INTERVIEW OF THE DAY
 

Synod = Talk Shop? Turkson says Not! How to ensure the implementation of the outcome of the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops which took place in the Vatican in October 2009?

This is the main objective of the post-synodal consultation jointly organised by Caritas Africa and the Justice and Peace Department of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) in Maputo, Mozambique, which ended Thursday.

The keynote speaker at the conference was Cardinal Peter Turkson, President of the Vatican’s Council for Justice and Peace, who delivered an address entitled “A New Pentecost for Africa”, which focused on transforming theology from thought to action.

“This can be very important, and I say can be, because as you know the Pope’s final exhortation from the synod has yet to be published. I believe that the final draft is ready. My own prayer is that this initiative and the post synodal exhortation may come together to enforce one another. The opportunity of this group is to check whether here in Africa the Episcopal Conferences have started to implement even some of the propositions from the synod. And as we heard from the floor, this is the case, some diocese have begun to look at ideas that were put forward, particularly those about women and children, security and migrants”.

Q: In your intervention you spoke of the need to transform theology in practical pastoral action…

“The question of theology, yes it must inspire and pass into pastoral activity otherwise it is of no use. That is the case because both of us, the State and the Church and her pastors, we deal with the same subject, the same object, human beings in society. We claim we are interested in how they live their lives, and we want to point them towards faith in God in everything that they do. The other stake-holders in society are also dealing with some other elements and trying to point them in another direction. So ours simply cannot be talking about principals without indicating how those can be practical. Making theology practical involves inspiring human activity with a sense of faith, based on evangelisation, based on conversion of heart and making the subjects themselves. Christians must do everything they do in a Christian way. Our method cannot be people doing as they please and then merely putting a “veneer” a “thin layer” of Christianity on top. This has been the tendency of many people when they treat the Church, people in business, people in politics. That does not work. They must be Christians doing business, Christians doing politics. For people to move on in live they need to be driven. That is something that we as a church need to be looking at, that we probably need to have. To inspire people to be creative to have a vision to take initiatives. Otherwise very little happens, when very little happens development stops, and when development stops poverty wins”.

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