The Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) wishes to inform you of the gathering of delegates from across the continent and its islands for a Continental Synod Assembly which takes place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from the 1st to 6th March 2023.
The Continental Assembly is a continuation of the Two Working Sessions held in Accra, Ghana and Nairobi, Kenya to prepare the draft of the African Synod Document. The Assembly, which is guided by the Synod’s call to the Universal Church to communion, mission and participation aims at engaging the delegates from the Church in Africa. This is to enable them continue with the dialogue and discernment process on the pastoral issues that were captured in the Working Document for the Continental Stage (DCS), a synthesis of the reports that the universal Church submitted to the General Secretariat of the Synod in Rome.
The about 200 Delegates to gather in Addis Ababa are: cardinals, archbishops, bishops, consecrated men and women, lay people (men, women and the youth), seminarians, novices and representatives of other faiths. They shall re-look at the issues that have emerged in the DCS, share their experiences and identify what strongly resonates with the lived experiences of the Church in Africa.
By the end of the Continental Assembly, SECAM shall be in a position to give the contribution of the Church in Africa to the General Secretariat of the Synod in Rome, which is in the process of drafting a working document. Therefore, the contribution of the Church in Africa following this Continental Assembly is key for the first Session of the Synodal Assembly, which is scheduled for October 2023 in Rome.
We appeal for the collaboration of Catholic media in all regions during the assembly to ensure that the people of God are kept abreast of what is happening, especially the experience of their delegates during the Assembly.
Kindly visit the website: addisababa.synod2023.org to subscribe for the daily press releases from the assembly.
For more information or any clarification, please contact SECAM’s Continental Communication Coordinator on the following contacts:
- Email Address: kofi@gmail.com
- Mobile: +233244731084
Yours in the Service of Christ,
Fr. Rafael Simbine Junior, Secretary General, SECAM
Monday, February 27, 2023