From January 25 to February 1, 2026, the 13th Plenary Assembly of ACERAC (Association of Episcopal Conferences of Central Africa) was held in N'Djamena, the capital of Chad. It brought together the bishops of the following six countries: Cameroon, Congo, Gabon, the Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, and Chad. These bishops meet every three years, and this year's theme was: "The Challenges of the Church, Family of God in Africa, 30 Years after Ecclesia in Africa," the apostolic exhortation written by John Paul II.
In addition to the bishops from these six countries, those present included Canadian Cardinal Michael Czerny, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and special envoy of the Holy See (representing Pope Leo XIV), as well as Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, President of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM). Besides Cardinal Ambongo, several of the bishops present had already come to Rougemont to attend our study sessions on Economic Democracy, including Bishop Samuel Kleda of Cameroon and Bishop Jean Vincent Ondo of Gabon, along with two others who had also previously visited Rougemont.
Mr. Philbert Bagilimana, representative of the Pilgrims of Saint Michael and of the Louis Even Institute of Canada, also took part in the opening of this ACERAC assembly, where he presented the mission of the Institute: the promotion of Economic Democracy, founded on justice, human dignity, and the common good. He addressed a heartfelt appeal to the bishops and archbishops present.
On January 30, in partnership with the Centre for Research in Socio-Economic and Political Studies, the Louis Even Institute invited the academic community to a high-level conference at the University of N'Djamena, moderated by Dr. Alfred de Hamadi. President Bagilimana also answered questions from the media about the Institute and Economic Democracy.
From February 2 to 9, Mr. Bagilimana then travelled to Cotonou, in Benin, to represent MICHAEL. As part of the expansion of the Louis Even Institute in West Africa, an official mission was carried out in Cotonou to strengthen the organization's presence, reinforce institutional relations, and organize a regional congress under the auspices of the Association of Episcopal Conferences of Central Africa.
Below is the text of the address delivered by Mr. Bagilimana in N'Djamena at the opening of the 13th Plenary Assembly of ACERAC.
Your Eminences, Your Excellencies, Reverend Fathers and Sisters, dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
We convey to you the greetings of the General Directorate of the Louis Even Institute of Canada for Social Justice and assure you of its ever-growing closeness with the Church in the Central African sub-region.
In a world where inequalities are increasing, where the economy often becomes an instrument of exclusion rather than of communion, it is urgent that Christians rediscover their voice, their mission, and their courage. The message of the Gospel is not foreign to economic realities: it transforms structures of sin into structures that promote human dignity.
The Louis Even Institute of Canada was founded to promote Economic Democracy, based on justice, the dignity of the human person, and the common good. This vision rests on simple yet powerful principles: every human being has a right to the goods necessary for life, not as a favour, but as a natural right that society must guarantee.
In the spirit of the Church's social teaching, we believe that a healthy economy is an economy at the service of the human person, not the other way around. It must allow everyone to participate fully in social, family, and spiritual life, without being crushed by poverty, insecurity, or exclusion.
This is why we make an appeal to all the fathers present here and to all people of good will: help us form, in your dioceses, missionaries of the Church's social teaching as promoted through Economic Democracy! Let us commit ourselves to implementing these values in our dioceses in order to combat poverty in all its forms.
Christians must become informed, become indignant, and become involved in turning the tide against injustice. They must understand these injustices in order to fight them effectively. Through our training sessions on Economic Democracy, you will discover the root causes of poverty, but above all concrete and realistic solutions, rooted in the Church's social doctrine. Justice and peace are not slogans: they are responsibilities.
We believe it is possible to unite spirituality and action, faith and economics, charity and justice. The disciple of Christ is also a builder of justice, and this begins with enlightened education in economic life. We place at your disposal Father Clément Aboudi, ACERAC expert and regional coordinator of the Louis Even Institute, as well as Professor Pierre Thibaut Bata, permanent secretary, for bishops who would like to pursue this formation in Canada.
We therefore invite you to join our training programs, and we remain at your disposal at all times. May your faith become a light within the structures of this world, and may your commitment contribute ever more to building a more fraternal society.
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God." (Mt 5:9) Praised be Jesus Christ!