Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2003. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
 |
afrol News - July 29, 2003
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Douglas Williams, on his first-ever pastoral journey is currently touring the Anglican Church Province of West Africa, including Ghana, Sierra Leone and The Gambia. In The Gambia, a predominantly Muslim country, an estimated 9.1 percent of the population is Christian.
According to Mr Rosenthal of the Anglican Communion News Service, reporting from The Gambia, today had been "one of the most dramatic moments" on the Archbishop's 24-30 July visit to West Africa. Mr Williams had visited a refugee centre run by the local diocese.
Archbishop Rowan had "showed signs of being deeply moved at the Centre," Mr Rosenthal said. The Archbishop was quoted saying: "May your experience as refugees be a thing of the past. I promise these concerns will not be forgotten." Mr Rowan further praised the diocese for "being at the forefront of the work." He then said that he hoped the centre would become "a challenge and reproach" for concerned people around the Communion.
A 27-year-old man from Sierra Leone pleaded with Archbishop Rowan to use his "high office" to plead the cause of displaced persons. But when Judah, aged 8, eloquently addressed the Archbishop's party, women - some carrying babies - began crying and sobbing as the young child told of her fellow Liberians that had been victims of 'rape, torture and death'.
Later in the morning Archbishop Williams and his wife, Jane Williams, along with the Accra-based Archbishop of the Province, Robert Okine, were received by The Gambia's President and several government officials.
President Yahya Jammeh - a devoted Muslim - paid tribute to the work of the Anglican Church in The Gambia with special reference to the diocesan bishop, Reverend Dr Tilewa Johnson.
The visit in The Gambia is to continue with the dedication of a new church in Serrekunda - outside the capital Banjul, the country's major town - and tomorrow with an interfaith meeting at Bishopscourt.
At the visit with the President of The Gambia it was emphasised Mr Jammeh that The Gambia was "a secular state" where those of different religious persuasions lived with a high level of "tolerant and respect for each other." Archbishop Williams called the interfaith co-operation level here "a worth-while model".
The Archbishop was further reported to have received a warm and high profile greeting at his arrival on Monday night in Sierra Leone. Earlier on Monday, in Freetown, a busy programme included Mrs Williams greeting over 100 Mothers' Union members at St George's Cathedral, while at the same time Archbishop Rowan answered questions from clergy and other lay leaders from the diocese, as well as from the diocese of Bo.
One of the other most dramatic moments during the Pastoral visit came when the delegation entered Elmina Castle in Cape Coast (Ghana) and were immediately confronted with a building that was used as a prison, where slaves were kept before being sent off to other parts of the world. The Archbishop called the perpetrators of slavery "sick" and spoke of "the shame of those in Europe" that were instruments of this terror.
Mr Williams also condemned "old and new forms of slavery" when visiting the historical monument of Elmina: "There is the slavery of poverty, the slavery of injustice, the slavery of greed - both sexual and financial, the slavery caused by the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and the slavery of violence in which bitterness and revenge can be guaranteed to keep people captive forever, unless delivered by truth and reconciliation."
030729
AO030701
Copyright © 2003 - afrol News. All rights reserved. Reproducing or buying afrol News' articles.
AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Boehringer Ingelheim, Bridgestone/Firestone Charitable Trust, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Elton John AIDS Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, and donations from users like you. Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2003. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 2003. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .