The Pan-African Conference of Catholic Laity opens in Yaoundé, Cameroon on Tuesday, September 4 th . Listen to our report : Under the sponsorship of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, the gathering is bringing together participants in every state of life within the Church, from all over the continent, to discuss the theme: Being Witnesses of Jesus Christ in Africa today – salt of the earth … light of the world. The President of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, is leading the proceedings. He spoke with Vatican Radio about the goals and focus of the Conference. “First of all,” said Cardinal Rylko, “The Congress wants to awaken lay Catholics to the spirit of shared responsibility and commitment, which is essential to the mission of proclaiming Christ in the great African continent.” Cardinal Rylko went on to say, “Being missionaries and witnesses to our faith are both part of our identity as Christians,” adding, “[t]he whole Church is missionary by her very nature.” In our times, the Cardinal continued, “The evangelizing mission of the Church in Africa is facing difficult challenges, is confronted with new and, in some ways, unprecedented scenarios in the religious, social, cultural, economic and political spheres.” Cardinal Rylko identified the “reading” of those challenges and reflection on the responses that the Catholic laity African can give to them as, “one of the main objectives,” of the Congress. The Pan-African Conference of Catholic Laity closes on Sunday, September 9 th ....