AFJN to Participate in SECAM Justice and Peace Congress in Seychelles

The Africa Faith and Justice Network (AFJN) has accepted an invitation from the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) to participate in its upcoming Congress for Justice and Peace Commissions. The Congress will be held in Seychelles from December 7 to 11, 2026, under the theme, “The Church in Africa at the service of creation, social justice and promotion of the common good.”

The gathering will bring together bishops, coordinators of regional and selected national Justice and Peace Commissions, SECAM representatives, staff, and partners. Participants will assess the Church’s response to major political, economic, social, and environmental challenges across Africa and identify opportunities for stronger collaboration. The Congress will address issues including good governance and peaceful elections, conflict and peacebuilding, corruption, migration and human trafficking, land and extractive industries, environmental degradation, and climate change.

AFJN’s participation continues a relationship with SECAM that spans more than a decade. At a 2012 SECAM forum in Tanzania, AFJN presented on Catholic Social Teaching, community empowerment, and good governance, while highlighting land grabbing and the need for stronger civil society engagement. In 2015, AFJN and numerous other Catholic organizations, including SECAM, co-convened the historic first-ever Continental Conference on Land Grabbing in Limuru, Kenya. During the event, 164 delegates—primarily from Africa—committed to a coordinated strategy of community education, networking, and policy advocacy to protect land rights and actively resist exploitative land deals  During a recent Ghana visit, an AFJN team met with representatives at SECAM’s headquarters to explore further collaboration. AFJN also participated when SECAM shared its new 25-year plan with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The Seychelles Congress advances this shared commitment to justice and peace and closer engagement between the Church in Africa and the United States.

For AFJN, the Congress is closely aligned with its mission and ongoing work. AFJN promotes just governance, peacebuilding, environmental stewardship, responsible land and natural-resource policies, human dignity, and the protection of marginalized communities. Participation in Seychelles will allow AFJN to share lessons from its work, learn from Church leaders and partners across Africa, and explore practical areas for joint advocacy and action.

AFJN’s participation at the Congress is part of a broader commitment to implement the Catholic Social Teaching, strengthen connections between the Church in Africa and the United States, and support coordinated responses to the challenges affecting communities across the continent. AFJN looks forward to contributing to the Congress and to building sustained collaboration with SECAM around the shared thematic priorities identified for the gathering.