CCEE-SECAM: Continental pathways of synodality

Editorial of SECAM News Year 2026 No. 5 – May
CCEE-SECAM: Continental pathways of synodality

By Rev. Fr. Rafael Simbine Junior

Bishops from Africa and Europe have gathered in Luxembourg from May 25-28 under the theme “Evangelization and Synodality: Continental Pathways” to reflect on the future of the Church’s mission in an increasingly complex and interconnected world. In his opening remarks, Fridolin Cardinal Ambongo offered a powerful call for deeper communion, shared missionary responsibility and renewed ecclesial cooperation between the two continents.
Members of the Council of Bishops’ Conferences of Europe (CCEE) and of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) held their 10th CCEE-SECAM Seminar in Luxembourg.

The opening remarks delivered by Cardinal Ambongo at the seminar offer more than ceremonial diplomacy. They articulate a compelling vision for the future of the Catholic Church: one rooted in synodality, missionary reciprocity and authentic ecclesial partnership between Africa and Europe.
For many generations, said the President of SECAM, “Europe generously sent missionaries to Africa, planting the seeds of the Gospel that today continue to bear abundant fruit throughout the continent”. At the same time, he added, “Africa increasingly recognizes its own missionary responsibility toward the universal Church through the growing contribution of African priests, religious, missionaries, and lay faithful who now serve in many dioceses and ecclesial communities across Europe”.

Synodality is a concrete path toward unity

The seminar’s theme, “Evangelization and Synodality: Continental Pathways,” arrives at a decisive moment in global Catholicism. Synodality, the call to listen, discern, and walk together, has become central to the Church’s self-understanding under the pontificate of Pope Leo XIV. Cardinal Ambongo rightly insists that evangelization and synodality are inseparable. A Church that listens deeply is better equipped to proclaim the Gospel convincingly in a fractured and skeptical world.

At a time marked by polarization, migration crises, declining vocations in some regions, and cultural uncertainty, this seminar proposes a different model for the Church’s future: collaboration rather than competition, communion rather than isolation.
Cardinal Ambongo’s remarks remind Catholics everywhere that synodality is not an abstract ecclesial slogan, but is a concrete path toward unity, shared mission, and renewed hope for the universal Church.

Rev. Fr. Rafael Simbine Junior
Secretary General of SECAM

——-

Download | Télécharger| Descarregar SECAM News

English: SECAM_NEWS_YEAR_2026_No_05_MAY_EN

Français: SECAM_NEWS_YEAR_2026_No_05_MAY_FR

Português:  SECAM_NEWS_YEAR_2026_No_05_MAY_PT

——-

Please subscribe to this WhatsApp Channel to receive information about Catholic bishops and the Catholic Church in Africa and its islands.

Veuillez vous abonner à cette Chaîne WhatsApp pour recevoir des informations sur les évêques catholiques et l’Église catholique en Afrique et dans ses îles.

Inscreva-se neste Canal WhatsApp para receber informações sobre os bispos católicos e a Igreja Católica na África e suas ilhas.