QUITTE TON PAYS: CONSECRATED PERSONS AND THE CHALLENGES OF FAMILY OBLIGATIONS IN CONTEMPORARY AFRICA

Résumé

Pope Francis, in October 8, 2013, announced that in October 2014 there would be an Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on topics related to the family and evangelization. In the year 2015, the Roman Pontiff called for the XIV Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in October, which would continue the work of the III Extraordinary General Assembly by reflecting further on the points discussed so as to formulate appropriate pastoral guidelines for the pastoral care of the person and the family. Alongside these developments in the area of the family, Pope Francis, announced that 2015 would be the Year of Consecrated Life, and since November 2014 Religious Institutes and Societies of Apostolic Life all over the world have been putting in great effort at making this year a period of renewal. It is from these developments, in the areas of the family and consecrated life that this paper thinks it worthy to reflect on the relationship between Consecrated Persons and their families. The relationship between Consecrated persons and their families considered in this work is limited to their natural obligation to care for their aged or sick parents. This, therefore concerns how they can fully live out their vocation of “leaving their father’s house and country” and still be attentive to the fundamental obligation of honoring their parents.