MESSAGE OF THE 11TH PLENARY ASSEMBLY OF SECAM

CHURCH AS FAMILY OF GOD AND HOPE FOR AFRICA

Greetings

1. Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, all believers in God the Almighty and Creator of all, all women and men of good will, We the participants of the 11th Plenary Assembly of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), comprising 37 conferences, meeting at the Eskorn Conference Centre, Midrand, from 21st - 28th September, 1997, under the theme "Church as Family of God", greet you and wish you peace and love in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Introduction

2. This is the first plenary assembly of SECAM since that historic event, the African Synod of 1994. It was during this Synod, that inspired by the Holy Spirit, our Synod Fathers adopted the image "Church as Family of God."

3. As Pope John Paul II said: "The Synod is over. The Synod has just begun." This plenary, therefore, is the first step of the whole Church of Africa in the study, meditation and implementation of the results of the African Synod, and of the image "Church as Family of God."

We also call upon you dear People of God to welcome, this message in the spirit of the Synod and in preparation for the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, and to enter into the Third Millennium with a "firm commitment to implement with great fidelity the decisions and orientations... in (the) Exhortation" (EIA 141).

Golden Jubilee of SACBC:

5. It is also providential that this plenary is taking place in South Africa, the country, whose final liberation from apartheid, occurred during the days of the African Synod, an event that brought great joy to the Synod Fathers, the entire Church and the whole continent of Africa, and today has made it possible for South Africa to host this 11th Plenary Assembly.

6. This year, the Southern African Bishops' Conference is also celebrating its Golden jubilee, 50 years of bitter struggles, hard choices, uncertainties and successes, but most especially a time of trials during which the Church of Southern Africa never failed in its commitment to follow the Lord's call for justice, peace and the equality of all races.

7. We congratulate, on the one hand, South Africa for its efforts to build a model of a multiracial nation, and on the other hand, the entire church of Southern Africa for this Golden Jubilee.

"Church as family of God" in Africa

8. At this Plenary Assembly, which we conducted in an atmosphere of prayer and reflection on the Word of God, we listened to contributions on the theme "Church as Family of God" from various Episcopal conferences, national and regional, from some Roman Dicasteries, Church Organizations, from representatives of other Christian Churches, and individuals.

9. Under the inspiration of the Spirit, what has come out clear is that this image of the Church which is derived from the African experience of the family is also compatible with the Christian message and in communion with the teachings of the universal Church (EIA. 62).

Image in Scripture

10. The Church, understood basically as humankind called to a saving relationship with God is often presented in the Bible as "Family of God" (EX. 4:22-23; Jer. 31:9 Amos 3:1-3), as the "household of faith" (Gal.6:10), "Go's family" (1Tim.3:15), "descendants of a common ancestor" (Acts 13:26; 17:28) etc. As members of the one family, born though water and the Holy Spirit (Jn.3:3-8), we have a common Father, and are one in Christ, without discrimination between Jew and Greek, slave and free, male and female (Gal.3:25-29).

Image in the Teachings of the Church

11. Many African Fathers of the Church also conceived of the Church as God's family. For example, Clement of Alexandria, believed that there was one universal Church, because there was only one God, the Father. Also Cyprian of Carthage referred to the Church as the mother who joined together all her children in one great family in the unity of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.

12. Vatican II (remet en valeur) shares this vision of the Church Fathers when it says that the Church is house of God where the family of God lives (LG 51,6; GS 32, 40, 92). Pope John Paul II also appealed to this image when in Burkina Faso, he said: "I greet you in the name of the love which unites us in one Church in God's extended family" (see African Addresses, p.242); and he developed the same teaching about the Church in the Post Synodal Exhortation, Ecclesia in Africa.

13. Finally, the Church, at worship expresses this truth about herself as family of God when she prays: "Father, accept this offering from your whole family" (Roman Canon), and "Father, hear the prayers of the family you have gathered here before you." (Third Eucharistic Prayer).

Concept of African Family

14. For us Africans, the family is larger than the nuclear one. It can mean the extended family, the lineage or clan and even the tribe (groupe ethnique). Membership is acquired not only through blood relationship, but also through adoption of even slaves and strangers, affinity in marriage, blood pacts and may be bestowed in gratitude or as a sign of compassion.

15. As we all know some of the values most cherished in the African family include sense of community and collective consciousness, solidarity, caring, sharing, mode of settling disputes by consensus and love for life and children.

Implications of Image of Church as Family of God

16. The image of Church as family has many implications for the inner life of the Church and for the entire human community. In recognition of God as the Father of the family, our relationship with God must be marked by a strong spirit of filial love and faith according to the example of Jesus our Elder Brother. Our lifestyle must also reflect what we believe as members of God's family.

Implications within the Church

17. In the Church as Family of God, we are to love and serve one another as brothers and sisters of the same family. Therefore, all forms of hatred, division, discrimination, domination and pride within the Church are to be denounced. That is why we exhort Bishops, priests and Church leaders to live as servants of the people of God, and to develop concrete ways of showing solidarity in sharing and caring most especially with the poor and needy.

