(Bishop of Abakaliki, Nigeria)
Africa is a continent which is beset by numerous political, social and economic problems. This situation calls for total and all-inclusive evangelisation modelled after the programme of Christ's ministry as given in Luke 4, 18-19: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed." (Is. 61, 1-3).
Hitherto, the Church in Africa has not concerned herself sufficiently with these problems, Her preoccupation has been more with the ""salvation of souls"" a new direction in evangelisation characterised by genuine compassion for the people is called for. This new direction demands the involvement of the Church in the life struggles of the African people. Such involvement will entail taking risks in the effort to redress unjust and dehumanising socio-economic and political conditions and structures in which most Africans live.
Since the clergy will continue to play a key and central role in the evangelisation of Africa, it is imperative that clerics and future clerics be formed in the dynamics and strategies of the total and all-inclusive evangelisation. The programme of formation in the seminaries will have to be so restructured as to prepare the seminarians to grapple with the life situations and problems of Africa and her people. Thus the ministers of the Gospel emerging from these seminaries will be imbued with Christ-like compassion that will enable them to respond in a committed way to the problems besetting their people.
Original text: English
