By Takesure Matarise

An alliance of southern African Christian organizations has called for the African Union and other key groupings on the continent to intervene to stop human
rights violations allegedly being perpetrated on Zimbabweans by the country's government.

"We note with sadness that, since 2000, Zimbabweans have suffered gross human rights abuses," the alliance, known as the Regional Faith-Based Joint Initiative, said in a 5 July statement. It added, "We appeal to the Southern Africa Development Community, African Union and Pan-African Parliament to hear the urgent plea and cry of the suffering Zimbabwean people and to act accordingly and urgently."

In 2000 and 2005, President Robert Mugabe's ruling Zanu-PF party won general elections in which it registered huge losses in urban areas. Human rights organizations have since alleged widespread reprisals against urban dwellers.

The alliance is made up of the Inter-Regional Meeting of Bishops in Southern Africa, the Association of Evangelicals in Africa - Ethics, Peace and Justice Commission, and the Ecumenical Documentation and Information Centre in Southern Africa. The alliance says it is working to promote solutions to the deteriorating socio-economic and political situation in Zimbabwe.

"We urge the Zimbabwean government to ensure that the people of Zimbabwe have access to their basic rights of food, water, housing and education," the alliance said in its statement.

More than 80 percent of Zimbabwe's 13 million people are unemployed, and the annual inflation rate is currently estimated at 10 000 percent and rising.

"Life expectancy has moved from 55 years to about 34 years over more than 20 years of misrule," the alliance stated. "The health delivery system has totally collapsed. It is also disheartening to note that Zimbabwe has moved from being the regional bread basket to the region's foremost beggar," the group added.

A United Nations special envoy sent to Zimbabwe in 2005 estimated that more than 700 000 urban dwellers were left homeless in a government campaign called "Operation Murambatsvina", which means "Operation Drive Out Trash" in Shona, the language spoken by the majority of Zimbabweans.

The government said the operation was a slum-clearance exercise intended to rid Zimbabwe of criminal elements. Opposition politicians, however, described it as retribution against the urban population for not supporting Zanu-PF in parliamentary elections.

ENI





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(CNA).- Presidents of the Catholic Bishops’ Conferences of the world’s leading industrial countries have written to the Group of 8 leaders to urge them to take “bold action on global poverty” ahead of the G8 summit in Germany next week (Rostock, 6-8 June).

The Bishops’ Conferences of England & Wales have joined the French, Germans, Americans and Russians among others to call on their political leaders to honor the commitments they made in Gleneagles in 2005.

Those commitments are commended in the letter which was signed by Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, president of the Bishops’ Conference of England & Wales and sent to Prime Minister Tony Blair in England. However, the Cardinal reminded the G8 leaders of their ‘moral obligation’ to fulfill their promises:

“We urge you to act out of the moral obligation that we all share for the well-being of every human person, but also because replacing despair with hope in Africa will lead to a more secure world for all nations.”

At the Gleneagles G8 Summit in 2005, the world’s richest countries promised to spend an additional $50 billion per year on foreign assistance by 2010, with half that amount going to Africa. However, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development reports foreign aid levels have remained stagnant through 2006 – despite the promises.

The Presidents of the Bishops’ Conferences of the G8 countries concluded by recognizing the historic importance of the summit:

“The G8 Summit will explore many issues of critical importance to human life and dignity. We pray that your meeting will be blessed by a spirit of collaboration that enables the G8 leaders to advance the global common good by adopting concrete measures on global poverty, health care, climate change and peace and security.”

This morning in the Vatican, the Pope received prelates from the Central African Episcopal Conference who have just completed their "ad limina" visit.

"You must accomplish your mission of serving people, which the Lord entrusted to you in difficult circumstances," the Pope told them. "When facing the challenges to the Church in your country, real collaboration is a guarantee of greater effectiveness; but such collaboration must be based above all on a living awareness of the collegial dimension of your ministry. ... You are called to bear witness among your people through ever stronger communion and an exemplary daily life."

Going on to consider the most urgent problems facing the Central African Church today, the Holy Father mentioned the question of "peace and national harmony." And he highlighted how "the poorest are, above all, the victims of dramatic situations that inevitably lead to profound divisions in society and to despair." On this matter, he recalled the fact that the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops, currently being prepared, "will provide an opportunity for profound reflection upon the announcement of the Gospel in a context marked by many signs of hope but also by worrying situations."

"It is my heartfelt hope that this rapidly-changing world does nor forget Africa and that hope may open its doors to the peoples of that continent."

"The Church has the duty to defend the weakest and to be the voice of those who have no voice. For this reason I wish to encourage people to commit themselves in the defense of the dignity of individuals and their inalienable rights. ... Promoting peace, justice and reconciliation is an expression of Christian faith in the love that God nourishes for each human being."

"Through her social work, especially in the fields of healthcare and the education of young people, the Church also contributes, in her own way, to the construction of the fraternal and united society to which your people aspire," said the Pope.

However, he went on, "in order for society to have access to real spiritual and human development, it is also necessary to change its mentality," and "this painstaking task especially involves the family and marriage." The Holy Father stressed that "Christians show everyone the greatness and truth of marriage when they undertake to practice conjugal fidelity and to live in the unity of the couple," and he insisted that marriage "is always founded upon a 'yes' freely and knowingly pronounced by a man and a woman."

Benedict XVI then went on to speak of the importance - "an importance that cannot be underestimated" - of the formation of candidates to the priesthood. "It is more than ever necessary to be exigent," he said, "because priests are called to bear weighty responsibilities." Hence, "candidates must be required to have an assortment of human qualities that make them capable of achieving a real discipline of priestly life." It is of particular importance "to ascertain the emotional balance of seminarians and to form their sensibilities so as to ensure they possess the right attitude to practice the requirements of priestly celibacy. This human formation must be accompanied by a solid spiritual formation, because it is vital that a priest's life and activities be rooted in a living faith in Jesus Christ."

