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East Africa Catholic bishops commit to young people as pastoral priority for next 4 years

July 20, 2026 · 1 min read

NAIROBI — The Catholic bishops of Eastern Africa have committed the next four years of their regional pastoral mission to accompanying young people, making them their top pastoral priority as they seek to strengthen the Church through listening, dialogue, and synodal accompaniment in one of the worldʼs youngest regions.

Announcing the decision during the opening Eucharistic celebration of the 21st Plenary Assembly of the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) on July 19, Bishop Charles Sampa Kasonde said the bishops had intentionally adopted this pastoral focus because young people are central to the future of both the Church and society.

“We, the bishops of the AMECEA region, make young people our pastoral priority over the next four years for three reasons,” Kasonde, the AMECEA chairman, said during the Eucharistic celebration at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) in Kenya’s Archdiocese of Nairobi (ADN).

Kasonde, who is also bishop of Zambia’s Catholic Diocese of Solwezi said the first objective of the four-year pastoral commitment is to strengthen young peopleʼs sense of belonging to the Church.

He explained that the…

Source: Catholic News Agency · Read the full story →

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Samuel Taylor

Good to see the bishops making young people the clear focus for the next four years. The bit about strengthening their sense of belonging to the Church is spot on — a lot of the young adults I see at our parish group in Sydney feel a bit adrift. Hope the listening and dialogue part actually leads to real mentoring and not just more meetings.

Вера Беляева

In Novosibirsk we also have a lot of young people in church, but often they come once and then disappear. It is good that the bishops decided to spend four years listening and strengthening belonging to the Church, and not just holding events. I wonder how they will do this in practice in Africa, where there are so many young people.

Виктор Кузнецов

It also happens here in Krasnodar that young people come to the service once or twice and disappear. The main thing is that the bishops did not just declare a priority, but that they are going to listen and strengthen belonging for four years - these are no longer one-time actions. I wonder if they will be able to establish real circles or mentoring in Africa, and not just large meetings. Have you tried something similar in Novosibirsk for those who “disappear”?

George Collins

Yeah, that sense of belonging hits home. Our parish youth group here in Portland has a few young adults who drift in and out, but the ones who stick around usually do so because an older guy takes them under his wing for coffee or helps with chess club. Hoping the bishops push for that kind of one-on-one time instead of just another listening session. What kind of mentoring has worked in your Sydney group?