and the media.
The congress, which held in Nairobi, Kenya, from July 18 to 23,2022 has as its theme: “Walking Together for a Vital Church for Africa and the World”, with a focus on Synodality; the experiences of African women and children; and the challenges and prospects of building a vital church in Africa.
Representatives from the Republic of Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Senegal, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, and Zimbabwe attended the congress.
The congress in the statement said that the gathering was impressed by the extraordinary ability of African women to embody resilience, perseverance, the ability to overcome hardship, and to bounce back from traumas and adversities.
According to the congress, African women’s resilience is where the courage to hope must find its expression as an affirmation of life, even in the face of death.
It said that African women were forced to bear the burden of life’s trials and afflictions as they struggled to overcome obstacles to human flourishing and abundant life.
“These capacities are a response to experiences of violence that include domestic violence, wars, economic and ecological crises, and all forms of structural and systemic violence.
“Our task is to show solidarity in building a better society where African women will always flourish.”
The congress in the statement said that it recognised the crucial role of women in society and in the Church in Africa, as well as the priority of children who suffered abuse, adding that children represented the present and future.
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It said that for many reasons, the present and the future of Africa’s children had long been mortgaged by conflicts, corruption, all forms of abuses, and recently, by unguarded adhesion to unethical globalization.
The statement added that the congress actively listened to child education actors, and agents of early child development to help foster the growth and flourishing of children.
“This congress calls attention of all to the need for the church in Africa to embrace policies that are intended to protect our children henceforth from all forms of abuses in families, churches, and the society.”
It listed them to include: child sexual abuse, modern-day slavery, and human trafficking playing out both on the African continent and beyond.
The statement also noted that the congress reflected on the themes of synodality and pledged its commitment to developing these themes in coming years.
The congress said it was committed to a critical engagement with the cultural structures playing out in African societies that limited the rights of women to self-actualisation.
“We are committed to advocating for the eradication of the practices of different kinds of abuse of women and girls, for example, sexual abuse, forced marriages, gender mutilation, new forms of slavery, and human trafficking.
“We are also committed to fully supporting, promoting, and advocating for the flourishing of women and girls in our African societies and churches.
“We have committed ourselves to listening, dialoguing, and collaborating with other churches, faith-based communities, civil authorities, and social actors to promote a sustainable way of life on our continent and world,” the congress pledged.
The then called on local churches, social movements, universities, artists, and all other stakeholders to develop networks for mutual recognition, collaboration, and transformation of the global society.
According to the congress, this appeal will be actualised through local practices inspired by a culture of encounter, listening, discernment, and pastoral accompaniment.
