France - Congo/Twinning Brazzaville - Grenoble enters a new dimension
The twinning arrangement between Grenoble-Vienne and Brazzaville is gaining new momentum. Officially signed in 2021, it is rooted in a long tradition of exchanges and is now opening up in many areas: pastoral care, teaching, organization, parish life. For Brazzaville, it's an opportunity to draw inspiration from an older Church and consolidate its identity in the face of religious challenges. For Grenoble, the encounter with a young, dynamic Church brings freshness and missionary boldness. More than an institutional agreement, this twinning is a genuine spiritual adventure, destined to renew the way we live and proclaim the Gospel.
When you travel from one continent to another, you realize how universal the Church is: everywhere you go, you feel at home. Dioceses have long been forging fraternal relationships. Today, these exchanges are taking on a new dimension, with privileged links between communities. Such is the case between Grenoble-Vienne and Brazzaville. A delegation from Brazzaville is visiting Isère to deepen this twinning. I'm delighted to welcome Mgr Bienvenu Manamika Bafouakouahou, Archbishop of Brazzaville, Fr. Vincent Massengo, vicar general and parish priest of Sacré-Coeur Cathedral, Mrs. Mélanie Marie-Bernadette Makanga, head of the "Marriage and Family" commission, Mr. Raoul Sika, director of the "L'Ecole de l'Université de Brazzaville". Raoul Sika, Director of Catholic Education, as well as Fr. Emmanuel Decaux, who is accompanying the delegation.
After a busy first few days, how are you finding these meetings? Is this, for some, their first visit to France - or to Grenoble? Monsignor, welcome: how are these first contacts going?
Mgr Bienvenu Manamika Bafouakouahou
Happy to be here. It's not the first time I've been here, but this mission is a special one: it's all about strengthening the links between Brazzaville and Grenoble. We're discovering and confirming what's already been achieved, and we're also seeing what needs to be "dusted off" to make the most of it. My impressions are very positive, and those of my colleagues too.
Stéphane Debusschère, RCF
Ms. Makanga, how have you spent your first few days in Isère?
Mélanie Marie-Bernadette Makanga
We've been made very welcome. It's been a fruitful stay: we're working, sharing and learning from each other. It's a joy.
Stéphane Debusschère, RCF
In the space of a fortnight, you'll get to know many different pastoral realities. Father Vincent, first impressions? Is this your first visit to Isère?
P. Vincent Massengo
I'm sometimes called "the black Breton": I served for eleven years in the archdiocese of Rennes, Dol and Saint-Malo. This is my fourth visit here. I first came to visit a priest friend, then during a convalescence visit by the archbishop. Now I feel a bit 'used' to Isère... and never disappointed.
Stéphane Debusschère, RCF
Mr. Sika, you're new to Isère. What are your first impressions, as the meetings with the local Catholic teaching community get underway?
Raoul Sika
I'm a happy man. I'm learning a lot and looking forward to exchanging with my counterparts: sharing, comparing practices, capitalizing on training. I come with thirst and curiosity.
Stéphane Debusschère, RCF
Père Decaux, a word of history for our listeners?
P. Emmanuel Decaux
The twinning was officially signed on November 21, 2021, but priests from Brazzaville have been serving here for almost twenty-five years: a long tradition of partnership. The signing, initiated by Mgr Guy de Kerimel and Mgr Bienvenu, recognized this collaboration as a gift from God. After a period of transition, this visit marks a key stage: the twinning is now to take root throughout the life of the diocese - services, parishes, communities.
Stéphane Debusschère, RCF
Monsignor, in 2023 your Church will celebrate 140 years since the Spiritans began their "second" evangelization. What do you expect today from a link with an older diocese like ours? What's in it for the Congolese people?
Mgr Bienvenu Manamika Bafouakouahou
The 140th anniversary is a reminder of a missionary revival (after attempts in the 15th century). We're on the move, searching. Twinning takes us out of autarky, broadens our horizons, opens doors: ecclesial structuring, liturgy, management, training... A large basket from which to draw, in the fluidity of a now officialized link.
