Abstract

Christians of all denominations celebrated the final ten years of the twentieth century as a Decade of Evangelization. Contemporary African Evangelization is not only the verbal message of the Gospel, but also the propagation of Gospel values in life itself and the liturgical celebration of the Good News. In African parlance „evangelization” has a wider range of meaning. It envisages the Good News as being a social Gospel as well as a spiritual Gospel. It is a search for grace, salvation and love in the midst of human life in this word, and it includes a concern for unity among Christians of different Churches. Contemporary African Evangelization necessarily includes the conversion of human culture and the permeation of culture by Gospel values. Inculturation means the ongoing dialogue between Gospel and culture. The African Synod, opened in Rome on 10 April and ended on 8 May 1994, was an important event for the Church in the continent. It was dealing with some important themes of African Christian life: evangelization, inculturation, diologue, justice and peace, the modem communication media. On 14 September 1994 John Paul II handed over the post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation „Ecclesia in Africa”.