AFRICA: CAMEROON: BIBLE PROMOTED IN SEMINAR

Agenzia Fides REPORT РOne recommendation is to promote the diffusion of the Divine Word in Africa through the use of both modern means of social communications and traditional means of communication in the promotion of the Biblical Apostolate on the Continent, says the final communique sent to Fides for the Continental Seminar organized by the Biblical Centre for Africa and Madagascar (BICAM), under the auspices of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) that took place from 30 November to 5 December 2010 at the Immaculate Conception Major Seminary Nkolbisson in Yaound̩, Cameroon (see Fides 30/11/2010).
The purpose of the Seminar was to evaluate the Biblical Apostolate in Africa, in light of the Post-synodal Exhortation by Pope Benedict XVI for the 2008 Synod on “the Word of God in the life and mission of the Church”. The participants acknowledged that “the Biblical Apostolate has not yet taken root in some African countries.” To address this situation it was proposed to widely disseminate the magisterial documents, namely “Dei Verbum”, “Ecclesia in Africa” and “Verbum Domini”. It was also proposed to widely promote teaching the methods of “Lectio Divina” in Africa and to redefine the aim, structures and activities of the Biblical Apostolate in line with the Apostolic Exhortation, “Verbum Domini”, and to re-emphasise the important role of women in the dissemination of faith and promotion of the Biblical Apostolate in Africa.
Among the recommendations for promoting the Biblical Apostolate are: the use of modern means of communication (television, radio, internet), urgently addressing the formation of those involved in Biblical Apostolate at all levels, networking at the diocesan, national, regional and Continental levels, the establishment of a school to train African translators of the Sacred Scriptures into local languages and the strengthening of cooperation between the National Bible Societies and the Episcopal Conferences of the Continent for the translation, publishing and distribution of the Bible in African languages at an affordable price.

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