SECAM encourages AMECEA in deepening its Synodal journey with young people

The Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) encourages the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) to strengthen its synodal journey by empowering young people and promoting justice, hope and good governance across the region.

The 21st AMECEA Plenary Assembly, takes place from 19^th to 26^th July 2026, in Nairobi (Kenya). In a Solidarity message to this Plenary, SECAM First Vice-President, Most Rev. Stephen Dami Mamza, said the assembly’s theme, “AMECEA’s Synodal Journey with Young People: Building Bridges of Communion, Hope, Justice, and Good Governance,” reflects the Church’s mission of walking together in communion, participation and shared responsibility. “Synodality is not merely a method of working but a way of being Church, listening, discerning, and carrying out the mission entrusted to us by Christ,” said Most Rev. Mamza, Bishop of Yola Diocese in Nigeria.

SECAM commended AMECEA for its decades of vibrant evangelisation, pastoral innovation and missionary outreach, describing the region as a major contributor to the growth of the Catholic Church in Africa.

Participation trough Small Christian Communities

The message gave special recognition to AMECEA’s pioneering Small Christian Communities, saying they anticipated the principles of synodality by fostering participation, shared discernment and co-responsibility in the Church’s mission.

SECAM also praised the region’s commitment to young people, stressing that they “are not only the future of the Church but an essential part of her present.” “By creating opportunities for their active participation, leadership, and formation, AMECEA continues to demonstrate how the Church can walk with young people, nurture their gifts, and encourage them to become agents of evangelization, reconciliation, and social transformation,” the message stated.

The continental bishops further congratulated AMECEA for strengthening its institutional structures and advancing financial sustainability, describing the progress as a sign of prudent stewardship and growing ecclesial maturity.

SECAM urged AMECEA to continue providing leadership in addressing Africa’s pressing challenges, including poverty, conflict, forced displacement, ecological degradation, poor governance, youth unemployment and religious intolerance.

SECAM News

Download here: SECAM SOLIDARITY MESSAGE TO AMECEA 21ST PLENARY 2026