18. We also emphasize the need to share resources, human and material, amongst the local churches both in Africa and in the universal church. A concrete way of doing this is for the local Churches of Africa to send Priests and Religious, their own sons and daughters to work in other parts of the universal Church.

Implications with regard to our fellow Christians:

19. With Christians of other denominations, we share the same faith in God and in Jesus Christ our Saviour. It is incumbent on us therefore to work more seriously towards Christian unity, and to give better witness of love amongst the followers of Christ to the world. We should do everything to ensure that the prayer of Christ "that they may be one" (John 17:21) comes true. In the Church as family of God ecumenism cannot be ignored.

Implications with regard to other Believers

20. To all other believers in God, as the Almighty and Creator, we extend the hand of love, solidarity, and dialogue in finding solutions to the problems of our fellow men and women. This is the only way to show that we are children of the same Father.

Social and Political implications

21. Since we believe that God is the creator of all humanity and, therefore Father of all and source of life, every one is obliged to defend, protect and safeguard each other's life, dignity and right. For this reason we denounce the various abuses of human rights, hatred and the wars with their resultant destruction of human life and property that have become a common occurrence on our continent.

22. Another result of these wars is the large number of refugees and internally displaced persons on our continent. We are challenged to show greater concern for these unfortunate brothers and sisters of ours.

23. We also acknowledge as a result of these wars, the witness of several silent martyrs, not only those who shed their blood in defence of their fellow men and women but especially the millions who heroically risked their own lives to shelter refugees on the run, their own precarious lives to share their meagre resources, food, money, clothing etc. with the poor and the destitute.

We honour these and many others who for the sake of Christ exhibited solidarity with the poor, the widows, the aged etc., by comforting or serving them. To you these "martyrs," these modern day Good Samaritans whose good works go unnoticed here on earth and who are even misunderstood and often persecuted, remember that "the Lord who sees, what is done in secret will reward you" (Mt. 6.4).

24. We ask that no more of our meagre financial resources be used to purchase arms. Sometimes we are tempted to think that some powerful nations foment situations of armed conflict and inter-tribal wars in order to deliberately destabilize Africa and hamper her progress for their own economic and political interest. We hereby renew the appeal of the African Synod to the World powers and industrialized nations to stop the sale of arms to our countries.

25. We call on our political and traditional leaders to see their positions as one of service to our people, and not of lording it over them. Power is not to be used for the promotion of personal selfish interests, or the settling of old scores. We invite them, especially the Christians, to follow the example of Jesus Christ who came "to serve and not to be served." Such is the type of selfless leadership that can bring peace and development to our people.

26. In the same vein, we call upon our political leaders to respect the democratic process and its expression through voting.

27. In the spirit of brotherhood which the Church as family implies, we join our voices to that of the Holy Father in calling for the remission of the debts of the poor nations.

28. As the welfare of the family demands that family resources be well managed with probity and accountability, we condemn the practice in parts of Africa today of diverting public funds into private accounts, and appeal to international conscience for their repatriation.

29.Towards the Great Jubilee and Beyond

It is the wish of the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II that the African Synod and the implementation of its decisions and orientations become part of the African Church's preparation for the Great Jubilee and usher us into the Third Millennium.

30. We therefore look to the coming of the Year 2000 with hope and spiritual eagerness, asking ourselves what to do in order to realize our theme of Church as family of God.

31. In the spirit. of the Jubilee year, we are to be reconciled with one another, forgive each other, and seek reconciliation also with God our Father. We therefore appeal on our knees to all who have been hurt in one way or another to learn to forgive and be reconciled for the sake of peace.

32. On our part, as a Church we acknowledge that in the name of family or tribe, so much division, violence, suffering and even massacre of innocent people have taken place on the African continent. We are aware that such division and even hatred do exist in the church and among Christians. In the name of family people are even discriminated against for their religion, sex and race. We are ashamed of all these, and we regret them with all our hearts. We ask pardon of all those who have suffered from them.

33. As the Church in Africa prepares to enter the Third Millennium, we the participants at the 11th Plenary Assembly make a firm commitment to work for the building up of the Church as Family of God and to bring about here in Africa the Kingdom of God through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Africa.

34. Looking back at the 20th Century, the picture of Africa seems a rather unhappy one. However, we believe that all these sufferings and woes of Africa are the birth pangs of a woman in travail before a child is born to the world. We therefore pray that these experiences serve to purify and cleanse Africa for the good things that the Lord has in store for us in the Third Millennium.

35. With St. Paul we courageously say:

"...We are troubled on every side

yet not distressed;

we are perplexed,

but not in despair;

persecuted but not forsaken;

cast down,

but not destroyed;

Always bearing about in the body the

dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus

might be made manifest in our body."

Knowing that he who raised up the

Lord Jesus shall raise us up also by Jesus... (2 Cor. 4.8 1 0; 1 4).

With Jesus and in Jesus, we know that one day we shall build the Church, a Family here in Africa.

36. Finally, the African Synod of 1994 was one of hope and of the resurrection. This assembly too has been one of hope. Africa shall also rise up. God has not forgotten Africa. "God wills to save Africa" (EIA 27:29).

Signed:

President:

First Vice-President:

Second Vice-President: