(Archbishop of Cotonou, Benin)
The great vitality of the African Churches is a motive for joy and action of grace. However, there are some signs of worry: passage to the sects, if not foundation of the sects, return and recourse to ancestral practices without discernment in moments of crisis. Evangelisation has not been able to make us discover truly the identity of the Christian being, nor attain the level of depth which is in authentic anthropological inculturation. Three points are discussed:
1) Inculturation: we start from the main anthropological challenge which are witchcraft and a witchcraft mentality to define them concretely with reference to the mysteries of creation and redemption. No inculturation can be the serene assumption of cultural values.
2) Witchcraft: in awaiting African theologies of redemption which truly take it into account, it is presented as the expression of original sin and two complementary strategies are proposed for their control: a life of intense faith and the knowledge and the discerned use of traditional African medicine. Concrete propositions have been made.
3) Justice and peace: the democratic process in Africa demands concrete involvement by the Church in the education of the rights and duties of man, taking into account the structures of the inherited ancestral societies according to their anthropological vision which continues to determine the reactions in the work, economy, society, politics. Concrete propositions.
Original text: French