Finally, the Pope affirmed the importance of "the active and fruitful participation of the faithful in the 'Sacrament of Love'," observing that "appropriate adaptation to the various cultural contexts must be based on an authentic understanding of inculturation, so that the Eucharist truly remains 'a criterion for our evaluation of everything that Christianity encounters in different cultures'."

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - On the occasion of the Pan African Congress on Evangelisation we give statistics on the presence of the Catholic Church in Africa taken from the most recent edition of the Church’s Book of Statistics, which refers to 31 December 2004. (Variations compared to previous year are also indicated).

WORLD POPULATION – CATHOLICS

Population Catholics Percentage
Africa 876,720,000 (+ 26,162,000) 148,817,000 (+ 5,158,000) 16.97 % (+ 0.08)
world 6,388,500,000 (+ 87,123,000) 1,098,366,000 (+12,809,000) 17.19% (- 0.04)



PERSONS /CATHOLICS PER PRIEST

persons per priest Catholics per priest
Africa 28,047 (+ 86) 4,761 (+ 38)
world 12,448 (+ 184) 2,706 (+ 29)


ECCLESIASTICAL CIRCUMSCRIPTIONS– MISSION STATIONS

Ecclesiastical Circumscriptions Mission Stations
with resident priest Mission Stations
without resident priest
Africa 507 (+ 2) 378 (+ 68) 65,689 (+ 936)
world 2,903 (+ 10) 1,600 (- 101) 115,181 (+ 3,066)



BISHOPS

total diocesan bishops Religious bishops
Africa 630 (- 2) 457 (+ 8) 173 (- 10)
world 4,784 (+ 42) 3,616 ( + 1019) 1,168 (- 977)


PRIESTS

total Diocesan priests Religious priests
Africa 31,259 (+ 840) 20,358 (+ 799) 10,901 (+ 41)
world 405,891 (+ 441) 268,833 (+ 792) 137,058 (- 351)


PERMANENT DEACONS

total Diocesan
Permanent deacons Religious
Permanent deacons
Africa 368 (+ 32) 350 (+ 26) 18 (+ 6)
world 32,324 (+ 800) 31,809 (+ 809) 515 (- 9)


RELIGIOUS BROTHERS AND WOMEN RELIGIOUS

Brothers Women Religious
Africa 7,791 (+ 421) 57,475 (+ 1,066)
world 55,030 (+ 410) 767,459 (- 8,810)



MEMBERS OF SECULAR INSTITUTES


Members of secular institutes
Male Members of secular institutes
Female
Africa 47 (+ 8) 481 (+ 7)
world 672 (- 19) 28,270 (- 646)


LAY MISSIONARIES AND CATECHISTS

Lay missionaries Catechists
Africa 3,926 (+ 1,293) 379,656 (+ 16,865)
world 186,467 (+ 14,136) 2,940,798 (+ 93,125)
MAJOR SEMINARIANS – DIOCESAN AND RELIGIOUS
total
Diocesan
Major seminarians Religious
Major seminarians
Africa 22,791 (+ 882) 15,960 (+ 298) 6,831 (+ 584)
world 113,044 (+ 671) 71,841 (- 425) 41,203 (+ 1,096)


MINOR SEMINARIANS – DIOCESAN AND RELIGIOUS

total
diocesan
minor seminarians religious
minor seminarians
Africa 45,535 (+ 2,230) 41,393 (+ 2,033) 4,142 (+ 197)
World 101,585 (+ 3,213) 77,133 (+ 1,571) 24,452 (+ 1,642)


SCHOOLS AND PUPILS

INFANT
schools
children PRIMARY
schools pupils SECONDARY
schools PUPILS High school
pupils UNIVERSITY
Pupils
Africa 11,102 1,014,584 31,130 11,985,138 7,968 3,021,647 55,753 54,127
world 63,073 6,312,115 91,090 27,975,541 38,277 15,868,173 1,830,149 2,399,022



HOSPITALS/CLINICS,CHARITY WORK,WELFARE


hospitals Dispensaries Leprosy
centres Homes for the elderly, chronically ill, disabled orphanages Kinder-
gartens Marriage
Counselling
centres. other institutes total
Africa 953 4,922 236 638 1,675 1,236 1,407 1,789 12,856
world 5,246 17,224 648 14,927 10,163 10,932 13,866 10,516 83,522

ECCLESIASTICAL CIRCUMSCRIPTIONS DEPENDENT ON THE
CONGREGATION FOR THE EVANGELISATION OF PEOPLES

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – The Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples is at the service of the Pope as the “central body for promoting, directing and co-ordinating” the activity of evangelisation of peoples and missionary cooperation throughout the world (cfr.¬ Ad gentes, 29; Pastor bonus,85). The main duties of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples include: guarantee proper distribution of missionaries and formation for local secular clergy and catechists; entrust Religious Institutes, or Mission Societies, or particular Churches with the evangelisation of mission territories.

Ecclesiastical circumscriptions dependent on the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples (CEP) to 17 October 2006:

1084 Ecclesiastical Circumscriptions dependent on the CEP

Continent AD D AT VA PA M AA OM Totale
Africa 84 374 - 14 8 1 1 3 485
America 7 31 - 44 1 2 - 85
Asia 75 332 1 15 36 3 4 2 468
Oceania 11 31 - - 1 2 - 1 46

Totale 177 768 1 73 46 8 5 6 1084

INFO: archdiocese (AD), diocese (D), territorial abbacy (AT), apostolic vicariate (VA), apostolic prefecture (PA), apostolic administration (AA), Mission sui juris (M), military Ordinariate (OM). (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 13/1/2007)