Solidarity in Ecclesia in Africa: Where Are We Now?

Abstract

The African spirit of solidarity has become a mantra in African politics from the time of the creation of the Organization of African Unity in 1963 in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), to the time of the establishment of the African Unity in Durban (South Africa) in 2001. Pope John Paul II struck the tone when he underlined the importance of solidarity for the Church in the continent, in his Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Africa. Twenty years after the promulgation of this important document, the cherished African spirit of solidarity remains elusive in politics as it is in the internal life of the Church. This paper looks at the use of the concept of solidarity in Ecclesia in Africa and Africae Munus, and navigates in its own way to arouse the conscience of the Catholic faithful in the continent to implement the mind and spirit of the Saint Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI who emphasizes in their documents that without solidarity, there is no peace in Africa in particular, and in the world, in general.