Stéphane Debusschère, RCF
Father Vincent, beyond structures, do these exchanges affect the daily spiritual life of the faithful?
P. Vincent Massengo
Certainly. The Church is the people of God. Through twinning, the communities of Grenoble-Vienne and Brazzaville enter into real communion. Friendship is nourished by encounters: young people, parishes, services... We're just passing through, but we hope that this friendship willed by God will be passed on from generation to generation, for His glory and our salvation.
Stéphane Debusschère, RCF
Ms. Makanga, what concrete contribution can this link make to your "Marriage and Family" mission?
Mélanie Marie-Bernadette Makanga
Our exchanges with the family ministry here are very stimulating. Everyone has something to offer: tools, training, leadership experience. It's a real give-and-take.
Stéphane Debusschère, RCF
Could we imagine conferences or cross-training sessions?
Mélanie Marie-Bernadette Makanga
Yes, and we're already seeing this in our ongoing work: such cooperation is a natural part of twinning.
Stéphane Debusschère, RCF
Mr. Sika, what are your expectations for Catholic education?
Raoul Sika
We're working on a common project. To build an effective school, we need to build bridges: exchanging, sharing and supporting each other. I'm looking forward to concrete, win-win partnerships.
Stéphane Debusschère, RCF
Père Decaux, many expectations... and the need to structure them?
P. Emmanuel Decaux
Yes. We've already worked on the economy with the diocese's administration and HR. There's what we see - pastoral and financial issues - and what God inspires: a friendship that opens the heart to Scripture, like the disciples of Emmaus. Twinning is first and foremost a work of God: it shapes the way we bear witness to the Gospel today.
Stéphane Debusschère, RCF
Monsignor, is meeting a secularized Church like ours an asset for you as a young Church?
Mgr Bienvenu Manamika Bafouakouahou
It's a real challenge. Secularization is part of a global movement. Here at home, other "aggressions" are shaking up the faith: the rise of Pentecostal communities, religious plurality. Looking at Europe urges us to prevent and consolidate our Catholic identity. Here, faith is sometimes "purified" by abundance and the question of meaning; at home, it can be fervent but fraught with confusion. Contact helps us to refine, purify and stand firm.
Stéphane Debusschère, RCF
Father Decaux, in return, what does the encounter with these realities bring to our diocese?
P. Emmanuel Decaux
Many people have been impressed by the freedom and simplicity of the words of African priests. At times, it's a shock - and a salutary one. This freshness can help us, the Christians of old Europe, to rediscover the audacity of proclamation.
Stéphane Debusschère, RCF
Father Vincent, does twinning also serve to "move us", to renew our ways of doing things?
P. Vincent Massengo
Yes. Twinning is part of God's pedagogy: the Incarnation shakes things up, and Pentecost unites in diversity. Churches look at each other, learn from each other, pool their talents to better praise the Lord and serve the same mission.
Stéphane Debusschère, RCF
Monsignor, spiritually speaking, why does fraternity "far away" nourish our own faith?
Mgr Bienvenu Manamika Bafouakouahou
Routine sclerosis. Contact with others surprises and renews us. The same words of faith are lived differently: they become a mirror, a call to purify, to adjust. Jesus sends two by two: with more than one, we make fewer mistakes. Together, we make better progress towards the truth.
Stéphane Debusschère, RCF
We can therefore imagine the future of twinning "two by two", on the roads of the Congo as well as Isère: one Congolese, one Isérois...
Mgr Bienvenu Manamika Bafouakouahou
Absolutely.
Stéphane Debusschère, RCF
Thank you to the five of you. We'll be keeping you posted on the progress of this twinning project.
Mgr Bienvenu Manamika Bafouakouahou
Thank you to the diocese of Grenoble-Vienne and to RCF. May this initiative awaken and unite us.
Source: www.rcf.fr/
