April 21, 2009. The Pope will meet next October in Rome with all the African cardinals, the presidents of the episcopal conferences of Africa and several experts to boost the situation of the Church in the African continent.

This is the second synod on Africa. The first one was organized by John Paul II 15 years ago.
African Catholics have asked the Pope to call this meeting in order to review the decisions made at the last synod.

Benedict XVI has chosen "The Church in Africa in the service of reconciliation, justice and peace," as the theme of the synod.

Archbishop Nicola Eterovic
Secretary Synod of Bishops 
“The Church in Africa has evangelization as a priority, but evangelization always goes hand in hand with social help. When the church proclaims the word of God, we can say it’s also at the forefront in the struggle for health.”

The Pope presented the preliminary document of the Synod during his trip to Cameroon. It’s a document that reviews the situation of the Church in Africa, criticizes the powers that are plundering raw materials from Africa without reciprocity and calls on Catholics to promote dialogue with Islam to promote peace on the continent.

JMB