WASHINGTON — The U.S. Catholic bishops were asked last week to consider formalizing for Africa the kind of economic support for pastoral programs that they now provide to the Catholic Church in Eastern Europe and Latin America.

Three committees of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the board of Catholic Relief Services are recommending opening an office to coordinate assistance efforts, creating a new bishops' committee to oversee the work and eventually establishing a regular annual collection or other funding system to support the growth of the Catholic Church in Africa.

In describing the proposal, Washington Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick said he well remembers standing before the bishops in years past to seek similar support for the church in Eastern Europe and Latin America. Particularly in Eastern Europe, he said, he sees the revival of church participation, the opening of new churches and schools, and the creation of Catholic newspapers, radio and television stations as evidence of the success of the U.S. church's support.

The request for assistance for Africa "is deja vu all over again," he said.

Bishop John H. Ricard of Pensacola-Tallahassee, Fla., spoke on behalf of the committees on International Policy, Migration and African-American Catholics and the CRS board, which jointly raised the subject. He chairs the international policy committee. Cardinal McCarrick is a member of or a consultant to all three committees and the CRS board.

Bishop Ricard said he understands that many U.S. dioceses are spread thin financially. But he compared their situation to a parish he visited recently in Kinshasa, Congo, where several thousand people stood outside in the rain for Sunday Mass and thousands more packed the church.

"The parish lacks the resources to adequately prepare catechumens, provide for the ongoing Christian education of children and adults and support its priests," Bishop Ricard said.

The new assistance would supplement the work of CRS, which spends $140 million in programs for humanitarian relief, agricultural development, health care, conflict resolution and developing justice and peace programs. CRS does not provide funding for pastoral programs.

Bishop Ricard said the number of Catholics in Africa will grow from a current 126 million to 228 million by 2025. Already, churches are overflowing in many countries and crowded seminaries must turn away good candidates for the priesthood.

In countries including Sudan and Congo, churches, schools, hospitals and pastoral centers have been destroyed and church leaders killed in wars, Bishop Ricard continued. In other countries, particularly in southern Africa, the church spends much of its resources to provide pastoral care to communities where HIV/AIDS affects up to 40 percent of the population.

"Africa's hour is upon us," Bishop Ricard said. "The church in Africa will either move forward in dramatic ways or fall back, undermined by a lack of basic structures and capacity. We cannot turn away from the demands of solidarity and the church's missionary imperative."

Cardinal McCarrick laid out a possible timeline for a new African aid effort.

Initially, in 2004, the bishops would establish a committee and secretariat for Africa, modeled on those for Latin America, established in 1960, and Eastern Europe, established in 1991. It would be funded by voluntary diocesan collections, other contributions and grants until an annual collection could be launched.

In 2005, the secretariat would begin operations and dioceses would be asked to consider voluntary collections.

In 2006, a move would begin toward a regular annual collection or some other kind of funding system.

Cardinal McCarrick asked the bishops not to get into a big debate about collections.

"We've been through this many times and Africa should not be held hostage because of our concerns about collections," he said. "Rather, we need your help in thinking through how we might respond to the overwhelming pastoral needs of a church and a region that is, without exaggeration, the poorest in the world -- but also the richest in terms of the future of the church."

He said the chairmen of the sponsoring committees had each agreed to hold collections in their dioceses to fund the program. And he suggested that it might be appropriate to cut back from some of the programs for the church in Eastern Europe and shift the funding to Africa.

The annual collection for the church in Eastern Europe totaled $7.9 million in 2002. It funds projects in 27 countries. Recently, efforts have shifted from basic needs like opening schools to ongoing formation for seminary faculty and helping retreat houses develop programs for young adults.

The collection for the church in Latin America took in $4.2 million in its 2003 appeal.

The proposal came during the bishops' annual meeting in Washington and followed a brief presentation by Bishop Nicolas Djomo Lola of Tshumbe, Congo, the president of the Episcopal Conferences of Central Africa, and Cardinal Frederic Etsou-Nzabi-Bamungwabi of Kinshasa.

"The wars affecting our region are dividing our people, sowing a culture of violence and destroying the social and moral fabric of our societies," Bishop Djomo said.

"Despite the sufferings we have endured, God has remained steadfast," he continued. "Our laity is extremely active. We are blessed with an abundance of vocations. Our churches are filled to capacity each Sunday."

Initial response to the proposal voiced by U.S. bishops was generally supportive, though some hesitation about a new collection was expressed.

Auxiliary Bishop Richard J. Garcia of Sacramento, Calif., suggested using the sister parish model, which has been successful in linking his diocese with churches in Latin America, and establish sister dioceses linking the United States and Africa.

Auxiliary Bishop Richard J. Sklba of Milwaukee reminded the bishops that just moments before Bishop Ricard and Cardinal McCarrick made their proposal, the roomful of bishops had given their African counterparts a standing ovation of support.

He added that "American capitalism shares some responsibility for the international arms trade which has affected Africa" in dramatic ways. He recommended not only providing financial support to the African church, but also "an analysis of our own crimes" which he said have contributed to the violence and wars afflicting Africa.

CRS launched a major campaign two years ago aimed at raising awareness in the United States about Africa, focusing on peace-building and HIV/AIDS programs.

CRS Executive Director Ken Hackett told Catholic News Service after the presentation that the move toward establishing a secretariat for the church in Africa began a decade ago, as various committees began to consider how to address the needs of the church there.

The 1994 synod for Africa gave the effort more energy and over the last few years the committees began to plan what steps to take as a whole bishops' conference, he said.