Mali to celebrate end of the 130th anniversary of the evangelisation of the country

Tiziana Campisi & English Africa Service - Vatican City

According to the Catholic Bishops of Mali, the pastoral letter will have a social character, it will be addressed to the faithful of Mali and to all Malians of good will. The letter will invite them to a spirit of conversion for the rebirth of a new nation. With the Bishops' message, the country will conclude celebrations for the 130th anniversary of the evangelisation of Mali. The Bishops have been meeting recently in a Plenary session of the Episcopal conference held in Bamako.

During the Plenary, the Bishops also took time to examine universal trends towards secularisation at the expense of religion. They further discussed the socio-political situation of the country including the now withdrawn government plan for a controversial sex education programme meant adolescents.

Bishops' concerns for Dogon-Peul ethnic groups

Highlighting some of the matters discussed, Archbishop Jonas Dembélé, of Kayes who is also and President of the Episcopal Conference expressed concern about the exploitation of the Dogon-Peul peoples and the bloody conflicts in the region. Lastly, the Bishops, he said, recalled with gratitude, the recent visit of the Holy See’s  Cardinal- Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin for the 130th anniversary of the evangelisation of the country.