Laity Conference in Angola to Examine Lay Leaders' Role in Church's Mission

Mr. Panzo said the event serves as a prelude to the Third Congress of the Catholic Laity of Angola and São Tomé, to be held in 2025.

“In essence, what we want is to stop from time to time and analyze how far we as laypeople are aligned with our spiritual growth,” he said.

The SENALEIGOS official said the conference will include a series of talks and round tables addressing various themes relevant to the living out of Catholic spirituality by the laity, and culminating in conclusions and a closing statement.

Reflecting on the official program of the conference to be held under the theme “Lay Catholics: Testimonies of Faith and Commitment”, Mr. Panzo said the Local Ordinary of Namibe, Bishop Dionísio Hisiilenapo will deliver the inaugural lecture on the theme “Spirituality of the Laity and its Impact on Social Transformation.”

He said the Bishop’s lecture will include sub-themes such as: “what the spirituality of lay Catholics is like and how it influences the daily life of each of us in our social interactions, how deeply rooted our Catholic faith is and how it enables us to respond to the ethical, moral and social challenges of the modern world, and how we as lay people can lead a life of service, compassion and the search for justice on a permanent basis.” 

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Mr. Panzo said that after the inaugural lecture, participants will hold a round table discussion within the same conference, on the vital role of the laity in living Catholic spirituality, in terms of challenges and opportunities.

Focus, he said, will be on “the empowerment of the laity in the Church, the contemporary challenges of the laity, the spiritual discernment that the laity must have, the spiritual accompaniment that the laity must have, questions of ethics and morality.”

Mr. Panzo said there will be a meeting of members of the organizing committee for the Third National Laity Congress at the end of the session “to look at some organizational issues.”

SENALEIGOS' mission is to identify, accompany, and form apostolic movements, groups, and associations in all the dioceses, thus promoting the authentic living of the Catholic faith in contemporary society. 

João Vissesse is an Angolan Journalist with a passion and rich experience in Catholic Church Communication and Media Apostolate.