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By Sister Grace Candiru
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (CNS) – The presence in the United States of about 3,000 priests and religious from African countries is a great contribution to the United States, said Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C "It makes me a bit nervous because I hope we do not steal their staff," said Cardinal Tobin, who chairs the US subcommittee of bishops on the Church in Africa. told the Catholic News Service at the 13 and 23 July meeting of the Association of Episcopal Conferences members in East Africa, known as AMECEA
AMECEA, which includes the Bishops' Conferences of Eritrea, Ethiopia, Malawi, Kenya, Tanzania, Sudan, South Sudan, Uganda, Zambia, Djibouti and Somalia held their plenary badembly in the Ethiopian capital , Addis Ababa. The theme of the meeting was "Vibrant diversity, equal dignity, peaceful unity in God in the region of AMECEA."
Cardinal Tobin, who represented the American bishops at the meeting, said that during the study sessions, he was impressed the bishops' honesty about their local situation and their interest in young people, despite the difficulties in translating this concern into action.
He hopes that the Synod of Bishops from October 3 to 28 will give greater direction to the Church in the world, he said. The synod will meet at the Vatican to discuss "youth, faith and vocational discernment".
"The incredible growth of the African church is a sign of hope for Americans," said the cardinal. "Generosity is really a gift that does not only go to the people you help … I think that the solidarity relationship with Africa is an badet for the work of the Church in Africa", was -he declares. He added that the growth of the African Church and its perseverance in very difficult situations show its dynamism. "Said Cardinal Tobin, adding that he never misses an opportunity to talk about" the vitality of the Church in Africa with my people ".
The subcommittee on the Church in Africa was created to reach the church in Afri ca "with great respect," he said. The intention of the committee "was to help this growing and energetic church prepare its pastoral agents – to build the capacity of their staff and, at the same time, to strengthen the national conferences of bishops" in Africa .
"Such solidarity is very important … because there are more and more voices in the United States pushing us towards nationalism" and "we would ignore the rest of the world", he said, noting that this message is not Christian.
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