AMECEA NEWS 23/2004

ETHIOPIA

NEW APOSTOLIC NUNCIO IN ETHIOPIA

The Holy Father Pope John Paul II, on January 17, 2004 appointed Most Rev. Ramiro Moliner Ingles as the new Apostolic Nuncio in Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti and as apostolic delegate in Somali. Until his appointment, Archbishop Ramiro was the Apostolic Nuncio to Guatemala. He replaces Most Rev. Silvano Tomasi who in August 2003, was appointed the Papal Representative to the United Nations and other specialized Organizations.

NEW DIOCESE AND NEW BISHOP

His Holiness Pope John Paul II, on November 25, 2003 erected a new Eparchy in Ethiopia called Emdeber. The territory was taken from Addis Ababa Archdiocese making it a suffragen of the same ecclesiastical circumscription. His Holiness also appointed Abba Musie Ghebreghiorghis, OFM, Cap. as the first Bishop of the Eparchy. Before his appointment Bishop-Elect Musie was the Rector of the Philosophical and Theological Institute of Capuchin Fathers in Addis Ababa.

Eparchy of Emdeber has area of 9,176sq km with a population of 1,853,401 in 2002. Among them are 18,476 Catholics in 14 parishes with 16 local diocesan priests, 12 religious sisters and 60 catechists. It makes now 10 eparchies in Ethiopia.

CARDINAL PAULOS TZADUA PASSES ON

AMECEA has lost another Cardinal, His Eminence Paulos Cardinal Tzadua died on December 11, 2003. He is the Archbishop Emeritus of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, having retired in 1998. The late Cardinal Tzadua was one of the Honorary Patrons of AMECEA since 1977 till his death. It was due to his contribution for the Church in Education and as a renowned scholar, that the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA), thought it fit to award him a honorary degree in Theology as it celebrated its 10th Anniversary in 2002. The late Cardinal Tzadua contributed selflessly to the growth of the Catholic Church in AMECEA Region. On several occasion he represented and even headed AMECEA Region Delegates to the Synod of Bishops in Rome. He also served as a member of the Pontifical Commissions, for instance, the revision of the Code of Oriental Canon Law in 1977.

His Eminence was laid to rest on December 21, 2003 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

MALAWI

ZOMBA DIOCESE GET A NEW SHEPHERD

His Holiness Pope John Paul II on January 17, 2004 appointed Rev. Fr. Thomas Msusa, SMM as the new bishop of Zomba Diocese in Malawi. His appointment followed the resignation of Bishop Allan Chamgwera in conformity with the Canon Law on January 17, 2004. Until his appointment, Bishop Elect Msusa was the Regional Superior of the Montfort Missionaries in Kenya, Malawi, Congo and Uganda since 2002.

Bishop Elect was born on February 2, 1962 at Iba, Namwera District, Mangochi Diocese. He attended Zomba Minor Seminary, Balaka Major Seminary and was admitted to the Montfort Novitiate in Kampala (Uganda) in 1990.

He studied theology in Kenya and took a masters degree in pastoral theology at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA). He followed Courses in Montfort Spirituality in the Philippines, Italy and France.

SUDAN

BISHOP TABAN RETIRES

His Holiness Pope John Paul II on February 7, 2004 accepted the resignation of the Rt. Rev. Paride Taban of Torit Diocese in Sudan under the Code of Canon Law 401 Paragraph 2. At the same time he appointed Rt. Rev. Johnson Akio Muttek, the auxiliary bishop of Torit as the new Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese. Bishop Akio was appointed auxiliary bishop of Torit in Sudan on May 18, 1999.

Bishop Taban who has been the president of the Sudan Catholic Bishops Regional Conference (SCBRC) had planned to retire from Pastoral Governance in 1989 during his priestly silver jubilee and to remain a pastor for one of the parishes. However, this did not happen.

His last word to his flock of twenty-one (21) years was on unity. He called them to stay together, so that nothing can beat them. According to him 'Unity is Strength'. To acquire this precious gift he asked them to avoid division among them. Quoting him "The strength of the diocese is its people, not its money and equipment. … Please continue to help one another in your difficulties, for God is Love! Most important, you need to maintain your unity and let it be an example for the rest of Sudan. With my stepping aside at this time, the world will see clearly that it is the unity of the people yourselves that is important, and not just the leadership of one person."

NEW SECRETARY GENERAL FOR SCBRC

The Sudan Catholic Bishops Regional Conference (SCBRC) has appointed Rev. Fr. Anthony Zacharia Bangoye as the new Secretary General for their conference. Until his appointment he was a counselor in Red Hill Center. He replaces the late Fr. Damian Adugu Mathew who died on September 30, 2003.

Fr. Anthony was born on December 8, 1960 in Sudan. He hails from Tombura Yambio Diocese in Southern Sudan. He attended Nazareth Senior Seminary -Wau for his secondary education. Between 1982 and 1984 he was in St. Paul's National Major Seminary, Juba where he attained a diploma in Philosophy and Bachelor of Arts in Theology between 1984 and 1988. He has a diploma in Human Growth and Development and certificate in Integrative Counseling from Institute of St. Anselm. In 2003, he attained a certificate in Human Resource Management from CORAT Africa.

