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Credit: ACI Africa

“At the end of this Continental Synodal Assembly, SECAM finalized the contribution of the Church in Africa to the General Secretariat of the Synod in Rome for the purposes of drafting a working document,” SECAM members further say. 

They go on to highlight some of the fruits of the Plenary Assembly, saying, “The Synodal Continental Assembly has confirmed the Church’s way of doing things in Africa. The Family of God in Africa is firmly rooted in the synodal dynamic.”

“Synodality is no longer a remote desire, a faint hope or a distant future objective. We have tasted the nourishing fruits of synodality by encountering, dialoguing with and listening to one another, and all together listening to the Holy Spirit,” they say, and continue, “We are the Church in synod: the Family of God is our Tent in Africa.”

Credit: ACI Africa

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SECAM members describe the African Synodal Family as “an open-ended space of gathering … that stretches out, and includes all our differences, diversity, tensions and forces; welcomes others and makes room for their diversity; empties herself, but without losing the foundations and fundamentals of our faith; and a Church that can move.”

The Synodal process, they note, is an opportunity to discover “new seeds of growth” in Africa.

“Our continent is blessed with rich principles and values of our cultures and traditions,” Catholic Bishops in Africa and Madagascar say, adding, “These principles and values are good and healthy seeds for the birth and growth of a truly synodal Church in Africa and in the world.”

Credit: ACI Africa

They express their commitment “to building a synodal Church in Africa as a Family where all belong and feel at home”, an endeavor the Catholic Bishops say can be achieved through the strength of the Holy Spirit, common discernment, and spiritual conversation.

Credit: ACI Africa

“As the Synodal Family of God in Africa, we want to walk together joyfully. We thank God who has brought us together and guided us by the Spirit of the Risen Christ,” SECAM members say.

They add, “This is a time to rejoice: let us not allow the weeds to hinder us; let us allow the Holy Spirit to lead us forward to continue to sow new seeds and harvest abundant fruits of synodality.”

Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.