Spiritual Enlightenment for Catholic Women

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Interventions From Synod's 10th Congregation

VATICAN CITY, OCT. 11, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here are the English-language summaries provided by the Vatican press office of the interventions given Saturday at the Tenth General Congregation of the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops.

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H. Exc. Mons. Almachius Vincent RWEYONGEZA, Bishop of Kayanga (TANZANIA)

Evangelization of the family involves taking the family seriously as the "domestic church" where encounter with Christ is on a constant daily basis. The family is a vehicle by which the Catholic faith is nurtured through reading and meditating on the Word of God, praying together, receiving and celebrating the sacraments of life. Unity of the family is cemented and safeguarded by sharing common spiritual values and exercises.

Here are some of the key reasons for revisiting the catechesis and practice of contracting of mixed marriages within the set ups of the local church in Africa:

First, mixed marriages have been a source of fuelling misunderstandings between Catholic priests and pastors of the various Christian communities. Besides the persistent problem of insufficient knowledge of the obligations of the Catholic partner, arguments about where the Sacrament has to be celebrated create early backgrounds of division with regards to practicing of one's faith.

Second, in most of these marriages, parents get divided as to in which faith the children should be baptized and raised.

Third, there has been a growing tendency that parents in most mixed marriages lack a common tradition of imparting Christian values. Disunity that evolves from differences in prayer life ends up affecting love, justice, reconciliation and peace within the family.

As we seek ways of building reconciliation, justice and peace in Africa by rightly defining the family as the most complete primary agent of justice, reconciliation, solidarity and peace, it is important not to underestimated the issue of mixed marriages. Unless efforts are made to revisit the contracting of mixed marriages, there is a risk of continuing to experience the tragedy of Christian disunity even at the heart of the family.

Differences with regards to values of faith including the meaning of marriage can become sources of fuelling tensions and confusing the education of children. This has been at the heart of increased religious indifference (CCC, No. 1634). Mixed marriages can easily be like building faith on sand whereby it will be hard to produce fruits of love, reconciliation, justice and peace. It is high time that the position of the Church on contracting mixed marriages be revisited and that Catechesis on mixed marriages be refocused. Unless bold steps are taken to safeguard the family, efforts of promoting reconciliation, justice and peace will remain inadequate.

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H. Exc. Mons. Fridolin AMBONGO BESUNGU, O.F.M. Cap., Bishop of Bokungu-Ikela (DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO)

The exploitation of natural resources is one of the conditions for lasting peace in RDC. In fact, the repeated wars we have lived through revealed that the natural resources that make the RDC a “geological scandal” is at the same time a good, that is an important economic asset for the country’s recovery and an evil, that is a permanent source of coveting, conflicts, corruption of an international mafia with some Congolese accomplices. The main causes of these economic wars which unbalance the principle of a people’s sovereignty over their resources are: the lack of an international juridical framework that might restrict multinationals and trans-national extracting industries; the militarization of the mining sector; the increase in demand for certain now strategic minerals; the subordination of international interests of the Great Powers; the lack of respect for the dignity of the Congolese people whose riches we do not appreciate; the wish to balkanize the RDC for the benefit of the easily manipulated dwarf states, etc... The CENCO intervenes in three main domains. The CENCO created an Episcopal Conference ad hoc for natural resources, entrusted with the task of following the question of the exploitation of resources closely. With regard to education, the CENCO published a vademecum for the citizen on the management of natural resources. This document places man at the center of the exploitation of natural resources; it helps citizens to organize themselves at the base to reclaim the respect of social responsibilities of companies from the multinationals; to ensure human and community rights are respected. Given the international dimension of the problem of exploitation of resources, the CENCO waits for its sister Churches to raise their voices, in solidarity with the people who have suffered so much, so that the management of these resources with respect to the law may become an occasion for fraternity and development.

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H. Exc. Mons. Zacchaeus OKOTH, Archbishop of Kisumu (KENYA)

Healing and Reconciliation are God-driven, without the Gospel nothing shall be achieved. Ordinarily as we know it, human nature without the grace of God is vengeful and so it is odd for anybody to imagine that the many tribes in Kenya shall not go after each other's throat again, given an opportunity for antagonism in future, unless the healing and reconciliation are given a priority.

