Synod of Bishops for Africa

Right now in Rome almost 400 people are gathered for the Synod of Bishops’ Second Special Assembly for Africa. The theme of the synod is: “The Church in Africa at the Service of Reconciliation, Justice and Peace: You Are the Salt of the Earth, You Are the Light of the World.” Among those gathered, 244 are formal participants or “synod fathers;” the rest are experts, auditors, fraternal delegates from other churches and invited guests. Of the synod fathers 228 are bishops; 80% of the participants are from Africa. Sudan is represented by four bishops: Cardinal Gabriel Zubeir, Archbishop of Khartoum; Rudolf Deng, Bishop of Wau; Edward Hiiburo, Bishop of Tambura-Yambio; and Daniel Marco Kur Adwok, Auxiliary Bishop of Khartoum. Rudolf Adada, former head of the UN joint peacekeeping mission in Darfur is a special invited guest. The assembly began on October 4 and will continue until October 25.

The first Special Assemby of the Synod of Bishops for Africa was convoked by Pope John Paul II in 1994 as part of a series of continental assemblies in preparation for the second millennial Jubilee of the Lord’s birth in 2000. Since then the Church in Africa has experienced explosive growth. In the 15 years since the first African Special Assembly the number of Catholics on the continent has increased by more than 60 million. Since 1994 there are 80 new dioceses, almost 150 added bishops, upwards of 3,500 new parishes,over 10,000 additional priests, and 15,000+ more religious. When Pope Benedict XVI visited Africa in March of this year in anticipation of this month’s synod he called it “the Continent of Hope.”

The presentations of the various participants to date have touched on a wide range of topics: evangelization, catechesis and formation; violence and conflict; politics and economics; education and healthcare; marriage and family; women and children; the relationship between the Church and traditional African culture; the clash between traditional African culture and elements of contemporary secular western culture.

Pope Benedict has asked the faithful to pray for this assembly. Could I ask those of your who are reading this to please pray the following prayer composed by the Holy Father for this occasion?

Holy Mary, Mother of God, Protectress of Africa,
You have given to the world the true Light, Jesus Christ.
Through your obedience to the Father and the grace of the Holy Spirit
You have given us the source of our reconciliation and our justice,
Jesus Christ, our peace and our joy.

Mother of Tenderness and Wisdom,
Show us Jesus, your Son and the Son of God
Guide our path of conversion
So that Jesus might shine his glory on us
In every aspect of our personal, familial and social lives.

Mother, full of Mercy and Justice,
Through your docility to the Spirit, the Counselor,
Obtain for us the grace to be witnesses of the Risen Lord,
So that we will increasingly become
The salt of the earth and the light of the world.

Mother of Perpetual Help,
We entrust to your maternal intercession
the preparation and fruits of the Second Special Assembly for Africa.
Queen of Peace, pray for us!
Our Lady of Africa, pray for us!