Pretoria was the chosen place for the Continental meeting of the JPIC Animators of Africa. The Province of “Our Lady Queen of Peace”, based in Johannesburg, welcomed brothers from Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, Togo, Morocco, South Sudan, Angola, Zimbabwe, the Holy Land and the host country, South Africa. Our meeting started on Monday 12th and will continue until Saturday, November 17th.
We met to talk about the work of the JPIC animators in the various settings of the African continent. Different realities, which in one way or another influence men and women and all of creation: problems of pollution, access to water, forced migration, trafficking, the people’s poor relationship with the environment, armed conflicts, and mining. Topics that were addressed in the reports that each friar prepared for this meeting.
To bring us closer to reality and hear the voices of civil society on extraction problems, we joined as participants in the “Social Issues Forum on Mining and the Extractivist Economy” which is being held in Johannesburg from 12th to 15th November. This gathering was organized by the “People’s Dialogues” movement, which brings together the social movements of Latin America, Africa and Asia.
At the end of the “Social Issues Forum”, the JPIC animators of the African Continent will resume our reflection and discernment. We will try to find specific ways that allow us to collaborate in social transformation towards a more just and fraternal society. We take inspiration from the words and actions of Jesus in announcing the Kingdom. We hope to find paths of action and transformation for our Franciscan Entities, and for our brothers and sisters in the countries where we are present. We would like to find ways as Franciscans to collaborate with the Church and civil society
Br. Jaime Campos F., OFM
JPIC Office
General Curia