Fr. Anthony was ordained a priest on December 18, 1988. After his ordination he worked in a number of parishes and later as a rector in Tombura Yambio Senior Seminary in Uganda and Tombura Yambio Junior Seminary, Mboki in Republic of Central Africa.

"I WILL MAKE EVERYTHING NEW"

The Catholic Bishops of Sudan meet in Nairobi January 15-22, 2004 for an extraordinary meeting. After their meeting on peace they released a Pastoral Letter with the theme; "I will make everything new". They called on the faithful, the leaders of Sudan and people of good will to embrace fully the peace now coming to Sudan. According to the Bishops peace is precious and fragile therefore, they are calling all to embrace, maintain and reinforce it.

They reminded all people of Sudan that peace is a gift from God obtained from his mercy through the self-sacrifice. Reminding them that their mission is to heal the wounded humanity of Sudan to restore new life through the healing of memories, freeing hearts and minds, forgiving and bringing about reconciliation. Referring to Pope John XXIII letter "Peace on earth" which teaches about four elements in which peace must be planted. These are freedom, love, truth and justice. Truth as one of the elements reminds human beings to fulfil the will of God, who is the Creator of all and the Absolute Truth. In human relations truth implies sincerity, essential to mutual confidence and fruitful dialogue leading to peace. Truth brings each individual to acknowledge his or her own rights and duties towards others. Peace cannot exist without justice, which include respect for the dignity and rights of each human person. Lack of this essential element causes unrest and violence in the world today. The ability to recognize that all belong to one human family and to see fellow human beings as brothers and sisters is love which gives the capacity to share both sorrows and joys. Love makes people feel the needs of others as if they were one's own and therefore leads to sharing their own gifts with others both material and values of mind and spirit. Love makes allowances for weakness and so it gives room for forgiveness which is essential to restore peace when conflict has broken out. Love for others opens the possibility of beginning again on a new basis. The last element is freedom which allows people to act according to reason and to assume responsibility for their own actions. According to the Bishops, to sustain church mission of peace making, people must trust fundamentally in God.

At the beginning of peace in Sudan, the Church calls God's people to be open to the light and power of the Spirit. This is possible through developing deep prayer and reflection, become acquainted with the healing ministry for a post war population, encourage truthful admission of past actions and granting forgiveness and reconciliation and lead people from the culture of war and revenge to the culture of justice, love and peace and finally be courageous proclaimers of the truth in defence of human dignity and human rights and empower individuals and groups to take their civic responsibilities.

In conclusion, the bishops called all people to cultivate much understanding and true Christian compassion to harmonise the Internally Displaced Persons and Returnees with the home population on their return. Patient endurance will be needed to heal the wounds of broken families ties, made more painful by the loss of the loved ones. Quoting the words of Pope John Paul II on the World Day of Peace, January 1, 2004: "I feel it necessary to say that in the establishment of true peace in the world, justice must find its fulfillment in charity. Justice is frequently unable to free itself from anger, hatred and even cruelty. By itself justice is not enough. Indeed it can even betray itself, unless it is open to that deeper power which is love. A solution to the grave problems that for too long have caused the suffering in many countries of the world (Sudan) will not be found until a decision is made to transcend the logic of simple justice and to be open also to the logic of forgiveness. Love must thus enliven every sector of human life and extend to the international order. Only a humanity in which there reigns the "civilization of love" will be able to enjoy authentic and lasting peace".

UGANDA

PEACE IN UGANDA IS NOT ONE-WAY

Most Rev. John Baptist Odama of Gulu Archdiocese in Uganda has called on the international aid to assist in bringing to an end the conflict devasting northern Uganda. He was addressing Royal Institute of International Affairs, a center of studies linked to the British Ministry of Foreign Affairs in London. He made this appeal specifically to the United Nations, the European Union, the British Commonwealth and the African Union.

Since 1986, the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels, led by Kony have been trying to overthrow the government of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni. They have tortured and killed tens of thousands of people and kidnapped more than 20,000 children and turned them into slaves or child-soldiers. LRA rebels also have caused the displacement of over 1 million civilians. Archbishop Odama himself last November was "condemned to death" by LRA rebels for his contribution in fighting to restore peace in northern Uganda. He is the president of the Acholi Religious Leaders Peace Initiative (ARLPI), an interreligious organization which has promoted peace in the north, home of the Acholi ethnic group.

Archbishop Odama said the military strategy adopted by the Kampala Executive will not succeed in ending the rebellion. Days earlier, the International Criminal Court in The Hague announced the start of an investigation into LRA atrocities. (Courtesy of ZENIT)

ZAMBIA

CATHOLIC BISHOPS WANT 'CHRISTIAN CLAUSE' REMOVED

The Catholic Bishops of Zambia have urged the Government to remove a clause in the Constitution where Zambia in being declared a Christian Nation. In a pastoral letter the Bishops stood by the stand they took in 1992 that states that "a nation is not Christian by declaration but by deeds". According to them, the declaration was unnecessary for the promotion of true religion and healthy churches and that it could promote an atmosphere of favouritism of some churches and discrimination against others.

