SECAM Leaders Unveil 25-Year Vision Rooted in Hope, Reconciliation, and Peace

 The 20th Plenary Assembly of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) last week concluded in Kigali with Catholic bishops from across Africa and its Islands charting a bold 25-year pastoral vision. Centred on Christ as the unfailing source of hope, reconciliation, and peace, the vision is set to guide the Church-Family of God in Africa from 2025 to 2050.

Gathered from 30 July to 4 August under the theme “Christ, Source of Hope, Reconciliation and Peace: The Vision of the Church of God in Africa for the Next 25 Years,” Cardinals, Archbishops, and Bishops confronted the continent’s ongoing challenges including insecurity, poverty, political instability, and the wounds of conflict. Yet their message was one of unshakable trust in Christ’s power to renew Africa.

 “With Christ and through Him, hope fills our hearts and allows us to look toward the future with confidence,” the final statement affirmed.

The assembly not only held discussions, but also ushered in new leadership for SECAM:

President – Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo (DRC)

First Vice-President – Bishop Stephen Dami Mamza (Nigeria)

Second Vice-President – Archbishop José Manuel Imbamba (Angola)

Treasurer – Bishop Gabriel Edoe Kumordji (Ghana)

Secretary General – Fr. Rafael Simbine Junior (Mozambique)

At the heart of the 2025–2050 plan lie twelve priorities: evangelization; a self-reliant Church; family-based leadership; missionary formation and synodality, care for creation, youth renewal, justice and peace,  interfaith dialogue, digital mission, healthcare, liturgical life, and the Church’s role in politics.

In keeping with Pope Francis’ call for pilgrimages during the Jubilee Year of Hope, the plenary was crowned with a journey of faith to the Kibeho Marian Shrine, Rwanda’s revered site of Marian apparitions, attracting thirteen Cardinals, one hundred Bishops, and over two hundred priests joined local faithful in prayer.

Presiding at the Mass, Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo urged all present to return home committed to making Africa a just and united continent, and to become true messengers of hope. He underscored the pivotal role of youth in this mission, recalling the faith and courage of the Uganda Martyrs and the fact that Kibeho’s visionaries were themselves young people a sign, he said, of the vital place of youth in God’s plan for Africa.

Cardinal Antoine Kambanda of Rwanda described the Kigali plenary as both a moment of planning and a Jubilee celebration marking the 125th anniversary of the Gospel’s arrival in Kigali. He invited pilgrims to deepen their devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and to remember the missionaries who planted the seeds of faith in African soil.

Speaking at the gathering, Rwanda’s Minister of Internal Affairs praised SECAM’s choice of theme as timely and relevant, especially for a nation that, 31 years after the genocide, continues to rebuild on the pillars of reconciliation and peace. He noted the symbolic power of the Kibeho pilgrimage, where people from around the world seek peace, and assured that the Government stands alongside the Catholic Church in promoting peace and fostering development.

A Call to Action

Echoing Pope Leo XIV’s message delivered by Cardinal Pietro Parolin—that Africa’s local Churches must remain “tangible signs of hope,” the bishops called on political leaders to place the dignity of every citizen above all else, protect the vulnerable, and foster dialogue. They stressed that reconciliation and peace are “essential elements for human development,” recalling the words of Pope Paul VI: “Peace is the new name for development.”