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Tanzania: Second African Congress on Catholic Mission Planned Print E-mail
Written by CISA   
Wednesday, 20 August 2008
Tanzania will host a 4-day pan-African conference on Catholic evangelization on the continent, the second such event in as many months.

The conference, from August 27 to 30, is an initiative of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace at the Vatican and the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), based in Accra, Ghana.

The theme of the conference is, ‘Towards a New Evangelisation of African Society.’ In the last week of July, a 4-day conference was held by the Pontifical Council for Culture, with the theme, ‘Pastoral Prospects for the New Evangelisation in the Context of Globalisation and its Effects on African Cultures’.

The upcoming conference will be co-chaired by Cardinal Renato Martino, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, and Cardinal Polycarp Pengo, the chairman of SECAM and Archbishop of Dar es Salaam.

According to Fr Vic Missiaen, secretary of the Justice and Peace Commission of the Tanzania Episcopal Conference, 150 participants, including cardinals from Africa and the Vatican are expected. African bishops and members of national Catholic justice and peace commissions, international organizations and Catholic universities will also attend.

Thirteen papers will be presented, highlighting the chapters in the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church. The presenters will come from 12 countries and from different professions.

“The main purpose of this conference is to stress the apostolic mission of the Church to be the salt of the earth and the light of the nations, to bring hope to the people in difficulties and to commit the nations of Africa to work for the common good and for true and effective solidarity among the peoples of Africa, and to draw the attention of global society to take care of the development of all the people of the earth,” Fr Missiaen said.
Last Updated ( Tuesday, 19 August 2008 )