Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction : the Synod as ecclesial conversation / Agbonkhianmeghe E. Orobator -- Church-family of God : the place of God's reconciliation, justice, and peace / Teresa Okure -- On speaking terms : African religion and Christianity in dialogue / Laurenti Magesa -- Language, politics, and religious dialogue : the case of Kiswahili in Eastern Africa / Festo Mkenda -- The word of God as transformative power in reconciling African Christians / Paul Béré -- Small Christian communities : promoters of reconciliation, justice, and peace in Eastern Africa / Joseph G. Healey -- Inventing creative approaches to complex systems of injustice : a new call for a vigilant and engaged church / Elias Omondi Opongo -- Toward a new social configuration? The role of the Catholic Church in the public sphere / Yvon Christian Elenga -- Governance beyond rhetoric : the South African challenge to the African Synod / Anthony Egan -- Agent of reconciliation, justice, and peace : the church in Africa in an era of globalization / Odomaro Mubangizi -- "Woman, you are set free!" Women and discipleship in the church / Anne Arabome -- Come, let us talk this over : on the condition of women religious in the church / Ngozi Frances Uti -- The African Synod for those of us who stayed at home / David Kaulem -- Theology, ecology, and Africa : no longer strange bedfellows / Peter Knox -- "Let us first feed the children" (Mark 7:27) : the church's response to the inequitable extraction of resources and related violence / Peter Kanyandago -- The enduring scourge of poverty and evangelization in Africa / Nathaniel Yaovi Soédé -- The Second African Synod and AIDS in Africa / Michael Czerny -- Moving beyond the condom debate / Paterne-Auxence Mombé -- Africa and the challenge of foreign religious/ethical ideologies, viruses, and pathologies / Paulinus I. Odozor -- The scourge of corruption : the need for transparency and accountability / Gabriel Mmassi -- Epilogue : a balancing act : facing the challenge of implementing the directions of the Second African Synod / Peter J. Henriot.