Anne Nasimiyu-Wasike, former superior general of the Little Sisters of St. Francis, described the anguish of her continent. In her native Kenya, a three year drought has led to epidemic hunger. When the men die, their wives are disinherited, often ostracized by church officials because they are single mothers, told their children cannot be baptized. Our burning issue is not women's ordination. It is survival.
Ethnic strife creates millions of refugees.
The natural environment is being despoiled. They reach back to the vital force that animated their ancestors, long before Christianity. They keep hope alive in their songs. To their credit, the African bishops knew this in the 1994 African Synod. The Vatican told them inculturation means following the Vatican rules.