Letter from Cairo

Letter from Cairo 

“...the Church as peacemaker, an agent of reconciliation and a herald of justice” (AM 23)

 Comboni Missionaries in Africa: seeking paths of
Reconciliation, Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation - RJPIC  

Cairo, 16^th May 2012 

Dear Brothers of the General Administration and APDESAM Circumscriptions, 

We, the JPIC coordinators from the APDESAM (Association of Provincials and Delegates of English Speaking Africa and Mozambique), met in Cairo, Egypt, from 13^th to 16^th May to reflect on the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Africae Munus and on our commitment to JPIC in our Circumscriptions.

As ‘pilgrims’ in the land where the Sacred Family sought refuge and in the spirit of the Comboni Family, we are grateful to the Egyptian Delegation for hosting this important meeting and for the warm welcoming. Cairo is particularly meaningful for us Comboni Missionaries since Daniel Comboni experienced the meaning of his mission in Africa passing through this city.  

Cairo has also been a ‘stage’ for the recent popular revolutions known as ‘Arabic Spring’ and we have witnessed here how Muslims and Christians hold firmly the hopes for a more democratic, free and inclusive society in the Arab World. We lived these days in deep communion and prayers and have been exposed to the experiences of active local leaders in the field of JPIC and human rights organizations which are currently involved with the present struggles for freedom, democracy and equality in Egypt.

It has been an enriching occasion to reflect on the content of the Papal Exhortation Africae Munus and to share our initiatives carried out in our Circumscriptions in the field of JPIC. Indeed, the insights from Africae Munus have created in us a new awareness and motivation about the meaning of our ministry in this continent as Comboni Missionaries. Our reflections and proposals are also in view of upcoming events such as: ‘UN Conference Rio+20’ and the ‘Comboni Forum on Environment’ (Rio, 20-26 June 2012), the ‘Comboni Intercapitular Assembly’ (Rome, September 2012) and the ‘World Social and Comboni Forums’ (Tunisia, March 2013).

We see ourselves in continuity with the message and proposals of the last three Comboni Social Forums held in Nairobi, Belem and Dakar. We have realised that several of those decisions and suggestions have already been concretely implemented. However, new challenges have been identified for future actions. Therefore, we here propose some common initiatives for our Circumscriptions to grow in Reconciliation and JPIC sensitivity and initiatives.

We would like to propose to the Provincial Councils and all the confreres of the Circumscriptions some initiatives in line with the vision and suggestions of the Apostolic Exhortation AFRICAE MUNUS:

1. To form a committee of the Comboni Family to prepare the Comboni Social Forum in Tunis, Tunisia, in coincidence with the World Social Forum 2013.
2. To instil in our communities a greater sensitivity about recycling, compost and organic agriculture, and renewable energies.
3. To promote communitarian and provincial campaigns on tree planting and rubbish selection as a way to concretely contribute with the care for environment.
4. To be committed to foster effective networking and dissemination of information through our mass media in collaboration with the JPIC Rome Office, the Comboni Justice Network and AEFJN.
5. To create with the other Comboni representatives of Francophone Africa one Secretariat of RJPIC to facilitate reflection and action as Continental level.
6. To carry out researches into experiences of reconciliation and peace building within the context of African Traditional Religions (ATR) and cultures in order to exercise more effectively the Ministry of Reconciliation.
7. To focus on land grabbing in view of a continental campaign. We are committed as Circumscriptions to collect data and make analyses on land grabbing in the countries where we work. During the World and Comboni Social Forum 2013 we expect to complete and launch a campaign in collaboration with other partners (NGOs, Churches, Civil Societies, etc.).
8. To publish in the form of a book the revised version of the “Reflections on the Ministry of Justice and Peace and Integrity of Creation (by Fr. Francesco Pierli, Brs. Alberto Parise and Gilbert Petersen) to include references from Africae Munus. The book will be translated in various languages and published by the end of 2012.
9. To support the approved ‘Comboni Project of Human Development’ of the Kenyan province. Our suggestion is that beside their new ministry, they may be the point of reference for JPIC at continental level in collaboration with the Institute of Social Ministry.
10. To propose a common fund for JPIC initiatives at the level of Circumscriptions and of the Continent, including the realisation of the Comboni Social Forum 2013.
11. To insert into the curriculum of basic formation a JPIC education and training programs and to have inputs on JPIC for the ongoing formation of our confreres. We suggest the use of the document “A Formation Itinerary for a Prophetic Religious Life” and the exposure of candidates to JPIC initiatives.
12. To have a team of APDESAM-RJPIC coordinators available to animate the confreres with workshops and retreats in the different Circumscriptions.
13. To support the preparation of more confreres and lay people in the field of JPIC Ministry.

We want to share with you a greeting of peace in this time of Easter, wishing new life for each member of our Circumscriptions. 

Fraternally,
The participants to CAIRO APDESAM RJPIC Workshop 

NB: We make available a CD to all the provinces and confreres of APDESAM with many resources on Africae Munus and JPIC actions fruit of our workshop in Cairo to facilitate each one of us to take up this ministry of RJPIC as constitutive part of Evangelization (Justice in the Word, 1971).

Participants: 

1. Fr. Angelo Giorgetti - Sudan (provkhartoum@hotmail.com)
2. Fr. Herivelto Marques - Mozambique (hsmarques@yahoo.com)
3. Fr. Joseph Aldrin - South Africa (josephaldrin2010@yahoo.co.uk)
4. Fr. Daniele Moschetti - South Sudan (ssmccj@gmail.com)
5. Fr. Raimundo Nonato - South Sudan (ranorocha@hotmail.com)
6. Fr. Francesco Pierli - Kenya (pierli42@gmail.com)
7. Br. Gilbert Petersen - Kenya (gildeje@gmail.com)
8. Fr. Giovanni Esti - Egypt (gioesti63@yahoo.com)
9. Fr. Paul Annis - Egypt (paulsannis@gmail.com)
10. LCM - Samy Shehata - Egypt (cordjesu.massmedia@gmail.com)
11. LCM Joseph Harley - Egypt (cordijesu.massmedia@gmail.com)