«We hope the Congress will mark a historic milestone in the way we conceive our mission and charism among the beloved faithful of Africa.» Br. Agostinho Augusto, OFMCap.
From 1 to 6 February 2027, the Friars Minor Capuchins in Africa will host the Pan-African Congress in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Congress, which is expected to contribute to the “future journey of the Capuchins” in Africa and to “become a significant moment for the animation of other parts of the world,” has already begun to resonate strongly in various circumscriptions across the continent, with initial preparations already underway.
Following the convocation of the Pan-African meeting by the General Minister, Br. Roberto Genuin, on 20 January 2026, CAMSA gathered to outline the major steps to be taken towards the celebration of the Pan-African Congress. In a letter addressed to all the brothers in Africa, the CAMSA President, Br. Arnold Shirima, stated that the Commission has so far been engaged in “approving the budget, authorizing the final version of the logo, the prayer, the timetable, and the questionnaires prepared by the resource personnel.”
Alongside this work, both the Commission and the Assembly have been working on establishing timelines for the distribution of the questionnaires, the collection of feedback, the compilation and summarization of responses, and their submission to the resource personnel. So far, the various circumscriptions in Africa are working on their responses to the questionnaires, which are expected to be submitted to the Commission by 30 April 2026.
In the meantime, a Communication Commission, composed of five brothers, is working tirelessly to gather information from across the circumscriptions, produce multimedia content, and publish all relevant information on the CAMSA website (www.camsafrica.org) and other African social media platforms created specifically for the Pan-African meeting and other related events to come.
Currently, the Communication team is focused on providing information to all the brothers and engaging, in particular, the houses of formation scattered across the vast continent. The aim is to encourage the involvement of many young brothers and challenge them to contribute with articles, videos, and other content useful for promoting the event among the friars. As Br. Agostinho Augusto, Communication Director, puts it: “Our aim is to ensure that no brother remains unaware or left behind with regard to participation in this important event among the Capuchins in Africa, which we hope will mark a historic milestone in the way we conceive our mission and charism among the beloved faithful of Africa.”
Regarding the timeline established by the Assembly, some circumscriptions have already begun submitting their responses to the relevant Commission, while others are still in progress. Although there are challenges related to communication, efforts are being made at both the CAMSA and Commission levels to overcome these obstacles and ensure a smooth flow of information and work.