Nov 14, 2004 / 22:00 pm
More than 100 bishops from the Europe and Africa met outside Rome last week to tackle the problems facing Christianity in Europe and the suffering of the people in Africa.
The gathering of prelates from 32 African countries and 30 European nations Nov. 10-13 was the largest gathering of its kind, reported ACN News.
The four-day symposium, called Communion and Solidarity, was also attended by leaders of aid organizations, such as Aid to the Church in Need, Catholic Action for Overseas Development Caritas, Misereor and Missio.
Speakers underlined the gravity of the problems on both continents. Citing statistics showing that Africa's Gross Domestic Product represented barely two percent of the world total, Archbishop Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya of Kisangani, Democratic Republic of Congo, said sometimes his continent fears that "if Africa disappeared, the rest of the world would not notice."