According to the president of CEAST, José Manuel Imbamba, the focus of the pastoral action of the Angolan Catholic Church continues to be occupied by children", he said, referring to the third year (2023-2024) of the Triennium on Children under the motto "Of the little ones is the Kingdom of Heaven".
"In this third year, our attention will turn to the issue of social integration of children, so mistreated by families and society, according to reports of recent days", said this Wednesday the president of CEAST.
Speaking at the opening of CEAST's II Annual Plenary Assembly, which began in Luanda, the Catholic prelate recalled that the purpose of the three-year period is "to deepen and increase awareness within families, the Church and society about the dignity of children".
And on the need to place them "at the center of attention and concerns" and the efforts of other social institutions, he added.
"I therefore renew my appeal to all the faithful and people of good will to redouble our efforts to create and promote initiatives, in the light of the documents of the Church's magisterium, that will allow us to reap promising and worthy fruits", stressed the Angolan archbishop.
José Manuel Imbamba even exhorted the commissions for evangelization and catechesis and the Pastoral da Criança to "proceed unselfishly and patiently" with their mission, in order to sow "new evangelical and cultural seeds in families and society in general".
"And, in this way, in addition to preventing the various evils that are committed against them [children] on a daily basis, we lay solid foundations for a society of virtues, ethics and authentic values", he stressed.
"In this sense, Catholic schools play and will play a fundamental role. Only in this way, I believe, will we be able to have the future of progress and full realization that we all aspire to", he defended.
Cases of violence, such as sexual, physical and moral aggression against children are reported daily by the Angolan National Children's Institute (Inac) with "worrying" numbers.
Regarding the life of the Church, the president of CEAST pointed to the need for continuous evangelization of citizens, that is, he stressed, "making Christ known to be loved and followed in his lifestyle, because no one is capable of loving and following that that you don't know".
"By this I mean that, taking into account the challenges that our societies impose on our mission, we need to rediscover and relaunch with growing enthusiasm the missionary and holiness profile starting from Christ", he pointed out.
He also regretted what he considers the increase, "in the hearts of many faithful", of the feeling that the Church is insignificant, justifying: "Because of the dichotomy between professed holiness and the holiness lived by many of us, as bishops, priests, consecrated and lay people".
The archbishop of Saurimo, province of Lunda Sul, also exhorted Christians, Catholics and other churches to be "light, salt and leaven" in societies that hinder the "integral fulfillment of citizens, since they make extreme poverty prosper, social injustice and asymmetries of various kinds".
José Manuel Imbamba also considered that the World Youth Day (WYD), which took place in Lisbon, and in which more than 1500 young Angolans took part, had an impact on the lives of many people.
"In fact, the encounter with Jesus through the school of the Virgin Mary cannot leave us indifferent: something must change in us for the good of all, something new and beautiful must blossom in us to change and renew the face of the earth. It is the great lesson that came from Lisbon", he concluded.
The works of CEAST's II Annual Plenary Assembly will run until next Monday, August 28th.
