120 delegates and guests from 20 countries around the world have been meeting since yesterday evening in Togo. They are participating in the 6th International Fondacio Congress, officially launched this Sunday, April 30, 2023. Fondacio organizes a Congress every five years. It allows the association to renew its governing bodies and to vote on new orientations for the next mandate. Immersion.
The bitumen fades and gives way to a dented and porous track. The red earth and its undulations make the decor wobble. The vegetation bursts with a waterlogged green: it is the beginning of the rainy season in Togo. The Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, under construction, vibrates with a particular agitation, on this Sunday, April 30 in the morning. Many families from the Zéglé Yéyé parish, in Sichem, mingle with the 120 delegates and guests of Fondacio, for mass , from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
The latter is celebrated by the Very Reverend Father Bertin Agbobly-Atayi, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Lomé. Many songs punctuate it. Following the mass, the delegates set off again to go to the center of Sichem. “I wish you a cordial welcome to African land, the cradle of humanity ,” welcomes them Gabriel Amouzou, Africa coordinator for Fondacio. “Dating regularly is the true meaning of friendship, such as one is, in fear, distress, misery. Thank you for coming to us because, where you have your heart, your feet don’t hesitate to go!”
Grow in humanity
Fondacio has been present in Africa for more than 40 years. “The Sichem center has made the effort to embody the orientations taken in the Philippines” for five years, during the 5th Congress of Fondacio, in 2018. “Thank you Sichem, oasis of providence. We believe it is possible to create a desirable future ,” points out Gabriel Amouzou, Africa coordinator for Fondacio, with reference to the theme of this 6th International Congress: “A time to change, let’s build a desirable future!” »
He pursues : “Where are our difficulties today as Africans? What are our priorities as Christians for the world? How do we take care of our respective environments and the earth? We have to come together. Thank you for choosing the African continent of hope!” François Prouteau, president of Fondacio, says: “Africa is the cradle of humanity. By coming here, we draw on our deep roots… We have never finished growing in humanity . Let us be delegates committed to being, in these times of change, servants of humanity.”
He adds: “Thank you for your welcome, your hospitality. My heart is in joy and, as inside each of us, in celebration! One of the calls we have received here is that we participate in the people of Africa rising up to put the continent on its feet. We want to be with you. We are Africa with you!” Then the 6th International Congress was officially inaugurated by Father Bertin Agbobly-Atayi : “This is the first time that Fondacio has met in Africa. As a member of the Church of Lomé, I saw the birth of the association in Togo. A Congress is a major event in the life of an association. The mission continues. “
A time for reflection
For Dominique Detollenaere, member of the Fondacio quartet in Belgium and delegate, “It’s a great reunion of all the communities of Asia, South America, Europe, Africa. This warmth, this welcome that Africa can give us… We feel very close, it’s very festive, there’s a lot of joy, everything in the dance! It exudes happiness . This time of inner reflection, of inspiration from the Holy Spirit who should tell us where to go, respecting the identity of Fondacio, is very important to me.”
During the review of the last mandate, presented this Sunday afternoon, François Prouteau underlined: “The change in the world is a hot topic, for different reasons. We need to embrace this movement of the world. The conversion we are expected to have may involve jostling, which may lead to a loss of balance… but that does not prevent you from continuing to walk. »
Five days of work now open before the delegates, until Friday, May 5. After the assessment of the previous mandate, presented this afternoon by François Prouteau, the delegates will have to define the new orientations for the mandate which opens (2023-2028) and to decide on the constitution of the next Council (Monday, Thursday, Friday). Various immersions in projects supported by Fondacio in Togo will also take place on Tuesday, May 2.
