(Auxiliary Bishop of Brasilia, Brazil;
General Secretary of the Latin American Episcopal Council (CELAM))
Our presence, as representatives of the Latin American Episcopate, in this Synod which is so decisive for the Church, follows the wish that the Church of Latin America and the Church of Africa walk together in continuous fraternal communion.
The pastoral and historical sensitivity of CELAM also allows us to be involved in the worries of our sister Churches, and in particular with the Church of Africa.
We know the great preoccupation of the African Bishops for priestly life and religious life on the continent.
The issue on marriage and the African family that wants to build itself more and more in harmony with the Gospel and be faithful to the same and most genuine African culture is not unknown to us. This is one of the greatest challenges of inculturation.
As a continent of poor people, we are concerned about the dramatic health situation in Africa, its growing poverty, its situation of famine in regions such as Sahel, indifference on the part of many nations with regards to natural and social disasters, the lack of peace among tribes and nations, and injustice.
At the same time as we are trying to have a strong dialogue in our continent with traditional pre-Columbian religions, we discover and learn from the African continent a sensitivity towards natural religion where social, cultural, political and cosmic dimensions are all integrated under a continuous look of the divinity. Meanwhile what worries us a great deal is the current growing Islamic phenomenon which affects some African regions and causes unfortunate interreligious clashes. Relations between Christians and Muslims is one of your greatest preoccupation, and we learn a great deal from your efforts so that the two communities can live in peace and in respect, and have a sincere dialogue.
It is the time to turn simply but significantly to our African brothers with affection, pastoral love, a sense of sacrifice with missionary enthusiasm, with thanks for their contribution to the Latin American and Caribbean culture.
At the same we undertake to pay special attention to the causes of the Afro-American communities in the pastoral field, fostering manifestation of religious expressions of their own cultures (CF. SD 249).
Original
text: Portuguese
