Stan Chu Ilo, Reporting from the Kigali Convention Centre, – August 1, 2025
Kigali — In a powerful address delivered at the opening of the 20th Plenary Assembly of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) in Kigali, Cardinal Michael Czerny, S.J., Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, issued an urgent appeal for the African Church to courageously confront the many obstacles to authentic human flourishing on the continent.
Speaking to an audience of bishops, theologians, and Church leaders from across Africa and their international partners, Cardinal Czerny, who served in Africa from 2002 to 2010, described his return to the continent as a “homecoming.” He drew inspiration from the Assembly’s theme, Christ, Source of Hope, Reconciliation and Peace, to underscore the urgent need for pastoral action that integrates the Church’s mission with the concrete realities facing African societies today.
“Everyone wants development,” Czerny stated, “but for our Church-Family of God in Africa—and for the Dicastery, too—full development flows from life in Christ.”
A Church Committed to Holistic Flourishing
Cardinal Czerny explained that his Dicastery, established by Pope Francis in 2017, embodies the Church’s renewed commitment to integral human development—a holistic vision that encompasses the spiritual, social, economic, political, and ecological dimensions of life. “We combine the Gospel, sound doctrine, and effective pastoral action,” he said, positioning the Dicastery as a crucial bridge between Rome and local Churches.
The Dicastery’s mission, he noted, is deeply rooted in Christ’s promise of abundant life (John 10:10), and it seeks to accompany communities through practical responses to violations of human dignity and human rights, economic and social injustice, unemployment and exploitation, environmental degradation, displacement, violence, and insecurity. These, he stressed, are not abstract “global issues” but specific, local challenges that the Church must face with prophetic courage and compassion.
Engaging the Challenge of Artificial Intelligence
In a significant and timely intervention, Cardinal Czerny addressed the growing influence of artificial intelligence (AI) and its ethical implications for Africa and the global Church. Citing Pope Leo XIV, he called for “a serene and informed assessment of AI” that places the human person at the center.
“AI must be evaluated according to sound ethical, social, and indeed spiritual criteria,” he insisted, warning against technological developments that fail to uphold human dignity, spiritual values, and cultural integrity.
For Czerny, AI is not merely a technological concern—it is a test of whether the Church can continue to uphold justice, equity, and reconciliation in rapidly changing societies. The African Church, he implied, must not only respond to these challenges but also offer critical insights rooted in its own social teachings and lived experiences.
SECAM’s Vision and the Dicastery’s Support
Linking the work of his Dicastery with the vision laid out in SECAM’s Kampala Document, Cardinal Czerny reaffirmed the Church’s identity as a “family of interconnected persons” shaped by love, justice, peace, and mutual responsibility. He challenged the bishops and delegates to identify “the principal joys and hopes, griefs and anxieties of the people” in their dioceses and to reflect on how the Church’s social teaching is lived and communicated in those contexts.
He outlined the Dicastery’s three-pronged approach—Listening and Dialogue, Research and Reflection, and Communication and Restitution—as a practical framework for supporting local Churches in discerning and addressing development challenges. This inductive method, he said, is inspired by Gaudium et Spes, the Vatican II document that envisions a Church situated in history and attentive to the signs of the times.
Additionally, Czerny highlighted recent collaborative efforts with SECAM, such as the Conference on Natural Resources and Violence in Africa, held in Accra in 2024. That event, he said, addressed the harm caused by extractive industries and will yield new Pastoral Orientations to guide African Churches in confronting environmental and economic injustices.
A Moment for Prophetic Discernment
Concluding his remarks, Cardinal Czerny posed three pastoral questions for reflection:
1. What are the main obstacles to integral development in your local context?
2. What pastoral actions are being taken to accompany people through these struggles?
3. How effectively is the Church’s social teaching being communicated and embodied locally?
These questions, he insisted, are not theoretical but must guide concrete pastoral planning. In posing them, Cardinal Czerny reiterated the Dicastery’s commitment to walking alongside the Church in Africa in its pursuit of reconciliation, justice, and peace. He affirmed that “the Church extends a helping hand to people—especially the poor—in their struggle to overcome obstacles to their human development and fulfill their human and divine vocation.”
As SECAM marks its 20th Plenary Assembly, Cardinal Czerny’s address stands as a compelling reminder that the Church’s mission must remain deeply incarnational—rooted in Christ, attentive to the cries of the poor, and bold in confronting the systemic forces that hinder Africa’s full flourishing.
