"The bishops of North Africa recognize the events that upset now Tunisia, Egypt ... a demand for freedom and dignity, especially from younger generations, "said the Bishops Conference of the Northern Region of Africa (CERNA) after its meeting, held in Algiers from January 29 February 2.
In a statement signed by the Archbishop of Rabat and President CERNA, Archbishop Vincent Landel, Heads of Churches in Tunisia, Morocco, Libya and Algeria attribute these changes to the will of the citizens of be " recognized as citizens and as responsible citizens. "
Taking the Message of Benedict XVI for World Day of Peace 1 January 2011: "Religious freedom, the path to peace," the bishops of the CERN asserts that "religious freedom is a guarantee of full compliance and interplay between people, "and it manifests itself mainly by" freedom of conscience granted to anyone, the freedom to seek the truth. "
But this freedom, "wrote Bishop Landel on behalf of the Bishops of CERNA, presupposes respect for others, their dignity, the basis of legitimacy morality of any social norm or law. "
These questions, "freedom of conscience and citizenship," he admits, will likely be increasingly at the heart of the dialogue between Muslim and Christian believers who live in the Maghreb. "Dialogue is possible," he says, in light of "friendships that develop with the citizens of those countries."
The common will of the churches of North Africa is being "a servant church," recalls CERNA. That is to say, a church that serves the Christians living in these countries, but also "serving mainly Muslim inhabitants" of these countries, their development and their aspirations for greater dignity. "
Referring to the situation "often dramatic" of illegal migrants, the bishops of the CERN, including the four dioceses together total 200,000 Catholics, 150,000 foreign workers in Libya, encouraging "the efforts of those fighting against the causes of emigration "and say that Christians" do everything they can to humanize the lives of these migrants. "
On the difficult question of the future of their churches, they emphasize "the lack of renewal of priests, monks or nuns Arabists, and in some countries, the difficulty of obtaining visas. " They provide receive as a "gift" the arrival of new congregations, priests fidei donum of all continents, in particular Churches in Africa or Asia, members of "new communities" and committed laity.
Finally, the bishops of the see CERNA say "great developments in the countries of the Maghreb and the churches' and feeling the need for" careful reflection "in the sense of presence and witness of evangelical Christians in North Africa.
On the sidelines of the meeting, the bishops participated, February 2, at the solemn celebration of the inauguration of the Basilica of Our Lady of Africa, the Archbishop of Algiers, Archbishop Ghaleb Moussa Abdallah Bader.
They also visited the monastery of Tibérhine, a hundred kilometers south of Algiers, where seven monks were kidnapped and murdered in 1996.
The next meeting will be held in Tunis CERNA of 12 to 17 November 2011.
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