On behalf of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of
Nigeria I welcome you all, conference participants as well as invited guests
to the opening ceremony of this second segment of the dialogue on Solidarity
with Africa, which started in September 2003 at the Notre Dame University,
South Bend, Indiana.
Let me begin by congratulating the United States
Conference of Catholic Bishops, whose Committee on International Relations
produced the document, “A Call to Solidarity with Africa” in the year 2001.
It is a most timely document that seeks to draw the attention of the
American Church and people to the plight of Africa, which the document
observes has given much to the world, a continent which has contributed so
much to the wealth of America, but one which is today plagued by poverty,
disease, internecine wars and a myriad of humanitarian crises. The immense
work that went into the preparation of that document has since begun to
yield dividends as the Institute for Church Life of the Notre Dame
University almost immediately took up the challenge of practical engagement
in the solidarity which the document calls for, by initiating this dialogue
process, which took a number of Nigerian and other African delegates to
Notre Dame in September 2003, and has brought us all here today.
We pray that the wonderful sentiments expressed
in the document of the Bishops and the laudable intentions of Faculty and
students of the Notre Dame University will, with the cooperation of the
various agents that will be involved in the Church and State of America and
the countries of Africa, bear fruits in the emergence of true solidarity
between the U.S. and African countries on the level of missionary
cooperation and also on the level of mutually profitable economic, political
and cultural relations. In a world that is fast becoming a global village,
thanks to the modern miracle of information technology, but also a world
whose continued existence is threatened by nuclear wars and terrorism, such
a relationship of solidarity, inspired as it is by the social teachings of
the church, will no doubt advance the cause of dialogue and mutual exchange
among the different nations and peoples of the world global peace and
security.
With the September 2003 Conference in Notre Dame,
and this encounter in Enugu, Nigeria, we are already beginning to respond to
the “Call to Solidarity.” We must now open up many channels and seize all
available opportunities for dialogue between agents of the Church and State
in Africa and in the United States. Beyond the mere rhetoric of scholarly
conference talks and excellent papers presentations, the Church in the
United States and the Churches in the various African countries must (as
part of their pastoral ministration and prophetic witness) begin to subject
the policies and projects of their governments and corporate bodies to the
critical evaluation of the gospel values of human dignity and justice,
accountability and solidarity.
It is our hope that in the course of this
encounter, many more channels of dialogue and mutual exchange will be opened
up between the USCCB and SECAM on the one hand, and on the other hand
between the USCCB and the National Conferences in Africa that are
represented here. Such mutual exchange will be a welcome addition to the
gains already made through the partnership in social development and relief
work that already exists between the Catholic Relief Services of the USCCB
and the Catholic Justice and Peace Commissions in several African countries.
We also hope that in the course of this encounter, and in the process of
listening to one another, some of the areas of the greatest difficulty and
tension as well as the harmful policies, habits and orientations in our
relationships as Church and State, that are clearly an obstacle on our way
to the desirable solidarity will be mutually highlighted and honestly and
courageously tackled. Finally we hope that at the end of this Conference in
Enugu, it will be possible to resolve on the hosting of yet another of such
encounters on Solidarity with Africa in one other African country in the
near future.
Let me conclude by again expressing the profound
appreciation of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria to the Committee
on International Relations of the U.S. Bishops Conference chaired by Most
Rev. John Ricard, for coming out with that beautiful document, and to the
Faculty and Students of the Institute for Church Life of the University of
Notre Dame for initiating this encounter and the earlier one.
