JCTR Bulletin 3rd Quarter 2010

The key event in the third quarter of 2010 at JCTR was the blessing of the new JCTR Offices and the installation of the new JCTR Director, Fr. Leonard Chiti, S.J., on 10 September. After working as JCTR Director for almost 20 years, Fr. Peter Henriot, S.J., handed over the directorship to Leonard. Two friends of JCTR that came for the event from Germany, Dr. Siegfried Grillmeyer and Archbishop Ludwig Schick, together with other colleagues from the UK, Zimbabwe, and Zambia had an informal session on Europe-Africa relations. The Archbishop opened the session stressing that in our relations, three major considerations are important, (i) objective knowledge of each other, (ii) prayer that leads to the recognition that we are equal as human beings and are brothers and sisters, and (iii) solidarity that transcends borders and continents. Responses from the group in the session to the suggestion of the three considerations were that knowledge should go beyond what we read in books, or what we learn in the media, to the development of personal relationships or friendships. Knowledge of Africa should be developed by Africans themselves in sharing with Europe, not knowledge developed by Europeans for Africans. Reconciliation was cited as one way of recognising the other is as equal as oneself.