ACCRA, Ghana, May 6, 2026/ The Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) (www.SECAM.org), the organ of communion, consultation, and coordination of the Catholic Church in Africa and the neighboring islands, is following with deep concern the recent events in the Republic of South Africa, marked by acts of xenophobic violence against nationals of other African countries.
In these particularly grave circumstances, SECAM expresses its fraternal and ecclesial solidarity with the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) for its prophetic stance in favor of African migrants who are victims of discrimination and xenophobia. It also extends its compassion to all victims of this violence and to their families, who are enduring great hardship.
At the heart of this crisis lies a fundamental challenge to the human conscience. Biblical revelation teaches that every person is created in the image and likeness of God (Gen 1:26-27), a truth that forms the basis of the infinite dignity of every human being, regardless of origin, nationality, tribe, culture, or migratory status. SECAM forcefully reiterates that this dignity must remain the primary criterion for all social organization and public policy. Any violence directed against foreigners constitutes not only a serious assault on the human person but also a denial of the foundations of universal brotherhood and the Africa we want.
SECAM reaffirms the need for a balance between the legitimate sovereignty of States and the imperative requirement for migrants to respect the laws and customs of their host country.
As the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches:
“Political authorities, for the sake of the common good for which they are responsible, may make the exercise of the right to immigrate subject to various juridical conditions, especially with regard to the immigrants’ duties toward their country of adoption. Immigrants are obliged to respect with gratitude the material and spiritual heritage of the country that receives them, to obey its laws and to assist in carrying civic burdens.” (CCC, n. 2241).
The violence recently observed in South Africa constitutes a serious violation of African principles and continental law. It undermines the fundamental rights guaranteed by the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, including the right to life, dignity, security, and equality before the law. It also contradicts the deep values of the continent, such as African solidarity, the spirit of Ubuntu—I am because we are—and the ideals of Pan-Africanism and the African Renaissance.
In view of this situation, SECAM calls on the Government of the Republic of South Africa to take urgent, concrete, and sustainable measures to ensure the protection of all persons living within its territory, in accordance with its continental and international commitments. It urges the government to ensure impartial investigations, to identify and prosecute those responsible for these acts, to end all forms of vigilante justice, and to strengthen the legitimate authority of the State.
SECAM also calls on the African Union to fully assume its role as the guardian of continental values, to ensure the effective application of African legal instruments regarding human rights, and to encourage the establishment of prevention and warning mechanisms for xenophobic violence. The credibility of Africa, as it aspires to become a key player on the international stage, depends on it.
SECAM invites all populations to reject every form of violence, all rhetoric of hatred and stigmatization, and to refuse discourses that divide African peoples. It encourages the promotion of a culture of encounter, dialogue (palabre), and African brotherhood.
Following the example of the Good Samaritan (Lk 10:30-35), we are all called to rediscover an ethics of proximity, where the stranger is not perceived as a threat but recognized as a brother or sister for whom we are the keepers. In these critical hours, SECAM reaffirms its resolute commitment to migrants, the poor, and the most vulnerable, to promote a society based on justice, peace, and human dignity, as well as dialogue between African peoples and nations. It invites all men and women of goodwill to work tirelessly toward building a reconciled Africa, faithful to its deep vocation to be—from Cairo to Cape Town—a family of peoples united in dignity and solidarity.
Finally, SECAM assures all victims of xenophobic violence of its spiritual, pastoral, and solidary closeness: dear brothers and sisters, you are not alone; we will never abandon you!
† Fridolin Cardinal Ambongo
Archbishop of Kinshasa
President of SECAM
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM).
SOURCE
Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM)
