This Thursday, at the opening of the 1st Annual Plenary Assembly of CEAST, the bishops recalled what the figure of the child represents "for our societies and, naturally, also for the church".
"She (the child) is simply the guarantee of any future, so she should also be an absolute priority in the scope of projects and investments in our communities, both socially and ecclesiastically", they argue.
In a communiqué at the opening of the plenary, which runs until next Thursday, in Luanda, the prelates appealed to dioceses, parishes and mission centers to give "due attention" to this issue.
"We can still do more than what we have been showing so far, there is a need to coordinate efforts in order to work on programs of a catechesis that is increasingly attentive to the challenges of our time", they underline in the communication presented by the vice-president from CEAST, Estanislau Marques Chindecasse.
A catechesis returns to the new technologies of communication and information, to the problem of the environment, "with true involvement of families", is what the Catholic bishops defend.
"That similarly to what has been done in some dioceses, different initiatives be carried out to favor an in-depth approach to themes linked to children's catechesis and the pastoral idea around the same child", they point out.
With regard to ecclesial life, the bishops also expressed "a lot of pain" at the death of pope emeritus Benedict XVI, the bishop of Uganda and president of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) and Bishop José Nambi, bishop of Bié.
They also noted the holding of the III National Youth Day, Ombaka 2022, considering that it was the highest point of youth ministry and conference level.
"We feel and live the problems and dramas of young people, but at the same time we celebrate with them faith, hope and love in the certainty that with Christ, at the center of life, we will always be winners and transformers of the social, political, economic, cultural and religious", they say.
The CEAST bishops also hailed with "great joy" the recent visit of Pope Francis to the African continent, particularly to DRCongo and South Sudan, considering it "an expression of closeness between the universal church and the particular church".
"I hope that the strong message he left for the world's potentates and for African rulers and citizens will encourage a new culture of global and continental coexistence based on respect for the dignity of people and peoples", stressed Estanislau Marques Chindecasse, also bishop of the diocese of Dundo.
The work of the 1st Plenary Assembly of CEAST bishops will run until next Thursday with the project of the Instituto Missionário Mamã Muxima of CEAST and the permanent council of IMBISA (Interregional Association of Bishops of Southern Africa), Luanda/2023 among the agenda points.
