Synod message challenges African leaders to stop corruption

October 23, 2009

As the Synod of Bishops for Africa nears its conclusion, the Synod fathers have issued a message to the world and especially to the leaders of Africa, calling for a revival of spiritual and family life, a new impulse toward economic development, and an end to exploitation and political corruption.

The African Synod, which opened on October 4, will conclude on Saturday, October 24. In their final days of deliberation, the Synod fathers approved a series of propositions that will be presented to Pope Benedict XVI, as the basis for his apostolic exhortation concluding the work of the Synod.

On Friday, October 23, the Synod fathers released their message. "We are convinced that the first and most specific contribution of the Church to the people of Africa is to proclaim the Gospel of Christ," the bishops proclaimed. Noting that the world often focuses on the bad news about Africa, the Synod called attention to the strength of religious belief, the number of vocations to the priesthood and religious life, and the growth in the number of Catholics in Africa.

Nevertheless the Synod fathers acknowledged the many problems facing the continent, including poverty, disease, and persistent warfare. The suffering of Africa, the message said, is due largely to "a tragic complicity and criminal conspiracy of local leaders and foreign interests." While decrying the exploitation of African resources by multinational corporations and the policies of foreign governments, the Synod fathers refused to absolve Africa's own leaders of their responsibility:

Whatever may be the responsibility of foreign interests, there is always the shameful and tragic collusion of the local leaders: politicians who betray and sell out their nations, dirty business people who collude with rapacious multinationals, African arms dealers and traffickers who thrive on small arms that cause great havoc on human lives…

"What has happened to our traditional African sense of shame?" the bishops asked. They challenged African leaders to set new models for responsible public service, and said that government officials who have been guilty of corruption should "repent, or quit the public arena and stop causing havoc."

"Africa needs saints in high political office," the message said.

The Synod message warned Africans against the influence of Western development experts who sometimes undermine the traditional moral standards of the culture. "We alert you to be on your guard against some virulent ideological poisons from abroad, claiming to be modern' culture," the message said. More specifically, the Synod fathers endorsed the stand taken by Pope Benedict that the spread of AIDS "cannot cannot be overcome by the distribution of prophylactics."

The Synod called upon Church leaders to set a model for their societies, particularly by fighting the effects of deep-seated racial and tribal animosities, of the sort that have caused incessant bloodshed in countries like Rwanda. "Your example of living together in peace across tribal and racial lines can be a powerful witness to others," the Synod told Church officials. The message also endorsed efforts to promote cooperation with Muslims. However, the Synod challenged African states-- implicitly the continent's Islamic states-- to be respectful of religious freedom.

 

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Further information:

• Eighteenth General Congregation (VIS)
• Synod Fathers Present Message to People of God (Vatican Radio)
• Bishops to corrupt African leaders: repent or quit (AP)
• Vatican synod urges corrupt African leaders to quit (Reuters)