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| Fr. Ferdinand Lugonzo, AMECEA Secretary General |
AMECEA Secretary General Fr. Ferdinand Lugonzo has asked the Church to play its due Role in addressing issues of economic justice and be part of the answer from various issues of natural resources affecting the people for a just society.
Speaking during a workshop organized by AMECEA Justice and Peace department on Extractives Consultation which was held in Nairobi Kenya for Kenya and Uganda Conferences, Fr. Lugonzo said that the Church which has a role as the voice of the voiceless must critically reflect on issues that are affecting ordinary people. “Why do we have many natural resources yet our people remain poor? Who is benefiting from the resources? What are the policies regulating these activities?” he posed
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| Group photo of Workshop Participants |
“Our hope is that this kind of engagement will help the Church in intervening for the people in an effective manner and that such interventions shall help in channeling the resources of these countries in serving the common good and not a few individuals,” he said adding that “By taking such steps, the church shall be working for justice. Our commitment shall be informed by the Gospel values and the Social Teaching of the Church.”
Fr. Lugonzo told the participants that addressing issues of economic justice facing people around mining and extractive activities is in line with the Strategic Plan of AMECEA in its pursuit for justice for all and integrity of creation.
SOURCE: Pamela Adinda, AMECEA Social Communications.
NB: Below is the full speech of Fr. Lugonzo
Extractives Consultation Workshop 15th-18th September 2014,
Emmaus Centre, Nairobi
By
Very Rev. Fr. Ferdinand Lugonzo,
Secretary General - AMECEA
I am delighted to welcome you to Nairobi the Home of AMECEA Secretariat. I sincerely thank you for the work you are doing in your respective countries. In this gathering, we have representatives from National Justice and Peace Commissions, people from various regions in Kenya and Uganda where extractive activities take place and Government representatives from the two countries. The diversity in representation reflects the commitment and enthusiasm which we all have in finding solutions to the challenges facing our people in relation to this very vibrant industry.
We are gathered here under the umbrella of the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA). This is a Catholic Organization of the Bishops of 9 countries in the Eastern Africa (Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Malawi, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia). It was established in 1961 as a tool of Evangelization that addresses common Pastoral Endeavors through solidarity and collaboration. In order to achieve its mission, AMECEA has created various Departments like Social Communication, Pastoral and Justice and Peace to respond to various needs in the mission. The Department of Justice and Peace which has gathered us here today was started in the year 2002 for the purposes of addressing socio-political and economic challenges in this region.
During the two days that you will be here, you will be addressing issues of economic justice facing our people around mining and extractive activities. This fits in very well with the Strategic Plan of AMECEA in its pursuit to advocate for integrity of creation and justice for all.
Indeed it is difficult to separate political problems with economic problems. Struggle for political power is based on the need to address economies. Those in power are expected to empower their people economically but this does not seem to happen to the right standards. African politics have tended to be anchored in economic empowerment of the politicians themselves and using the same endowment to manipulate their respective communities. This leads to ethnicity, tribalism, regionalism and many other social inequities that influence political landscape.
It is against this background that the Church has a role to play in addressing poverty by asking critical questions like: Why do we have many natural resources yet our people remain poor? Who is benefiting from the resources? What are the policies regulating these activities?
These are questions the Church in AMECEA would wish to begin asking and having the government representatives is a blessing to us in shedding more light on the policies regulating the industry and the gaps therein.
But in her role as the voice of the voiceless, the Church cannot stop at questions. We seek to be part of the answer to the quest of the people for a just society. In this workshop, therefore, we will explore ways of Church engaging with the experts in this area so that she can continue working with Law Makers for positive interventions and advocacy in formulating of better policies. This will help address some of the deep seated social problems especially touching on the thorny matter of land acquisition, displacement and resettlement and how the affected communities are involved in all this process.
Our hope is that this kind of engagement will help the Church in intervening for the people in an effective manner and that such interventions shall help in channeling the resources of these countries in serving the common good and not a few individuals. In doing this we shall be working for justice. Our commitment shall be informed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Social Teaching of the Church.
With these few remarks I once again welcome you to this workshop and pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit for fruitful deliberations.
Thank you all.