Africa Tasked on Justice and Peace

In his recent document ‘Africae Munus’, Pope Benedict XVI exhorts the African churches to be instruments of reconciliation in the continent facing numerous challenges.

A priest holds a child in D.R. Congo

A SCENE like this may not be unfamiliar in Africa: representatives of a Catholic donor agency visit a diocese that has been receiving funds and raise a sensitive issue. During the last few years they have not received any financial report and hundreds of thousands of dollars are unaccounted for.

The director of the development office – a priest who employs only members of his own clan – smartly dodges the questions and when the visitors from overseas ask to see the bishop they are met with yet another hurdle. His lordship has been in Europe for some months now, seeking medical treatment and funds. No one knows the date of his return.

If you think such behaviour is unacceptable, consider this: “Dear brother bishops, be good pastors and servants of the flock entrusted to your care, exemplary in life and conduct. The good administration of your dioceses requires your presence. To make your message credible, see to it that your dioceses become models in the conduct of personnel, in transparency and good financial management.