Africans appeal for religious freedom

Africans appeal for religious freedom
DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania (Zenit.org) — Participants in the first Pan-African Congress on Evangelization appealed for religious freedom in the continent.
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The congress was held in Dar es Salaam , capital of Tanzania , Jan. 15-18 and sponsored by the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM). It was held in the midst of preparations for the second Synod of Bishops for Africa .
“Christian minority groups in some countries are not allowed to freely express their faith,” reported a SECAM communiqué. “Their testimony challenges all our Churches to insist on respect of religious liberty and to continue with the witness of life and love in their evangelizing mission.”
The final document of the congress was dated Sunday and signed by Cardinal Polycarp Pengo, new president of the ecclesial organization.
Participants appealed to “brothers and sisters of the Islamic faith to understand that evangelization is not meant to proselytize but to be a free proposal of God’s love manifested in Jesus Christ.”