My dear brothers and sisters of our beloved Africa and its islands,
It is with pride, but also with a great concern that I address you on this African day of 25 May, while we are celebrating the 62nd anniversary of the establishment of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) now the African Union (AU).
As the African Union’s theme for the Year 2025 is calling to “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations”, I would like to salute the AU Commission for this choice to call on attention to the urgency of the need of Justice for the entire African Peoples on the Continent, its Islands and the Diaspora.
We will never cease to reiterate our concern for the urgent challenges facing our continent and its lovely people, including injustice, terrorism, conflict, poverty, issues of education, healthcare, dialogue, inter-religious dialogue, ecology, refugees and displaced people, Human trafficking, etc.
According to the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), “contemporary conflict and crisis situations (in Africa) have forced millions of people – men, women and children – to flee in order to escape suffering, human rights violations and starvation” (Addressing Human Rights Issues in Conflict Situations, 2019). And, unfortunately, vulnerable groups, especially women and children, “suffer the most egregious human rights abuses in conflict”.
As Catholic Church, Family of God in Africa, we trust that African Leaders will very care of the appeals and pastoral exhortations of Pope Leo XIV, following in the footsteps of his predecessor Pope Francis, is reinforcing the Church’s commitment to justice, peace, and the dignity of all the peoples, particularly the poor, the marginalized, and those suffering the consequences of conflict, inequality, and neglect.
We echo the prophetic message delivered by Pope Francis during his apostolic journey to the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan from January 31st to February 5th, 2023, while in his impassioned plea, the Holy Father implored, “Hands off Africa! Stop choking Africa: it is not a mine to be stripped or a terrain to be plundered. May Africa be the protagonist of its own destiny! May Africa, the smile and hope of the world, count for more. May it be spoken of more frequently, and have greater weight and prestige among the nations!”
The Justice, Peace and Development Commission (JPDC) of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences in Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) continue carrying his mission and we invite you all to be the architects of “the Africa we want”, a better Africa, made up with joy and hope. This is part of our mission that we carry out through SECAM-JPDC and our Liaison Office in Addis Ababa.
Participating as partner in the Conference held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 27 to 28 February 2025, under the theme “The Role of Faith Communities and Ethical Organizations in Advancing Justice for Africans and People of African Descent through Reparations”, the AU SECAM Liaison Office along with representatives from religious organizations, scientific and ethical institutions, and cultural associations of African and international civil society, launched an important appeal to the world for the reparation of the damage caused to the Africans and People of African Descent.
On this Africa Day, we urge African and world leaders, but also all individuals, to mobilize and work for justice and human rights, while combating all forms of discrimination, economic exploitation, illegal exploitation of natural and mineral resources, inhuman and degrading treatment, emotional trauma and all kinds of suffering endured by Africans.
Let us all, as “Pilgrims of Hope”, promote and protect every single life, reduce poverty, take care of “Our Common Home” – the Earth – building Bridges for Peace and Hope everywhere on the African continent and beyond.
Happy Africa Day.
Sunday, 25 May 2025
✠ Fridolin Cardinal Ambongo
Besungu Archbishop of Kinshasa
President of SECAM
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM).
