In Madagascar, Cardinal Ambongo speaks on evangelization and encourages Bishops to make SECAM known

Stanislas Kambashi, SJ - Vatican City

The SECAM president expressed his admiration of the Bishops of Madagascar, for their dynamism and commitment to the evangelization of the Big Island, characterised by “its natural beauty and the richness of its cultures.” He was delighted, he said, to find the Church in Madagascar alive and growing. The Cardinal further congratulated the priests, religious, catechists, lay pastoral workers and all the faithful.

Cardinal Ambongo also expressed his thanks to the Bishops Conference -Conférence Episcopale de Madagascar (CEM) for offering Father Jean Germain Rajoelison to the serve the Church as second Assistant General Secretary and Coordinator of Justice, Peace and Development at the Secretariat of SECAM, headquartered in Accra, Ghana.

Evangelization, a priority for the Church of Africa

The President of SECAM while making references to the Final Document of the second session of the Synod on Synodality, commended the record growth of the Church in Africa and its islands.

Statistics show that “Christians represent 30% of the African population (18% Catholics and 12% belong to other Christian denominations. Despite this increase, “Africa and its islands continue to hunger and thirst for Jesus and the Gospel,” Cardinal Ambongo said.

Evangelization remains a priority task and an urgent mission for the Church in Africa, as stated in the Kampala SECAM document of 2019. It is from this announcement that the pastors of Africa can give an answer to the quest for meaning and the aspiration for a better life of their fellow citizens, the prelate of Kinshasa said.

The Church in Africa, the Gospel and Inculturation

Cardinal Ambongo stressed the importance of presenting the Gospel message “in such a way that it can resonate with the cultural contexts of our peoples.” This then calls for the need to take inculturation into account. Madagascar, a land of rich traditions and diverse cultures, is an ideal place to embrace this diversity while remaining rooted in the fundamental principles of the Christian faith.

The Congolese Prelate invited the Malagasy Church to integrate certain aspects of local cultures into the Church's teachings, in order to create “a vibrant expression of faith that touches the hearts of our people. Such evangelization efforts, he said, cannot go without attention to the pressing social issues facing the country, such as “the challenges of poverty, education, healthcare and sustainability.” Added to this is a commitment to social justice and the defence of the marginalised and the voiceless, in order to achieve a more equitable and compassionate society, he said.