africae munus and what is at stake for mission in the church-family of ...

which priests, deacons, consecrated
persons and the lay faithful participate.
Prop. 7: A great number of Christians in
Africa adopt an ambiguous attitude
towards the administration of
reconciliation. While they are very
scrupulous in carrying out the traditional
rites of reconciliation, they give little value
to the Sacrament of Penance. Therefore, a
serious and in-depth study should be done
on the traditional African ceremonies of
reconciliation, such as "palaver" (where a
team of sages do public arbitration of
cases), and arbitration of conflicts by a
"team of mediators".
Similar bodies can be set up on Justice and
Peace Commissions to assist Catholic
faithful to seek conversion in a serious way
through the celebration of the sacrament
of Penance.
Prop. 13 : African Traditional Religion (ATR)
Nostra aetate, n. 2: accept whatever is
good!
Knowledgeable people who are converts
from African Traditional Religion can guide
the Church to an ever greater and more
precise knowledge of African cultures and
religions, making the discernment of true
points of opposition easier. Promote ATR
studies in universities (even Roman) (not
sustained in AM). A diocesan multidisciplinary
pastoral team is to devise a
pastoral programme, that is grounded in
rationality, deliverance and reconciliation.
Prop. 47-48: The role of women is
essential:
Acknowledgement of their great
contribution to the family, society and the
Church with their many talents and
resources. Condemnation of their
deprivation of rights and violence against
them.
All other inhumane and unjust acts against
women are equally condemned.
The Synod Fathers propose:
- the integral human formation of girls and
women (intellectual, professional, moral,
spiritual, theological, etc.);
- the creation of “shelters” for abused girls
and women to find refuge and receive
cooperation in the Church’s apostolate.
33 : The Synod members also emphasized
the fact that a great many Christians in
Africa take an ambivalent stance towards
the sacrament of Reconciliation, whereas
these same Christians are often very
scrupulous in the use of traditional rites of
reconciliation. In order to assist the
Catholic faithful to walk an authentic path
of metanoia in celebrating this sacrament,
through which the whole person is
refocused upon the goal of encounter with
Christ, it would be helpful if the bishops
were to commission a serious study of
traditional African reconciliation
ceremonies in order to evaluate their
positive aspects and their limitations.
These traditional pedagogical forms of
mediation cannot in any way take the
place of the sacrament.
92-93 : Traditional African Religions
Nostra aetate, n. 2: accept whatever is
good!
It is worth singling out knowledgeable
individual converts, who could provide the
Church with guidance in gaining a deeper
and more accurate knowledge of the
traditions, the culture and the traditional
religions. This would make it easier to
identify points of real divergence.
Witchcraft; fear ; dual affiliation;
55 : acknowledgement of their
contribution
56 : combat violence; condemn and
denounce it;
In this context, it would be appropriate for
conduct even within the Church should be
a mode for society as a whole
57: Quotation from EIA, n. 121 on their
participation instead of Proposals!
Note the appeal to be
prudent … is this a
misunderstanding?
Need for discernment of
the positive and negative
(36-37), but the emphasis
seems to be laid more on
the negative, fear and an
appeal to prudence (113)
than on an invitation to a
genuine respectful
dialogue as with Muslims
(94). How can one be
truly African and truly
Christian?
What about the
collaboration to put an
end to women trafficking?
Integration into decisionmaking
structures?
Commissions: (National
and within the Pontifical
Council for the Family)?
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