The U.S. Bishops approved making permanent their Subcommittee on the
Church in Africa and the hiring of two people to assist the subcommittee
in carrying out its work.
The Bishops in 2004 had formed an ad hoc subcommittee to determine the
needs of the Catholic Church on the continent of Africa.
In 2007, they
created a temporary subcommittee as part of a restructuring of the U.S.
Conference of Catholic Bishops.
That temporary status was extended in
2010, but was expiring this year.
The subcommittee works as part of the Committee on National Collections
and oversees the voluntary Solidarity Fund for the Church in Africa.
From the fund the U.S. bishops give grants to support pastoral projects
in Africa that support the growth of the church, such as leadership
training, church administration, evangelization, communications, and
justice and peace.
As the subcommittee's chairman, Cardinal-designate Joseph W. Tobin, the
Indianapolis Archbishop recently named archbishop of Newark, New Jersey,
said $20 million had been distributed to Bishops' conferences in Africa
thanks to the Solidarity Fund.
To date, 69 U.S. dioceses contribute to
that fund, either through a collection or some other means.