Do not be Afraid, I am with You (Isaiah 41:10)
Preamble
We the delegates from the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA), an Association which brings together all the Episcopal Conferences in the nine countries of Eastern Africa Region and the horn of Africa, which include the countries of Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia; and with its affiliate members being Djibouti and Somalia;
Following the Resolution of the 18th AMECEA Plenary Assembly, which was held in Lilongwe, Malawi in the year 2014, and having carried out this very important Solidarity Visit to the family of God in Eritrea between 30th October and 5th November in the year 2017; wish to convey the following message.
1. Gratitude to the Church in Eritrea
We express our gratitude to Almighty God for having blessed us with a wonderful experience of faith, culture, friendship and a real sense of brotherhood with the Church and the people of Eritrea. We therefore thank the Council of Hierarchs in Eritrea which comprises of the Archbishop and Bishops of the Archeparchy of Asmara and the Eparchies of Barentu, Keren and Segheneity. To the people of God in these ecclesiastical jurisdictions and communities, and to all those who prepared and contributed in any way to the success of our Solidarity Visit, we express our heartfelt gratitude.
2. Gratitude to the Government of Eritrea
Secondly, we thank the Government of Eritrea for having given us entry visas to the country and permits to visit all the ecclesiastical jurisdictions and communities in Eritrea. We are grateful that in some of the areas we visited we were able to interact with some civil leaders 'at 'different levels of government.
3. Gratitude to Religious Leaders
We also thank the leaders of other faith communities whom we were able to meet during our Solidarity Visit. We encourage all the faith communities in Eritrea to seek to work in harmony in their efforts to promote the common good.
4. Scope of our Solidarity Visit
Indeed, our visit has been a blessing not only to the AMECEA family and the catholic community in Eritrea but to the entire country and people of Eritrea. Since we were also sent to dialogue with civil and political leaders of this beloved country, we still hope and pray that ways and means shall be found through which this message will be shared with the concerned organs of the Government of Eritrea.
5. Appreciation of the Treasure of the Ancient and Deeply Rooted Christian Faith of the Eritrean People
Having listened to all the different communities we were able to interact with, we wish to appreciate the witness of faith and the sacrifices of the early missionaries who planted the seed of faith in this beloved country. Indeed, the early missionaries preached the word of God to all the people of Eritrea. In doing this, they engaged in caring for the spiritual welfare of the people by teaching the word of God, forming people in the ways of piety and initiating the people into the sacramental life of the Church. These are treasures that we want to re-affirm in the lives of the people of God in Eritrea. We also call on all the agents of evangelization to continue strengthening these treasures of faith.
6. Respect and Protection of the Different Means of Evangelization
The early missionaries also preached the gospel through the traditional avenues of evangelization. These include schools and other institutions of learning, health facilities, and social programmes which enhance the dignity of the human person. These are the means which enable the Church to fulfil that mandate that the Lord Himself pronounced in the gospels (Mk. 16:15; Lk. 10 and Mt. 25:32-46). The same Lord clearly stated that he came so the they might have life and have it more abundantly (In.10:10).
Having visited different communities in Eritrea, we very much appreciate the work the Catholic Church as well as other faith communities are doing to promote the welfare of the people in this country. We, however, note with a lot of concern the fact that the Church is working in a very challenging environment.
We wish to affirm yet again that the Church has a duty to work for and promote integral human development in society. This is where the Church derives its mandate to involve herself in the spiritual, moral and social growth of the communities we serve. This duty is inherent to the right to religious freedom as well. We recall here that governments cannot acknowledge the right to religious freedom and fail to provide an enabling environment to churches to exercise the same right.
While appreciating the partnership that exists between the Church and state in this country, and aware of the fact that it is governments who bear the primary responsibility of providing social services to the people, it is always necessary that governments should seek to provide enabling environments for the Church to play her rightful role in the development of the peoples. This is our prayer for Eritrea. Indeed, as Church we are partners with governments for the good of the same people for whom we are equally responsible. The more those in authority realise this, the better for the people whom both government and church have been mandated to serve.
7. Concern about the Stalled Constructions of Places of Worship and Residences of Members of Church Institutions
We wish to reaffirm that the right to religious freedom cannot in any way be separated from the right of every faith community to provide descent places of worship for its faithful and residences for members of church institutions. Such constructions include churches, houses for clergy and convents. In this regard, we are saddened with the situation in some of the Eparchies in this country where construction of Churches and residences for members of the clergy has been stalled because of external factors. In the interest of protection of this sacred right of the people of Eritrea to worship God in descent places and for the duty of the church to provide descent residences for clergy and religious, we request the government authorities to create a favourable environment towards the efforts to ensure that this right is exercised.
