Africa-Press – Angola. The College of African Bishops of the Methodist Church on Thursday, in Luanda, expressed their support for the work of the Angolan Head of State and Chairman of the African Union (AU), João Lourenço, in promoting peace and leading the continental organization.
Speaking to the press at the end of an audience granted to them by the Head of State, the chairman of the religious organization, Monde Muyombo, highlighted the church’s contribution to the development of society in the areas of health, agriculture, education, peace and security.
According to the cleric, during the audience, President João Lourenço emphasized the need to work on people’s mindsets regarding peace and security, with a view to the development of the potentially rich continent.
He emphasized that their role, as church leaders, is to cultivate the minds of the people so that they can collectively bring peace and development to various countries of the African continent and not so.
The religious leader added that the meeting also served to discuss aspects related to the growth and development the country has experienced in recent years, and that Angola is currently setting an example for other countries to follow.
In turn, Bishop Gaspar João Domingos stated that the meeting was fruitful, expressing the Church’s concern about the problems the continent currently faces, such as crises and armed conflicts that particularly affect young people, forcing them to migrate in search of better living conditions.
He noted that the College of African Bishops, through the meeting with the Chairman of the African Union, has managed to better understand these situations and experiences from other realities, so that the church, at the continental level, can make the best contribution.
“It was good to have this meeting because, in the capacity of the President of AU, he demonstrated its knowledge of the African reality and the need for it. Without peace, we cannot have development on our continent. Therefore, there is a strong need to focus on the needs and invest more in education and the training of our people, so that we can change the paradigm of those who today see Africa as a sad, poor continent, but one that, in fact, possesses great wealth”, he emphasized.
According to Gaspar Domingos, João Lourenço recalled that in the past, Asian countries also experienced less favorable situations, but the investment made in education has allowed Asia to have a completely different outlook at the current days.
Episcopal College
The delegation of 17 bishops will participate in the United Methodist College of African Bishops in Luanda from the 1st to the 5th of the current month, with the aim to discuss issues related to the unity and future of this Church in Africa.
The aforementioned body is a group of bishops who are united through the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), aiming, among other issues, to promote the unity of churches on the continent, to unite efforts in pastoral, social and educational aspects, as well as to defend human dignity and African values according to the gospel.
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