Cardinal Ambongo advocates for peace and dialogue at the SECAM meeting in Rwanda
Jean Felix Muhire - Kigali
Speaking in Rwanda to the Vatican News collaborator, this week, Cardinal Ambongo emphasised that the people of Africa need to always remember that they are brothers and sisters who should always avoid going to war with each other. The Church in Africa, he said, wishes to remind its political leaders about the importance of fraternal relations even when disagreements arise.
43rd anniversary of Our Lady of Kibeho.
The Cardinal was in Rwanda for the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) Permanent Committee meeting, which concluded on Thursday, 28 November, in Kibeho, thus coinciding with the 43rd anniversary of the apparitions of Rwandaìs Our Lady of Kibeho.
“Countries across Africa are at war, and the continent faces security crises. This is especially true in the Great Lakes Region, where conflicts have frustrated cordial diplomatic relations between Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi. Our people simply want peace. All that African people want from their leaders is that they work for lasting peace,” said the Kinshasa prelate. He continued, “Our wish as the Church in Africa is that our leaders be able to sit together as brothers and sisters to sort out any disagreements,” he said.
Working for peac and reconciliation
Cardinal Ambongo appealed to African leaders to always prioritise peace and reconciliation and never forget that they are brothers and sisters to each other.
The words and presence of a Congolese Cardinal in Rwanda were significant and poignant, given that tensions have heightened between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda in the last few years. Relations between the two countries have been strained, and the fighting in the eastern region of the DRC has been devastating for the people caught up in the war.
Cardinal Ambongo called for an end to all forms of armed conflicts in the region and urged people never to lose hope. He said he was aware that his message for peace and reconciliation would perhaps not welcomed by some, but faith in Jesus reminds Christians that not everyone welcomed and accepted the message of Jesus, who came as the prince of peace.
SECAM’s Rwanda General Assembly 2025
At the end of the SECAM’s presence in Rwanda, Nigerian Bishop of Yola Diocese, Stephen Dami Mamza, who is SECAM’s Second Vice-President, expresses gratitude to the Church in Rwanda for their warm welcome and for accepting to host SECAM’s General Assembly scheduled for Kigali from 30 July to 4 August 2025.
This week’s meeting drew prominent Bishops representing Africa’s six regions and as well as the SECAM Executive Committee members.
In total, 11 bishops from nine different countries were in attendance, including Bishop Emmanuel Badejo (Nigeria), Bishop Lucio Andrice Muandura (Mozambique), Bishop John MacWilliam Gordon (Algeria), Bishop Benjamin Ramaroson (Madagascar), Bishop Willem Christiaans (Namibia), Bishop Gabriel Kumordji (Ghana), Bishop Goetbe Djitangar (Chad), Bishop Stephen Dami Mamza (Nigeria), Bishop Anthony Muheria (Kenya) and Bishop Moko Ekanga (Democratic Republic of Congo).
In Kibeho, the SECAM Bishops were joined by their brothers, the Bishops of Rwanda.
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