The pastoral challenges of polygamy and the wider question of inculturation in the African Church are at the centre of a gathering of theologians representing the six episcopal conferences that make up the Inter-Regional Meeting of the Bishops of Southern Africa (IMBISA): Angola and São Tomé and Príncipe (CEAST), Lesotho (LCBC), Mozambique (CEM), Namibia (NCBC), South Africa, Botswana, and Eswatini (SACBC), and Zimbabwe (ZCBC).

Meeting at the Padre Pio Retreat Centre in Pretoria, South Africa, from 2 to 6 November, participants are examining how the Church can respond to African cultural realities while remaining faithful to its teaching, particularly regarding marriage, baptism and access to the sacraments.

Speaking to the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) Communications Office, the IMBISA Director explained that the workshop was prompted, in part, by the publication of the final report of Study Group 10 of the Synod on Synodality, which examined the pastoral challenges surrounding polygamy in Africa.

Addressing the reality of polygamy

The study was entrusted to the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), following discussions during the Synod, where African participants highlighted the continuing reality of polygamous marriages and the questions these raise for the Church’s sacramental and pastoral life.

The resulting document was submitted to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith before being returned to SECAM for further work and subsequently presented as the final report of Study Group 10.

Fr Enrico Parry said some bishops and Church representatives felt they had not been sufficiently consulted during the process. This prompted IMBISA to invite Sister Ester Lucas, who was involved in preparing the document, to explain its origins, development and conclusions.

“We thought, what better can we do than get one of those who were involved in authoring this document, Sister Ester Lucas, and interrogate the document?” he said.

For Fr Parry, the discussion goes beyond understanding the document. It challenges the African Church to take responsibility for addressing the pastoral circumstances of people living in polygamous unions, particularly in relation to marriage and the reception of the sacraments.

“We have to personally deal with it. We are the only people who will deal with it,” he stressed.

Beyond polygamy: the wider question of inculturation

The workshop is also examining other cultural practices that present pastoral and theological challenges for the Church in Africa.

Fr Parry cited the SACBC’s ongoing reflection on Ubungoma and the question of respect for ancestors, noting that pastoral ministers frequently face questions from communities seeking guidance on these matters.

He observed that while the bishops are taking time to examine such questions, priests and pastoral workers on the ground are often expected to provide immediate answers.

The gathering therefore seeks to consider the broader meaning of inculturation, the questions it encompasses and the responsibility for developing appropriate pastoral responses.

Listening and discerning together

The workshop combines theological presentations with group discussions using the Conversation in the Spirit methodology, encouraging participants to listen to one another, share experiences and discern possible ways forward.

Contributions include Sr Ester Lucas’s presentation on the SECAM document on polygamy and its pastoral implications, and Fr Ian Chitambo OMI’s presentation on inculturation, its challenges in Africa and the future of African Christianity.

The workshop, which concludes on 6 November, seeks to strengthen theological reflection and pastoral discernment among the six episcopal conferences.

For Fr Parry, the gathering is an opportunity for the Church in Southern Africa to engage seriously with the realities of its people and take responsibility for addressing the cultural and pastoral questions arising within its own communities.