Birth of a New Church?
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IN THIS ISSUE During his last missionary journey through Benin, Uganda and Sudan, Pope John Paul I1 announced the date and place of the much expected Synod for Africa. Surprise for some, for others not, the Synod will be held in Rome. In An African Synod in Rome: Open letter to Pope John Paul ZZ, Fr. RENATO KIZITO SESANA, reflects from East Africa about this announcement and the Synod in general. In our busy preparation for Christmas, the terrible earthquake in Flores, Indonesia, passed quickly through our awareness. In his first hand witness account Z Escaped by a Couple of Seconds, Fr. JOHN PRIOR, a missionary and teacher at the Maumere seminary, describes how he lived through these dangerous moments. DIALOGUE IN MISSION For the local Archbishop, Mgr. DONATUS DJAGOM, the falling of so Through dialogue, the church seeks many structures is a historic to uncover the "seeds of the Word," a opportunity. With After the Earthquake: "ray of that truth which enlightens all Birth of a New Church, we publish men," these are found in individuals parts of his pastoral letter. A surpris- and in the religious traditions of ing reading of God's Word to a Church. mankind. Dialogue is based on hope and love, and will bear fruit in the Spirit. In the Challenge of True Develop Other religions constitute a positive ment, Fr. PETER HENRIOT, proposes out challenge for the church: They stimu- of an African context ten considerations late her both to discover and acknowl- about integral development. His sugges- edge the signs of Christ's presence and tions are of value in any place and of the working of the Spirit as well as continent. to examine more deeply her own identity. Two of the latest documents of the Redemptoris Missio Vatican about mission: Redemptoris Mis sio and Dialogue and Proclamation, have centred our attention on a vital ques- tion in missionary activity. What is the relation between DIALOGUE and PROCLAMATION, and how both of them relate to the broad concept of EVANGELIZATION? In his article Dialogue and Proclamation, Fr. JACQUES DUPUIS, CHANGE OF GENERALATE discovers a progress and major clarity in the document about dialogue. Since March 16th, the Sisters of The Sacred Heart, RSCJ, have the following In MISSION MOMENTS you will find address: some front line testimonies from Algeria, Casa Generalizia, Ethiopia, United States and Hong Kong. via Tarquinio Vipera, 16 At the end, for your agenda: COMING 00152 ROMA EVENTS. Tel. provis. 58 23 03 32. AN AFRICAN SYNOD IN ROME (OPEN LETTER TO POPE JOHN PAUL 11) Renato Kizito Sesana, MCCJ (Father Renato Kizito Sesana, MCCJ, is Director of New People, Feature Serv- ice, in Nairobi Kenya. The following is the introductory article of the March issue). Holy Father, the logistical one: from this point of view one could discuss at length if it The editorial staff of New People would be better to hold it in Rome, or Media Center would like to make known let's say, Lagos. The possibility of to you our reaction to your announce- accommodation, communications and so ment that the African Synod will be on would need to be considered. Second held in Rome in April 1994. Forgive us, the symbolic one: holding the Synod in if in spite of all the evidence, we con- Africa or in Rome would send a clear tinue to refer in this way to an event message. The choice of Rome would that your collaborators in Rome call the stress the link with the Pope, while the "Special Assembly for Africa of the choice of Africa would have stressed Synod of Bishops." Here are our the recognition that Africa is truly "the thoughts, after carefully reading the new homeland of Christ" as Pope Paul Instrumentum Laboris, or Working Paper VI called it. It would stress the which supposedly is the result of the potentiality of African Catholicism, the reflection of African Catholics. nearness of the Church to poor and suffering people who are the real stronghold of the Catholic Faith in THE VENUE AND THE PREPARATION Africa. We believe that there would be no logistic impossibility in holding the While you were in Kampala, a member Synod on African soil, and the choice of of our staff was in the hall where the Africa would have been of enormous Bishops were waiting for you and he significance for all of us living in this heard the murmurs of disappointment continent, more important than affirming when - a few minutes before your the union with the Pope, which is entrance - they were told that the already very clear and not at issue. Synod would be held in Rome. Those Both answers, the logistical and the who planned for this anticipated symbolic, are however debatable and announcement did not want you to hear they do not