“Coming together to discern what God is telling us today, not only to meet challenging needs with certainty, but also to make African dreams come true (social, cultural, ecological and ecclesial dreams) is already a sign of an outgoing African Church,” Pope Francis said in a July 19 video message to the 2nd Pan-African Catholic Congress on Theology, Society and Pastoral Life (conference videos).

“Bring out the best of you in these reflections so that the result will be a surprise, so that that African creation that surprises us all can be born,” the Pope added. “Because Africa is poetry.”