d MAC/RCA - Report 1997-1998

Bro. Jean Friant, FSG

 
1. The MAC/RCA Group

The group is made up of 6 Superiors General, 3 men (USG) and 3 women (UISG), plus a secretary. They represent the missionary Institutes working in Africa. Every year they hold a meeting with the permanent Committee of the Symposium of the Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) whose president is Mgr Monsengwo. The meeting is called Meeting for African Collaboration. Its purpose is to exchange views on the Church and the mission in Africa, look into issues concerning the mission, and, if possible, take steps leading to concrete collaboration.

Besides this annual meeting with the SECAM, the 7 members of the group in Rome meet between 4 and 6 times a year.

2. Our activities during the last year

2.1. Participation in the 11th Plenary Assembly of the SECAM at Midrand, South Africa, from 21 to 28 September 1997
The theme considered, "The Church, God's Family", had been proposed by the Synod of African Bishops. The consideration of the theme is to be continued by theologians and various local Churches.

The SECAM has published a Message specifying the implications of this theme for each African family, the local Churches (sending priests and religious to areas with a more acute shortage), Christian Churches (needing to work harder towards unity), other believers (needing to work in solidarity as children of the same Father). In the Message a long passage is devoted to social and political issues in Africa: it denounces the violations of human rights, the fratricidal wars and their disastrous consequences; it challenges the rich nations to stop selling arms to Africa and tells the African leaders about the tasks facing them: to respect democracy, build peace, and strengthen solidarity and national unity. A letter from the SECAM to that effect has been sent to all the African heads of state.

We have submitted to the assembly a report on Justice and Peace in Africa, which was the theme of the MAC/RCA meeting in Tunis in 1996. The Chairman of the SECAM has paid tribute to the missionaries for their work and expressed a wish that they may continue to challenge the local Churches.

The delegates of the USG-UISG took part in various debates and plenary sessions. The advantages of plenary sessions is that we get to know a number of African bishops, learn about their common concerns about evangelisation and their common efforts to find solutions to difficult situations.

Our presence makes the bishops more aware of the presence and mission of religious in Africa, a presence and mission which they appreciate and desire, even though we occasionally have problems in our relations with them. Some of these problems were mentioned at the Cairo meeting.

2.2. Meeting at Cairo, 16 March 1998
At that meeting with the permanent Committee of the SECAM the delegates of the USG and UISG submitted three reports preparatory to an exchange of views with the African bishops present.

2.2.1 Presence and work of the missionary Institutes among Africans living in Europe
This report had been requested by the bishops at the Tunis meeting in February 1996. What do you do for the African migrants in Europe? A survey of the members of our institutes working among the Africans in Europe has enabled us to better define the situations of African immigrants in several European countries and learn more about their problems.

In our discussion with the bishops we distinguished the legal immigrants from the more vulnerable ones who are the illegal ones. The latter are the ones to be given priority when we provide moral support and technical aid through competent people who try to solve the immigrants problems.

Various solutions were suggested. Is it possible to bring the governments to adopt a more global solution? Some governments are indeed concerned about the problem but it is now to be dealt with by the European Union whose prevailing policy is to bar by every possible means immigrants from the South and East from entering Europe.

A policy respectful of human dignity would require that attempts be made at dialogue with the governments of the immigrants' native countries so that together with them we may find the causes of immigration and solutions to the problems. This dialogue may stimulate the promotion of legitimate states, which is the only way to keep would-be political and economic immigrants in their own countries.

The African bishops should challenge their governments on the issues of justice and peace, especially on their responsibility for immigrants from their countries; they should also collaborate with CETA (Conference of the Churches of All Africa).

Work among African immigrants should be better organized and co-ordinated at the level of the European countries and in conjunction with the countries the immigrants come from. Requests should be made to the Presidents of the Episcopal Conferences to find out whether a chaplain has been or can be appointed to take care of the migrants from their countries.

2.2.2 Problems facing the local Congregations in Africa today
The report and the exchange of views seriously and frankly dealt with the issues of collaboration, celibacy and finances. A wish was expressed that the problems may be resolved through dialogue and with the necessary discretion.

2.2.3 Missionary commitments ad gentes
The number of African missionaries ad gentes keeps increasing, many of them supplied by our congregations. The missionary institutes would like the local Churches to support, even financially, the formation and work of the African missionaries "ad gentes". The bishops argue, "You are well aware that we have big financial problems." They themselves have invited us to help them make their local Churches financially self-sufficient. To this end, they asked us to help them find the means to ensure their self-financing, which could also benefit the African missionaries. A survey of the members of our institutes and various organisations is in progress to find out what means are being used to this end and how effective they are; during the survey suggestions for the future will be gathered. The SECAM will be informed of the results of the survey when we next meet their permanent Committee in 1999.

We would like to thank the USG most gratefully for their contribution towards the cost of the journey to Cairo of the MAC members of the USG.