MESSAGE OF THE SECAM PASTORAL LETTER
The Pastoral Letter titled ‘Governance, the Common Good and Democratic Transitions in Africa, which we are about to launch, is in line with the message of the Pope Benedict XVI Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation: Africae Munus .
The Pastoral Letter points out that the Church in Africa cannot be indifferent and isolated in the face of our present socio-political and economic challenges that have become a major concern in Africa. In the spirit of peace and justice, it notes that common good, respect of people’s rights, and the promotion of good governance are the essential elements of the Gospel message.
The Pastoral Letter views human beings as being granted free will, which is the human freedom expressed through one’s choice to belong and one’s choice to express oneself freely in truth. In the exercise of this freedom in truth, human beings cannot be subjected to restriction or constraint. These considerations explain the passage to democratic transitions and indeed demand a new form of governance in Africa. The Church in Africa lives and works in a society in which she encounters the tragedy of human selfishness, pain and suffering in the midst of a politically tense environment. At the same time the Church is called upon to break the wall of powerlessness in the face of difficulties, to be overcome by living in solidarity with the bruised and maimed of God’s children. 
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