Recently CIDJAP participated in an international conference on “Caritas in Veritate”. It was held at Ghana institute for Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) Accra between 25th and 29th September, 2010.
The participants were drawn from different countries in Africa. The institute was represented by the deputy director, Rev. Fr. Christian Nwatu.
There were seven sessions in the conference and about nineteen paper presentations. The paper presentations covered various fields of life ranging from politics, economics, governance, wars and reconciliations, e.t.c. group discussions were also held and at the end, the participants came up with some resolutions.
It recognized that “Caritas in Veritate” and Social Teaching of the Church are neither readily accessible nor familiar or understood by most faithful and that development in Africa is not people-centered and not sufficiently guided by the social teaching of the church.
The conference recommended that the church in Africa should endeavour to make “Caritas in Veritate” the basis of African Development and the elimination of poverty.
African political leaders and public officials should be encouraged to adopt the church’s social teaching and make it applicable to their leadership.
Economic operators should desist from marginalizing and depriving the poor of their right to decent work and wages.
African laity and church personnel should by their lifestyle exemplify the values of modesty, justice and charity enshrined in the Church’s teaching.
The church should encourage the international communities to demonstrate greater justice and charity in their relations with Africa.
The commission should support National, Regional and continental iniatives to follow up the implementation of “Caritas in Veritate”.