Our Country Kenya has been torn apart, neighbors have turned against neighbors, daughters against fathers, brothers against brothers, mothers against children, tribes have turned against tribes. In short, people have fought, people have died, women and girls have been raped, property has been lost, life savings and investments have gone up in smoke within days if not hours. This sequence of tragic and deliberate wanton destructions, willed and executed by sections of some people is still very fresh.

The church in Kenya strongly feels the need to provide a clear direction on reconciliation process. The Bible and Church teachings provide as a vision on the reconciliation process. It is the faith that gives you what Jesus calls the new standard higher than the old (Mathew 5:20-48). Reconciliation has to be a process of healing the impossible hatred and can be achieved through five stages:

-- Remember the sins, wrong actions and utterances we have committed in full without excuses.

-- Feel sorry about them and promise ourselves not to repeat them again

-- Repent in freedom from the depth of our being

-- Confess them openly and experience remorse

-- Make reparation for the evil we have done and the damage we have caused to ourselves, community, environment and God.

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H. Exc. Mons. Telesphore George MPUNDU, Archbishop of Lusaka (ZAMBIA)

This intervention refers to Instrumentum Laboris , #s 20, 32, 59, 114 and 117, all of which touch on the dignity of women, their giftedness to humanity, their potential massive huge contribution to the Church but that their charisma is not being adequately recognized, sufficiently utilized and suitably celebrated.

There is no meaningful development if at least 50% of the already marginalized population known as women is systematically excluded. Without true justice between men and women, development remains only a pipedream, simply a dangerous mirage.

We are clearly told in Genesis 1:27 that God created humanity and male and female he created them in his own image and likeness. Full and equal participation of women in all spheres of life is therefore essential to social and economic development. Denial of equality to women is an affront to human dignity and denial of true development to humanity.

We sadly admit with shame that in Zambia women are too often the victims of abuse, domestic violence sometimes leading to death, discriminatory cultural or customary practices, and statutory laws clearly biased against them. We bishops must speak more clearly and insistently in defense of the dignity of women in the light of the Scriptures and the Social Doctrine of the Church.

Yes, it was a woman, Mary, who first brought Jesus to Africa as a refugee [Mt. 2: 13-15]. Today in so many ways it is the woman who brings Jesus to us in Zambia. Women religious and lay women help our Church truly to be at the service of reconciliation, justice and peace, with special concern for the poor.

To promote respect for women and their integration into church structures of responsibility, decision making and planning, we call upon the Synod to recommend to all dioceses the establishment or consolidation of family apostolate and women affairs offices, making them operational and fully effective.

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H. Exc. Mons. Philip SULUMETI, Bishop of Kakamega (KENYA)

This is moment to make an honest reflection and ask, what concrete programs have we put in place to make women participatory, responsible, authentic and actively visible in our Church. We have taken things for granted and slowly we are losing out on this precious group.

It is from women that we have the image of the Church as a family God. It is here that sacraments are alive and active, it is here that vocations and careers are in offing.

Women in Kenya are the prime collaborators in the Church's evangelizing mission, this gift of commitment must be strengthened to eradicate the suffering taking place on the continent. The enlightenment of women has lasting effects on well being of the family unit on which the church is founded. Women present the unique female image of God which still needs to be developed in the African church.

Women in Kenya do perform 80% of all agricultural and 90% of all domestic labor. Remember that most of them perform this work without access to modem tools, training and essential facilities yet their work is rarely given any monetary value. This is a sign of one of the major forms of structure of "sin" engulfing our African family.

Women are capable of doing anything positive if they are given the right to attempt. Remember that if you educate a man you educated an individual, if you educate a woman you educated a family but if you educate women you educate a nation.

My request to this special assembly of Bishops for Africa is that women should be given quality formation to empower them for their responsibilities and to open for them all the social careers from which traditional and modern society tend to exclude them without reason. To make this a reality, men are called upon to undergo a radical change and a fundamental conversion.