In the same letter they recommended the removal of the discriminatory 1996 parental clause and return to a 50% plus one vote requirement for presidential candidates. They also recommended on setting of a specific date for general elections, strengthening of an independent Electoral Commission with powers to enforce its regulations to curb corrupt practices, restricting on the re-running for a parliamentary seat after crossing the floor and introduction of a political code of conduct. The bishops called all Zambians to submit their recommendations to the Constitutional Review Commission (CRS) to ensure that the new constitution is truly a people's constitution. Meanwhile, they directed all catholic parishes and institutions in Zambia to set up civic education programmes as all rely on church's social teachings to show the importance of social justice in all dimensions of the constitution.

In the same letter, they asked the government for immediate clarification, in appropriate legal fashion of its commitment to a process guaranteeing that the new constitution will be designed, adopted and implemented in a non-partisan fashion that is fully transparent and accountable. They called for the adoption of the new constitution through a constituent Assembly and a national referendum if need be and urged the government to immediately make widely available copies of the current constitution to make people fully informed on the issue.

They also appealed to the media in Zambia to be in the forefront in reporting and informing the nation in a non-partisan manner by aiming for the highest professional standards. In particular they urged the national broadcaster Zambia National Broadcasting Cooperation (ZNBC) to embrace the aspirations for the people. (Source: The Monitor)

AMECEA

33RD AMECEA ANNUAL SOCIAL COMMUNICATIONS MEETING

The 33rd Annual AMECEA Social Communications Meeting will this year be held jointly with Inter-Regional Meeting of Bishops of Southern Africa (IMBISA) communications meeting. The two regions have been working very closely and have even organized and conducted communications basic training for its diocesan personnel. The workshop on pastoral planning and meeting will be held in Livingstone, Zambia July 10-20, 2004. During the 31st and 32nd Annual AMECEA Social Communications Meetings, it was recommended that a workshop on Strategic Planning be organized for the Communications Coordinators/ Secretaries. The joint meeting is also a recommendation, which was made by the Catholic Media Council (CAMECO) when they released the final report on the evaluation of AMECEA/ IMBISA Pastoral Communication and Social Action courses.

This workshop cum meeting will bring together the Communications Executive Secretaries of the National Episcopal Conferences in the two regions. A similar joint meeting was held in 1996 in Harare, Zimbabwe when the two regions came together to identify the training needs in these countries and from this meeting, the two regions came up with the three-month Pastoral Communication and Social Action courses.

The workshop cum meeting is expected to come up with Regional and National Pastoral Communications Plans.

AFRICA

MEMORIAL SERVICE OF MURDERED NUNCIO

On January 30. 2004, thousand of people went to Regina Mundi Cathedral in Bujumbura for the memorial of Msgr. Michael Courtney the Apostolic Nuncio to Burundi who was assassinated on December 29, 2003. Among those present were Mr. Domitien Ndayizeye, the President of Burundi, some ministers and representatives of the diplomatic corps. Most Rev. Evariste Ngoyagoye, Archbishop of Bujumbura, in his homily recalled Msgr. Courtney's commitment to peace and justice.
The Holy Mass was presided by Most Rev. Christophe Pierre, Apostolic Nuncio to Uganda. He has been standing in for Msgr. Courtney since his death.

Pope John Paul II on January 22, 2004, appointed Msgr Paul Richard Gallagher the Nuncio to Burundi. Until his appointment, he was the permanent observer for the Holy See to the Council of Europe. (Source: CISA)

VATICAN

DOGMA OF IMMACULATE CONCEPTION MARKS 150 YEARS

On February 11, 2004 the world marked the 150 years anniversary of the Dogma of Immaculate Conception. The same day the world marked the Day of the Sick. The liturgical memory of Our Lady of Lourdes was celebrated on the World Day of the Sick. In different dioceses and parishes in the region sick people were anointed and prayed for. Virgin Mary appeared to St. Bernadette Soubirous, calling herself 'the Immaculate Conception' in Lourdes. This year marks the 150th anniversary of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception proclaimed by Blessed Pius IX. "The link between Our Lady of Lourdes and the world of suffering and illness is very well known. At the shrine which grew from the grotto of Massabielle, sick people are always the protagonists and Lourdes has become, over the years, an authentic city of life and hope. How could it be otherwise? The Immaculate Conception of Mary is, in fact, the first fruit of the redemption fulfilled by Christ and the pledge of His victory over evil. That spring of water rising from the earth, from which the Virgin Mary asked Bernadette to drink, reminds us of the power of the Spirit of Christ Who completely heals man and gives him eternal life." (Source: VIS)

Dear Reader, kindly keep our office updated on the change of e-mail and postal address. Also we invite the national and diocesan communications coordinators and other collaborators to send us news on events in their religious congregations, dioceses and countries. Send to amecea@amecea.org or amecea@gatewayonline.co.ke

Home