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| Most Rev. Thomas Msusa, Vice Chairman of AMECEA and Archbishop of Blantyre Malawi |
The Vice Chairman of AMECEA Most Rev Thomas Msusa has asked the Catholic Church in Ethiopia to deeply commit themselves in pastoral and social efforts to meet the needs of the people as far as human integral development is concerned.
Speaking during the closing ceremony of Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Ethiopia (CBCE) Golden Jubilee celebration Archbishop Msusa who is also the ordinary of Blantyre, Malawi congratulated the Catholic Church in Ethiopia for her successful accomplishments in Pastoral and Social Development Ministry in the past 50 years.
He called on the CBCE and all people of Ethiopia to take this opportunity of the Golden Jubilee to commit themselves to moving forward towards a better development and also continue protecting their values.
He also lauded the CBCE’s well-established working relationship with the government of Ethiopia and leaders of other religions.
Archbishop Msusa also asked the Church to maintain her ongoing efforts in promoting Ecumenism. “We pray that the Catholic Church will continue promoting the spirit of ecumenism and inter-religious dialogue. It is in this way that the people of this great nation shall demonstrate what they share as their original heritage,” he added.
Speaking at the same occasion, Most Rev. Gabriel Mbilingi, Archbishop of Lubango and President of SECAM said that the chosen Motto of the celebration taken from the Bible “Get up and eat, for the journey will be too long for you” (1kg 19:7) shows the readiness of the CBCE to move forward with faith to achieve more pastoral and social success as there is still much to be done.
He said SECAM will be signing a memorandum of understanding with the African Union and the support and collaboration of the CBCE with SECAM will be significant. “The MOU among other things will grant SECAM an observer status. It is expected that H.E. Cardinal Berhaneyesus, C.M., will be the public face of SECAM vis-à-vis the AU in permanent consultation with the Holy See,” he added.
Most Rev. Gabriel Mbilingi expressed that SECAM is looking forward to an even greater pastoral solidarity with the CBCE.
The Ethiopian Catholic Secretariat is currently hosting the SECAM AU liaison office in Addis Ababa.
Source: Makeda Yohannes, CBCE Communications and Public Relation Officer