Pan-African Congress on Divine Mercy Underway in Burkina Faso, Leaders Outline Value

“This 4^th Congress is above all a gathering of believers in their diversity to celebrate, promote and live fraternity under the sign of divine mercy,” Cardinal Ouédraogo told close to 900 delegates gathered at the Ouagadougou Congress hall for the official opening ceremony.

According the Burkinabe Cardinal, the Congress offers an opportunity for the people of God in Africa “to address the burning challenges of Africa and Madagascar such as poverty, war, terrorism, tribalism, bad governance, corruption and the various evils that undermine and afflict the African continent.”

Cardinal Ouédraogo who is also the President of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) prayed that the days of prayer and reflection during the Congress “be for each African nation a grace to install peace, justice and reconciliation.”

“Where Divine Mercy has lost all its value, violence, wars, inter-tribal conflict, injustices will crop in,” the Burkinabe Prelate cautioned.

The President of the Bishops’ Conference for Niger and Burkina Faso, Bishop Laurent Birfuoré Dabiré viewed the Congress as an opportunity for spelling out hope in Africa.

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“By this Congress, we can all give to our world new signs of hope by taking action to promote justice and solidarity and a new culture of human life for the edification of an authentic civilization of truth and love,” Bishop Dabiré said.

He added, “Divine Mercy calls us to have understanding and compassion on humanity as a whole in order to resolve divisions, wars, conflicts, corruption and poverty so that a new era of justice and peace, fraternity and love will return to our beloved continent.”

At the Tuesday event, Burkina Faso’s Minister for Territorial Administration, decentralization and social cohesion, Simeone Sawadogo expressed gratitude to the Catholic Church in his West African landlocked country for spearheading initiatives toward peace and reconciliation.

“Our country has always benefited from the message of peace and reconciliation preached by the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church a true partner of government in these challenging moments of our country has continuously supported victims of violence in our country,” Mr Sawadogo said.

He continued, “In deciding to hold this congress on the theme “Divine Mercy a grace for our time,” the Church in Africa and Madagascar wants to place our continent plagued with multiple challenges on the auspices of love, forgiveness and peace.”d

Convened under the theme, “Divine Mercy, a grace for our time,” the Congress has brought together Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops, priests, religious men and women, parish leaders and representatives of Small Christian communities, among other guests from across Africa, Madagascar and other parts of the globe.

The next days of the Congress will see delegates prayerfully reflect in conferences and panel discussions, plenary sessions as well as workshops.

In its liturgical dimension, the Congress will include Eucharistic celebrations, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, the sacrament of reconciliation, the hour of mercy and a pilgrimage to the shrine of Our Lady of Yagma, a village in the Zam Department of Ganzourgou Province in central Burkina Faso.

The Congress will conclude November 24 with a Eucharistic celebration to be presided over by the Papal delegate to the event, Cardinal Nzapalainga at the Our Lady of Immaculate Conception Cathedral Ouagadougou.

From the 2019 Divine Mercy Congress website, “It was after the birth of Pope John Paul II in heaven that the idea of organizing, at the international, continental and local levels, conference on Divine Mercy was born to deepen the knowledge and experience of the Divine Mercy, a mystery which is at the heart of the revelation of the identity of God and which is a powerful leaven of transformation of human relations as well as social structures.”

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During the last Pan-African Congress held in Rwanda’s capital, Kigali in 2016 with some 600 participants drawn from 22 countries, DR Congo’s Laurent Cardinal Monsengwo who was the Papal Special Envoy dedicated Africa and Madagascar to Divine Mercy.

The organizers of the ongoing Ouagadougou Congress have described it as “a gathering of believers in their diversity to celebrate, promote and live the brotherhood under the sign of Divine Mercy, close to the burning challenges of Africa and Madagascar.”

Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.