Cardinal from Burkina Faso appointed head of SECAM
Wheel turns full circle as cardinal is elected president of the Symposium of African and Madagascar Bishops' Conferences, during its golden jubilee
Some 50 years after Burkina Faso provided the very first president of the Symposium of African and Madagascar Bishops' Conferences (SECAM), the current Archbishop of Ouagadougou, Cardinal Philippe Ouédraogo, has been elected to head the association.
He succeeds Archbishop Gabriel Mbilingi of Lubango, Angola, who had just completed two three-year terms.
Born on Jan. 25, 1945 in Konéan in the north of the country, Ouédraogo was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Kaya in 1973. In 1996, he was appointed Bishop of Ouahigouya (North) and in 2009 became its archbishop. He was created a cardinal by Pope Francis on Feb. 22, 2014.
Cardinal Ouédraogo, who is very involved in interreligious dialogue, has often called on the Christian community in Burkina Faso not to give in to hatred in the face of terrorist attacks.
“I go to the prayer at the end of Ramadan; between Christmas and Easter, the Muslim community sends imams to present their wishes to the Catholic community. With our Protestant brothers, we call and visit each other,” he told La Croix Africa in 2019, on the sidelines of the plenary session of the West African Regional Bishops’ Conference.
“We don’t want to get bogged down in an ethnic slide with a religious color - we will take up the challenge together,” said the cardinal, speaking about the challenges facing SECAM on the eve of its Golden Jubilee.
“The Church exists to evangelize. That is its main role, its essential task, its honor. If it is not missionary, it is not a Church of Jesus Christ. Since 1969, we have seen that over the years, the Church in Africa has reached a certain missionary maturity in its two fundamental aspects: evangelization and sanctification,” he said.
Two vice-presidents were also elected at the Plenary Assembly: Bishop Sithembele Sipuka of Mthatha, South Africa (First Vice-President) and Bishop Lucio Andrice Muandula of Xai Xai, Mozambique.
Father Terwase Henry Akaabiam, from Nigeria, was appointed Secretary General of SECAM.
SECAM is an entity that brings together all the regional Bishops' Conferences of Africa.
It was launched in 1969 on the occasion of Pope Paul VI's very first visit to Africa, from July 31 to August 2, in Uganda.
The idea of creating an association uniting African bishops had already began to emerge after the Second Vatican Council (1962-65). The Africans who took part felt the need to speak with one voice.