ACCRA, Ghana, March 28, 2022/ — The Symposium of Episcopal of Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) (www.SECAM.org), the association of Catholic Bishops of Africa, Madagascar and the Islands, will hold its 19th Plenary Assembly from 25th July 2022 to 1st August 2022 in Accra, Ghana (the Plenary Assembly of the Symposium is held every three years).
This year’s Plenary Assembly, which is on the theme: “Ownership of SECAM; Security and Migration in Africa and the Islands,” shall firstly focus on the implications of ownership for its members
Bothered about many conflicts on the African continent, resulting in the death and displacement of millions of people, the Catholic Bishops, secondly consider security to be indispensable for building “a new Africa centred on God”, as expressed in the Kampala Document, released after the Golden Jubilee of SECAM in 2019.
SECAM, established in 1969 in Kampala, Uganda during the visit of St. Pope Paul VI, was born out of the desire of African Catholic Bishops present at the Second Vatican Council to speak with one voice on matters pertaining to the Church in Africa
The Symposium, headquartered in Accra, consists of eight regional associations:
Association of Episcopal Conferences of Central Africa (ACEAC);
Association of Episcopal Conferences of Central African Region (ACERAC);
Assembly of the Catholic Hierarchy of Egypt (AHCE);
Association of Member Episcopal Conferences of Eastern Africa (AMECEA);
Episcopal Conferences of the Indian Ocean (CEDOI);
Regional Episcopal Conference of North Africa (CERNA);
Inter-Regional Meeting of the Bishops of Southern Africa (IMBISA);
Reunion of Episcopal Conference of West Africa (RECOWA/CERAO).
SECAM executes its pastoral engagements through two Commissions, namely: Evangelisation and Justice, Peace and Development. To bring the voice of the Catholic Church into issues of good governance and sustainable development, and to promote servant leadership across the continent and the islands, SECAM obtained Observer Status at the African Union (AU) in 2015.
To foster communion, the Symposium has three official languages: English, French and Portuguese, and its foundation (referred to as SECAM Day) is celebrated on 29 July.
Rev. Terwase Henry Akaabiam
Secretary General, SECAM
About the The Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM):
The Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) (www.SECAM.org) was born from the will of the African bishops at the time of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), they wanted to establish a forum to speak with a single voice on issues relating to the Church in Africa and Madagascar. SECAM is thus the episcopal, continental structure of the Church Family of God in Africa which counts:
505 dioceses grouped in 38 national or inter-territorial episcopal conferences and counts nearly 250 million Catholic faithful.
SECAM was launched on July 31, 1969 during the visit of His Holiness Pope Paul VI to Kampala (Uganda). The headquarters / secretariat of SECAM is in Accra, (Ghana) and a specific office is established in Nairobi (Kenya) for the translation of the bible into African languages and its distribution in Africa and Madagascar. Furthermore SECAM is an observer to the African Union and is represented by the Cardinal Archbishop of Addis Ababa (Ethiopia). On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of SECAM (July 1969 – July 2019) a pastoral exhortation entitled Kampala Document was promulgated by the pastors of Africa to the People of God and men and women of good will.
After the celebration of this golden jubilee of SECAM, a new chapter opens for the Church Family of God in Africa. A “new Africa”, more centered on God whose members become Salt of the earth and Light of the world (Mt 5, 13-14; KD N° 22, 133) to accompany the hopes and anxieties of the people and to direct them towards Jesus Christ the True Liberator of humanity.
