Migrants, families, young people: these are the central points of the concluding message of the 19th Plenary Assembly of the Episcopal Conferences of East Africa (Amecea), which took place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A re-evangelization of Africa is needed! This is one of the strongest cries of the final message, which says that the continent is caught in a paradox: countless African regions are ravaged by endemic ethnic conflicts, yet Sunday Mass attendance almost everywhere is at an all-time high.
The bishops say they are determined to work to find solutions to a number of the continent’s thorny problems such as migration and refugees; climate change; challenges to peace and the growing insecurity of society, as well as the urgent need to give hope to many of Africa’s disillusioned young people. The prelates who participated in the Plenary Assembly emphasized that a re-evangelization of the continent must be based on communion with God and must purify and evangelize culture, utilizing new methods that take advantage of today’s digital technologies.