A gathering of church leaders in Africa held via videoconference on 11February as part of the ongoing World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee meeting has expressed hope for healing, reconciliation and unity amidst several challenges facing the continent.
The diocese of West Ankole Church of Uganda consecrated its fourth bishop, Rev. Johnson Twinomujuni who replaced the Rev. Yonah Katonene on 28 May. Katonene has served as a member of World Council of Churches Central Committee since 2013, and retired from being the diocesan bishop last October.
Hopes and aspirations for peace were expressed on 20 September at the Peace Palace in the Netherlands, site of a “Walk of Peace” held on the second day of the International Week of Peace. The event was organized by the Council of Churches in the Netherlands and PAX, a Dutch peace organization, in cooperation with local churches in The Hague.
In view of the current refugee crisis, European churches are being encouraged to deepen their efforts in receiving, supporting and protecting refugees who arrive in the region. This call was made in a letter issued jointly by the WCC, the Conference of European Churches and the Churches’ Commission for Migrants in Europe.
Botshelo Moilwa, a young African woman from Gaborone, Botswana, called on churches to affirm the dignity of women amidst the realities of HIV and AIDS and sexual violence, if they are to realize the Christian vision of justice and peace.
“Uganda is a country of strong Christian witness. It is a country of Christian martyrs like Archbishop Janani Luwum, who lost his life at the hands of Idi Amin. It is therefore natural that we get together in Uganda to see what peace, justice and dignity mean to the African churches.”
At the 50th anniversary of the All Africa Conference of Churches, church leaders from more than forty African countries ask how they can rise up against the shackles of the colonial legacy, conflicts, poverty, class struggles and political upheavals, to unlock Africa's immense potential.
