Cardinal Jean Pierre Kutwa at the opening of the diocesan synod at Saint Paul’s Cathedral in Abidjan/Communication Office
News facts
The diocese of Abidjan closed its pastoral year 2021-2022 with a mass at Saint-Paul du Plateau Cathedral on Wednesday June 29. Satisfied with the work of his pastoral agents this year, the Archbishop of Abidjan, Cardinal Jean Pierre Kutwa urged them “not to despair of (their) Church, nor of God who knows where he is going with her and us with”.
At the end of the pastoral year 2021-2022, “there are many achievements and it is only at these achievements that I would like to stop”said Cardinal Jean Pierre Kutwa, Archbishop of Abidjan “convinced that every man is perfectible and capable of raising the bar at any time “.
In the homily of the mass which he presided over on Wednesday June 29 at Saint Paul’s Cathedral in Abidjan-Plateau, the Archbishop of Abidjan also said he was convinced that if his pastoral agents decide to really live together, to carry out the same projects for their faithful, in a synodal perspective, “there is no reason that God should not give us the means to achieve our goals”.
“Love and truth meet, justice and peace kiss”, was the theme of this pastoral year which ended on Wednesday 29 June. This theme responded to a desire to deepen faith in order to impact the living together of the local Church. “located in an environment that goes far beyond the borders of our churches and other places of worship”.
The theme of the pastoral year renewed
At the Saint Michel Archange parish in Mpouto, where he is vicar, Father Joseph Yéo claims to have spent “a superb year that we have based on love, truth, justice, and peace which are the four virtues which are the compasses of the spiritual life”.
In the first part of the pastoral year, he explains, the priestly team worked to bring together movements and associations with the same spirituality. “in love around the Truth which is Christ”. During Lent, the virtues of justice and peace were at the center of the retreats and teachings until the end of the pastoral year.
While the theme of the pastoral year has been renewed for the next year, the priest “happy with this choice like many pastoral agents”believes that it will give them the opportunity to go deeper into the discovery and teaching of these virtues.
“do not despair of your Church or of God”
As every year in this Ivorian diocese, the pastoral year ends on the feast of Saints Peter and Paul. In the eyes of the cardinal who commented on the figure of these two apostles, if the Church wanted to bring them together in a single feast, “Isn’t it because they are the symbol of what she is: both a solid rock and a boat launched to conquer the world? »
To read: In Abidjan, Cardinal Kutwa urges the clergy to persevere
Thus, at the end of this pastoral year, he urged his clergy “not to despair either of (their) Church, or of God who knows where he is going with her and us with! », assured that “despite the opposition of men, the Church is growing and it will always be so! »
“the challenges ahead of us”
For the clergy of Abidjan, there is still a long way to go and presupposes that they are always ready to take up the challenges that await us. “One of them is undoubtedly the question of our intimate relationship with Jesus based on what we know about him, but also on his deep identity”explains the cardinal.
Commenting on the words of Jesus to Peter, the Archbishop of Abidjan, made “noting that this last sentence: “whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” does not make Peter and his successors , men now all-powerful! »
Guy Aimé Eblotié
Ivory Coast: Cardinal Kutwa satisfied with the work of his pastoral agents