touch the essence of our the expression of the bishops' dis- faith. appointment. Yet, minutes after the con- clusion of the session, most bishops were able to smile and show PASSIVE OBEDIENCE enthusiastic support for Rome as the venue of the Synod. Only a few could A good number of African bishops - blurt out "It's terrible. But don't quote due to the African tradition of respect me." In all of them the smile was hiding for elders and superiors combined with a deep wound. the authoritarian attitude of the Roman curia - have developed an attitude of In deciding where to hold the Synod passive obedience. The slightest two major aspects were involved. First, divergence from any thought, opinion, suggestion coming from Rome is per- know have not yet received their copy. ceived as here tical. Unaniminity has No wonder that for the majority of become a must, too often a straitjacket. African Catholics the African Synod is A unanimous and enthusiastic attitude still a mysterious code word. must be put up in front of Rome, even to the extent of sacrificing the truth. Holy Father, do not allow your col- laborators to misinform you. The mem- An example is what you were told bers of the local Church in Africa who about the preparation for the African are aware of the African Synod are not Synod. In 1989, you asked, "all the happy with the decision to hold the members of the People of God who live Synod in Rome, and the participation of in Africa to prepare actively for the the People of God in its preparation has Assemb1.c" The general Secretariat for been minimal. To speak of what hap- the African Synod, for instance, wrote pened so far as a "genuine African the following in its letter; following event" adds insult to injury. your announcement of the date for holding the Synod: "It can be affirmed without exaggeration that the whole THE WORKING PAPER Church in Africa became involved in the Synodal process. " This is not only an A thorough examination and reflection exaggeration, it is a lie. on the Instrumentum Laboris has fur- ther dampened our spirits. In the very words of the newsletter of the Ethiopian Catholic Secretariat, Reading the Working Paper one can dated August 1992, "There has been hardly guess that we are dealing with a very little discussion or writing on the Synod on Africa. A first glance at it Synod, and to the best of our knowl- shows that there are 171 quotes. All of edge almost nothing at grassroots them come from the general documents level." And Ethiopia is a country which, of the Church, Your Holiness being by because of its long Christian tradition, far the most quoted. There is not a is supposed to make a highly qualified single quote from your numerous contribution to the Synodal discussions. African apostolic trips; all your quotes are from general documents, such as A New People correspondent went to encyclicals and exhortations addressed a university campus in Kenya to inter- to the whole church. The documents of view the students. Out of 27 students the Vatican Council I1 come in second who defined themselves as "practicing place, followed by Paul VI, (almost. Catholics, active in a Catholic movement exclusively Evangeli Nuntiandi). Just or association," only 3 had ever heard one quote from his trip to Uganda in of the African Synod, and these did not 1969. Not even mentioned is Africae have any idea of what it was. Terrarum, the first document of this kind dealing explicitly and uniquely On the other hand, the atmosphere of with the African situation. After Paul VI secrecy surrounding the preparation there are the documents of Roman Con- for the Synod did not favour the parti- gregations, Pontifical Councils and com- cipation of the people. The international missions. At the bottom of the line, bureaucrats making up the Roman Curia SECAM (quoted 5 times). have only to blame themselves if the participation has been poor. We know It is as if there were no local by experience how difficult it is to get magisterium, no local teaching church! real news on the Synod preparation. We Yet in Africa we have about 500 bishops remember that when the Lineamenta was organized at continental and regional distributed some bishops thought it was level. Haven't these bishops and epis- a secret document and hid it in the copal conferences written anything deepest of their desk drawer. While we worth quoting on inculturation, write, we know we belong to the dialogue, justice and peace? Haven't privileged few who had a chance to see they contributed to the present African the Working Paper. Many bishops we scene with statements and pastoral let- ters on all sorts of moral problems? villages and towns, forests and deserts, Why not give value to the pastoral schools and drinking places.