Speaking at the opening Mass of the Assembly at the Christ the King church in Accra, the Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization at the Vatican, Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle, told the congregation that no one ever stopped learning unless the person was dead.  He said that life was always full of challenges and learning opportunities and no one could say that he or she knew it all.

He told the Priests that they had been called to be disciples to shepherd God's people and should not pretend to be fully formed. He reminded them that a disciple was a student who was ready to learn from Jesus. He said that they had been given the authority to evangelise with unconditional and unselfish love to the whole world.

Cardinal Tagle admonished them to dwell in the trinity and promote peace, care for the hungry and homeless as they also learned from God's people.  He remarked that the Assembly was a time to gather around Jesus and forge ahead in unity.

Speaking again during the opening ceremony, Cardinal Tagle, who represented the Pope, said that when security was militarised and ideologised, the world became insecure.  He emphasised that true security came when people were treated as brothers and sisters; when people were treated equally;

when migrants were welcomed, protected and integrated into our communities.  He noted that some of the basic needs of humanity were peace and joy and urged SECAM to help bring about security so people could feel secured and protected in their environments.

In his speech, the President of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo also noted that security was very important for the growth of a country. He re-iterated the call to create a conducive environment that would curtail migration of our young people to other countries.

He noted that education of citizens and the separation of powers  was very crucial in the development of a nation.  He intimated that there was religious harmony in Ghana which was also a plus for the country.

The President of SECAM, Phillippe Cardinal Nakellentuba Ouedraogo, who declared the Plenary opened, noted with concern that the disturbances on the continent had worsened. He called on the nations to pull their resources together to help resolve the crises on the continent and encouraged priests to reach out more to the youth to help bring about a change in their attitudes.

The Prefect of the Dicastery for Communication at the Holy See, Paolo Ruffini, reminded the people of God to pay particular attention to the needs of people, especially young people, “to develop a sound critical sense, learning to distinguish truth from falsehood, right from wrong, good from evil, and to appreciate the importance of working for justice, social concord, and respect for our common home.”

In his speech which was delivered by Msgr Janvier Yameogo, also at the Dicastery of Communication, Vatican, he noted that communication was not just a profession, but a service for dialogue and mutual understanding between individuals and communities for the pursuit of a serene and peaceful co-existence.

There were solidarity messages from the Bishops' Conferences of the US, Europe and Latin America as well as the Catholic Relief Services. They all stressed the need to improve the African economies so that the youth will be encouraged to stay in their countries and not migrate.

Earlier on the Archbishop of the Accra diocese, Most Rev. John Bonaventure Kwofie as well as the President of the Ghana Bishops Conference, Most Rev Phillip Naameh had welcomed the Bishops to Accra and wished them fruitful deliberations.

SECAM was born out of the desire of the African Bishops who attended the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) to establish a forum from which the Church in Africa could speak with one voice on matters of the local and universal Church. The idea was later concretised in July 1969, during the visit of Pope Paul VI to Kampala, Uganda. Being the first time that a Pope was visiting sub-Saharan Africa, African Bishops saw it as a fitting occasion to launch the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM).