(Bishop of Laghouat, Algeria)
1) The Christian and "missionary" presence in a place which is almost entirely Muslim is not always well understood; it is even sometimes criticised or considered as being "useless" since it is not possible to openly proclaim the message of the Gospel.
2) This "dialogue" Apostolate after having known an encouraging period where optimism was indispensable now finds it is confronted with growing difficulties due to the rise of fundamentalism that has become more aggressive and which is trying to spread and impose itself resorting to all the means at its disposal, including violence, as is the present case in Algeria. Meanwhile, by our presence, the Church shows her respect for this religious tradition as well as spiritual and moral values which it contains, lucidly and realistically taking into account the fact that she is in the presence of a religion that claims a biblical tradition of which it would be, at the same time, the last link and the most perfect one and that, in virtue of this, is the one having a universal vocation.
3) Islam must not be considered like a rival or "enemy", but rather as a great challenge which the universal Church will have to deal with in the forthcoming century, not only in Africa and Asia, but also in Europe and America due to the growing number of Muslim immigrants in countries of older Christian tradition.
4) In North Africa, the presence of the Church lies in particular on the "permanent" members of the mission who are mostly priests, religious brothers and sisters. Also people who are responsible for missionary institutions and other religious Congregations must bear in mind that moving personnel that lead to closing down a house means, in many cases, the disappearance of a cell of the Church!
5) Relations with Muslims must not be considered as being reserved for "experts" who have been formed for this; they need to involve all Christians. Consequently, it is necessary for the Churches of Africa to be concerned about information and formation which are both at the meeting with Islam, starting by the "pastoral agents" and other people who are responsible for communities which can help Christians in their faith and help them to meet Islam realistically, serenely and openly, and be ready to defend their rights if necessary.
6) In North Africa, religious families who came from Europe ever since the origin of the mission are mostly without breath and can no longer continue to ensure relief. Conversely, in Africa missionary vocations are multiplying. These missionary families must not be afraid of including the Muslim world in their perspectives and apostolate projects. One could say the same of seminaries and other centres for higher learning in view of encouraging the study as well as historical and theological research for what concerns Islam. In fact, not only Africans are called to be their own missionaries but also represent considerable hope for the future of the mission both inside and outside the African continent.
Original text: English
