Focolare Movement

A School For Leaders of Communion

Nov 14, 2017

In the presence of political, diplomatic, academic and religious leaders, the Ecoforleaders School of Higher Training for leadership in communion has opened its doors in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

RDC_Ecoforleaders_03The political and social context is very dangerous and the per capita income is among the lowest in the world as pressure from international powers is being placed on the enormous natural resources of the region. But there is also the echo of the great African leaders from the twentieth century, from Nkruah to Senghor, from Lumumba to Nyerere that still resonates like a warning to leave the past behind and set great goals that “always seem impossible until done” (Mandela). It was in that context that on November 4th of last year the Ecoforleaders School of Higher Training in Communion Leadership was inaugurated in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo in the presence of several political, diplomatic, academic ((among whom the Rectors of the Catholic University and the University of Mapon, and the two Emeritus Rectors of the Kasangani University and the National Pedagogy), Christian and Muslim religious leaders in an attempt to lift up a hope for openness in that African country. It all began with a group of African students who wondered how they could offer themselves for the building of a new Africa. Now they are working with the support of Sophia University Institute and the Focolare’s International Centre of the Movement for Unity in Politics. RDC_Ecoforleaders_01The Secretary of the Bishops Conference of the Democratic Republic of the Congo was invited to cut the ribbon, a man know for having conducted the dialogue between politicians of the majority and opposition leaders during the election controversy that linked the presidential election date to the next census. The Secretary remains a point of encounter between the parties until this day. Five students will begin courses given by a faculty that includes three university rectors and several tutors. This is not an isolated initiative, because the School is inserted into a broader project already presented at UNESCO, a project of formation in a leadership style inspired by universal brotherhood, which include the training of tutors and professors in Nairobi next January. The project is of interest to the whole East of Africa and will last for three years. Afterwards, it will be expanded to other regions of the continent. See also: News Repubblica Democratica del Congo    

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subscribe to Newsletter

Thought of the day

Related post

Margaret Karram on the ‘Within Your Gates’ Forum”

Margaret Karram on the ‘Within Your Gates’ Forum”

“This initiative truly touches my heart.” Margaret Karram returns to the Holy City, where she lived for 24 years, to take part in the inauguration of the ‘Within Your Gates’ Forum, organised by Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa and the University of Notre Dame.

Season of Creation 2026: The Transformation of a Community

Season of Creation 2026: The Transformation of a Community

The “Season of Creation” is an ecumenical Christian initiative that begins every year on 1st September and ends on 4th October, the feast of St. Francis. This year with the theme “Living Water”, Christians around the world are invited not only to contemplate water at the river banks, but to immerse themselves in what it represents: life, relationship, healing, hope and the love of God that flows through all of creation. Here is a testimony from Congo, in Africa.

1st September, the “Season of Creation” begins

1st September, the “Season of Creation” begins

In the message published on the occasion of the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, Leo XIV urges us to face today’s ethical and cultural crisis that includes the desire for war, domination and the pursuit of profit. What is needed is “an authentic ecological conversion” that comes from the heart.