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PASTORAL LETTERS
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ADDRESS
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16 Link Road,
Mount Pleasant
P.O. BOX 320 Mt. Pleasant
Tel/Fax: +263-4-745 Ext 150
website@afcast.org.zw
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ABOUT US
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The African Forum for Catholic Social Teachings
(AFCAST) is a diverse group of Catholics involved in the field of the
Catholic Church's social teachings. We see a mutuality between the
Catholic Social Teachings and the wisdom of the peoples of Eastern
and Southern Africa. We come
together to share our knowledge and experiences with each other,
seeking ways to promote and popularise the social teachings within
the African Church and society and for Africa's rich and diverse
cultural traditions to contribute to and inform the social teachings.
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Our Aim
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To stimulate, support, and strengthen the capacity of
individuals and institutions involved in the field of social teachings,
focusing our activities on Eastern and Southern Africa regions in order
to bring these teachings to life at all levels of the church and
society. We work closely with existing church structures and
collaborate with others in related areas. We value the support for all
people of good will from within and outside our region.
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Guiding Principles
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• To discover what it means to be
socially concerned in the African context
• To be sensitive to the sensibilities
and peculiarities of each region
• To listen and observe what is
happening at the level of the local church, economically, socially, and
politically
• To place the social teachings
prominently in all development work and pastoral activities
• To have an ethical sense, public
conscience, and social commitment to transforming the world in the
spirit of the Gospel message
• To respect the obligations of
stewardship of God's creation
• To work in partnership and dialogue
with all others in the social teachings field
• To value the contribution of others
in this field
• To focus the activities of AFCAST
where they are most needed at any given time
• To find ways to bridge the gap
between the Church leadership's knowledge of the social teachings and
their practices on the ground
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A Brief History...
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The relationship between the African Church
and the social teachings has come under the spotlight many times by
numerous scholars. The relationship is a complex one, involving
historical issues as well as questions of culture and relevence. Why is
this relationship strained and why is there a general failure to
popularise the social teachings within African society?
These
were the questions an interested group of Catholics began exploring
with the assistance of MISEREOR in Nairobi in July 1999. subsequent
meetings were held in Dar-es-Salaam (November 1999), Cape
Town (February 2000) and Harare (July 2000).
Those
present recognised the importance of implementing strategies to bring
to life the social teachings within the African Church.
Thus, the African Forum for Catholic Social Teachings was born.
Generously funded by MISEREOR, AFCAST was officially launched on
October 30th, 2001 at Arrupe Jesuit College of Philosophy and
Humanities in Harare,
Zimbabwe.
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