8. Collaboration Between the Archbishops, Clergy and Religious
While reflecting on the great work being done by the Catholic Church in Eritrea in her evangelizing initiatives, we really appreciate the close collaboration that exists between the Archbishops diocesan clergy and religious men and women who belong to different religious institutes. We also observed that there are very strong collaborations among different religious institutes. We encourage you to make these close ties of collaboration even stronger. It is in this unity of purpose that the people of this country shall continue to see your unity as members of the Catholic Church.
9. Indispensable Role of the Laity
The members of the lay faithful in this country are indeed a great treasure. We have seen their deep faith and spirituality. We have seen their resilience in faith. This resilience in faith is manifested amidst a number of challenges that basing on our interaction with the different communities we met, are so evident in this country. We acknowledge the fact that the members of the lay faithful are the great majority of the family of God. We urge them to remain strong in faith. This should be coupled with a strong witness of the same faith in all the sectors of life.
In all the experiences that this country is going through, it is the resilience of the laity that will lead to a stronger nation that cares for all the members of the society. This calls for each one taking his or her responsibility seriously. In this regard, we wish to make this clear to the people of Eritrea: in all the communities we visited, we were greeted by these words of the Psalmist - Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord (ps. 117). We firmly believe in this; that the same Lord who sent us to this beautiful country is telling the people of this country: Do not be afraid, J am with you always! In this way we want the lay faithful to remain firm in faith and to always seek to protect the catholic faith despite the challenges they face.
10. Call to Hope and Prayer
Ours is therefore, a message of hope to the entire family of God in Eritrea. Let the Church in Eritrea pray without ceasing and never loose hope. As you pray, always remember that you belong to a wider family called the universal Church. We as delegates of AMECEA have been among you as a true sign of this universality. We therefore wish to promise you our prayers, and not only us as delegates, we also make a commitment to ask all the countries of AMECEA to pray for the country and people of Eritrea so that God may reconfirm you in the faith that we have witnessed and that the present challenges may be overcome.
11. Appreciation of Each Other, Unity of the Country and Caring for Children and Youth
As we conclude, we wish to make reference to the Theme of the 19th AMECEA Plenary Assembly which will be held in Addis Abeba, Ethiopia in July 2018. The theme is "Vibrant Diversity, Equal Dignity, Peaceful Unity in God in the AMECEA Region". In view of this theme, we call on all the people of Eritrea to appreciate the gifts that God has bestowed on this country, to appreciate the differences that there may be while respecting each other so that all may work towards that unity which our Lord prayed for - so that they may
all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you (In. 17:21). In all these, we urge you to pay a very special attention to the children and youth of this country. Let all those who are charged with responsibility over the children and youth of this country at different levels help them to grow in the fear of God, maturity in human and spiritual values and appreciation of their rights and freedoms. Indeed, the future of this nation shall always be determined by how much Eritrea will invest in its children and youth.
12. Request to the Government of Eritrea
Given that we did not get an opportunity to express our request to the leadership of the country, aware of the border conflict between Eritrea and Ethiopia which are sister countries and both of them members of AMECEA, considering the importance of the Plenary Assembly for our Association, we request the Government of Eritrea to allow the leadership of the Church in Eritrea to participate in the 19th AMECEA Plenary Assembly in Addis Abeba, Ethiopia in July 2018. Indeed, such Plenary Assemblies provide an opportunity for the Church to express her unity and reflect on concrete situations that affect its mission and work. One issue that we will be reflecting upon is the role of religious leaders and churches in bringing about reconciliation and lasting peace between the two countries and the entire AMECEA region.
Signed:
MOST REV THOMAS LUKE MSUSA Date: 4 November 2017
Metropolitan Archbishop of Blantyre, Malawi
Vice Chairman of AMECEA and Leader of the Delegation
Members:
1. His Eminence John Cardinal Njue - Patron of AMECEA, Kenya
2. His Grace Archbishop Michael Didi Adgum - Member, Sudan/South Sudan
3. His Lordship Bishop Joseph Anthony Zziwa - Chairman of AMECEA Justice, Peace and
Caritas Department, Uganda
4. His Grace Archbishop John Baptist Odama - Member, Uganda
5. Rev. Fr. Ferdinand Lugonzo - Secretary General of AMECEA, Kenya