ACI Africa Editorial Team

By ACI Africa Editorial Team

Nairobi, 26 July, 2026 / 8:58 pm (ACI Africa).

At the conclusion of their weeklong Plenary Assembly in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, Catholic Bishops of the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) have adopted 10 pastoral priorities to accompany young people, including stronger faith formation, expanded mental health and psycho-social support, and greater engagement in the digital age.

The commitments are contained in a communiqué read out on Sunday, July 26, by Bishop Martin Anwel Mtumbuka of Malawi’s Karonga Catholic Diocese at the conclusion of the Closing Mass of the 21st AMECEA Plenary Assembly at St. Mary’s Msongari grounds of the Catholic Archdiocese of Nairobi (ADN). The Eucharistic celebration was presided over by the newly elected AMECEA Chairman, Archbishop Gervas John Nyaisonga of Tanzania’s Catholic Archdiocese of Mbeya. 

Credit: ACI Africa/AMECEA

Held from July 19–26 at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) under the theme, “AMECEA’s Synodal Journey with Young People: Building Bridges of Communion, Hope, Justice and Good Governance,” the Assembly brought together more than 100 Catholic Bishops from Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia, and beyond, including the Bishop of Djibouti Diocese as an affiliate country. Priests, women and men Religious, lay delegates, young people, and partners also participated in the gathering. 

Michael Cardinal Czerny, the Prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development (DPIHD), represented the Vatican, while Bishop John Curtis Iffert of the Catholic Diocese of Covington, Kentucky, represented the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).