20th Plenary Assembly of SECAM in Kigali: a strong sign of unity and communion for the Church in Africa

20th Plenary Assembly of SECAM in Kigali: a strong sign of unity and communion for the Church in Africa

The 20th Plenary Assembly of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) opened on Thursday 31 July in Kigali, Rwanda, and will continue until 4 August. This major gathering bears witness to the vitality of the Catholic Church in Africa and its profound unity in faith and solidarity.

Preceded by an opening Mass celebrated at the Regina Pacis parish church in the Rwandan capital, the solemn opening ceremony took place in the presence of His Eminence Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, Archbishop of Kinshasa (DRC) and President of SECAM, the Prime Minister of Rwanda, Mr Justin Nsengiyumva, representative of the President of the Republic of Rwanda, His Excellency Mr Paul Kagame. Also present were the Apostolic Nuncio to Rwanda, Archbishop Arnaldo Sánchez Catalán, and His Eminence Cardinal Antoine Kambanda, President of the Episcopal Conference of Rwanda.

‘For several decades,’ said Cardinal Ambongo in his speech, ‘SECAM has been bearing prophetic witness to the Gospel in the midst of the joys and struggles of our peoples, defending justice, peace, integral development and inculturation.’ Today, he continued, ‘we are walking in the footsteps of giants, inspired by their fidelity and called to deepen this mission in our time with renewed apostolic zeal.’

The holding of this assembly, according to the Congolese Cardinal, ‘testifies to SECAM’s enduring commitment to the values of reconciliation, truth and peace.’ ‘As the Church-Family of God in Africa, we stand here in fraternal solidarity with a nation that has transformed tragedy into witness, reminding us that the wounds of history can become sources of grace when touched by Christ, the Source of our Hope.’

The Prime Minister of Rwanda, Dr Justin Nsengiyumva, praised ‘the ambitious programme of this Assembly, which aims to adopt a 25-year vision for the Church in Africa’. He emphasised that ‘strategic engagement in the areas of peacebuilding, reconciliation, pastoral accompaniment and moral leadership will be decisive in shaping the Africa of tomorrow.’

During the opening Mass, which he presided over, Cardinal Peter Appiah Turkson highlighted two important elements of this assembly of bishops: ‘SECAM has formulated a new vision for the Church in Africa and its islands for the period from 2025 to 2050 and beyond’; a vision which, according to him, ‘is rooted in our common identity: that of being a Church-Family of God’.

This Eucharist, marked by fervour and communion, was concelebrated by twelve other cardinals and dozens of priests from all regions of the African continent and its islands. This Plenary Assembly marks an important milestone in the history of SECAM, which is celebrating 56 years of existence in the service of pastoral mission and ecclesial unity.

At the heart of the work of this assembly is the deepening of synodality in the African Church. This continental meeting thus offers a space for reflection, prayer and fraternity, in the continuity of a Church that seeks to be close to the people, attentive to the Spirit and to local realities.

This Plenary Assembly is a strong sign of unity, communion and renewed commitment of the Church-Family of God in Africa to the service of the Gospel and the peoples of the continent.

In his introductory remarks, SECAM Secretary General Father Rafael Simbine Junior expressed his ‘immense joy and deep gratitude’ to God and to all the participants for their commitment to this historic assembly, which is being held from 30 July to 4 August 2025 in Kigali.

The gathering brings together 218 participants, including 13 cardinals, 85 bishops, 72 priests, 9 religious sisters and 39 lay faithful. All eight regional episcopal conferences and 33 national episcopal conferences that are members of SECAM are represented.

Charles Ayetan