By Pierre-Paul Dossekpli

Plenary Council 2026, Lagos, Nigeria

On the fifth day of the Plenary Council, Fr. Dennis Senyo Etti presented PACEM — Partnership, Collaboration, and Empowerment. Approached by the SMA Media, Fr. Jean-François Bergeron, Superior of the Canadian District, admitted he was perplexed at first: “Why a foundation?” He was asking what every serious missionary leader should ask when something new is proposed in the name of mission: Is this necessary? Does it serve the Gospel? Does it serve the people we are sent to?

These are fair questions. What follows is an honest attempt to answer them.

The Answer Begins With a Question of Its Own

The Social Doctrine of the Church does not begin with structures. It begins with a question: WHY? Why are people poor? Why do communities lack clean water, schools, healthcare? Why do the marginalized remain at the margins even when well-meaning people try to help?

“Feeding the poor is important — it is an act of compassion. But asking WHY they are poor is more important — it is an act of justice. Compassion without justice treats symptoms; justice without compassion forgets the person.” Fr. Chibuzor Okakpu

This is the theological ground on which PACEM was built. Officially established on March 18, 2024, and approved by the Plenary Council 2022, PACEM is not simply a fundraising office. It is a structured response to the Church’s call to move beyond charity toward justice — from managing poverty to eradicating its causes. Charity is temporal. Justice is permanent.

A Spirit of Solidarity: The Voice from Central Africa

Perhaps no voice at the Plenary Council captured the essence of PACEM more powerfully than that of Fr. Lion Auxence Nguina, Superior of the Central African Republic District.

For Fr. Lion, PACEM represents the spirit of solidarity — the sign that missionaries in the most fragile corners of the world are not alone. The Central African Republic is marked by conflict, displacement, and poverty. And yet its missionaries continue their work, often with very little.

His most pressing concern is health — not grand infrastructure, but something immediate and human: improving an existing health center to better serve the local population. A modest request, rooted in a deep knowledge of what his people need most.

“PACEM represents the spirit of solidarity — and in the health sector, we have the greatest need. We want to improve our existing health center to better serve our people.” Fr. Lion Auxence Nguina, SMA · Superior, Central African Republic District

Solidarity, the Church reminds us, is not a feeling. It is a firm commitment to the common good. PACEM is being built to make it possible.

Coordination, Competence, and Accountability

Fr. Fabian Gborstsu, Superior of the Netherlands District, offered a structural reading: “A structure to coordinate projects well.” And then the harder question: “Are those who spend the money competent?”

The point is that good intentions without good management fail communities and erode donor trust. PACEM’s procedures address this directly: projects originate from the units, pass through staff examination, value-for-money auditing, board approval, and post-execution reporting. Administrative costs are capped, keeping the vast majority of funds directed to the mission.

The corporate values are not decorative: transparency, accountability, and truth. PACEM holds itself accountable not only to those who give, but to those who receive — a reversal of the typical charity model, and a more honest one.

A Foundation for Mission, Not Despite It

“It is good to have a foundation like this.”

— Fr. Jean-François Bergeron, SMA · Superior, Canada District

The question of why a foundation and this affirmation are not in contradiction. They are part of the same honest conversation missionary leadership must have — asking hard questions, demanding accountability, and ultimately committing to structures that serve the mission more effectively.

PACEM is young. It has much to learn. But it is grounded in something solid: the Social Doctrine of the Church, the 160-year witness of the SMA in Africa, and the spirit of solidarity Fr. Lion so movingly named in Lagos.

Why a foundation?

Because the poor deserve more than our compassion.

They deserve our best thinking, our most honest structures,

and our most faithful collaboration.

That is what PACEM is being built to offer.

About PACEM

PACEM (Partnership, Collaboration and Empowerment in Mission) is the development foundation of the Society of African Missions, established in Rome in 2024. It supports social and development projects across Africa and beyond, grounded in the principles of the Catholic Church’s Social Doctrine.