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The World Seen From Rome
Daily dispatch - March 20, 2009
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POPE IN AFRICA
Papal Visit Seen As Blessing for Angola
Benedict XVI Speaks for Impoverished Angolans
Pope to Africa: Be Agents of Your Own Development
Pontiff Urges Cameroon to Seize the Moment
VATICAN DOSSIER
Vatican: Don't Fight Drugs With Drugs
WORLD FEATURES
2 French Deputies Defend Pope
Moscow Patriarchate Backs Pope's Stance on Condoms
DOCUMENTS
Pope's Farewell Address to Cameroon
Benedict XVI's Greetings at Angolan Airport
Papal Address to Angolan Politicians
Pontiff's Address to Bishops of Angola and São Tomé
MESSAGE TO READERS
Working Document for Africa Synod
Papal Visit Seen As Blessing for Angola
Caritas Director Says Church Hasn't Forgotten NationLUANDA, Angola, MARCH 20, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI's journey to Angola is regarded by the people of the nation as "a blessing of peace," says the national director of Caritas-Angola.
Sister Marlene Wildner said in a statement ahead of the Pope's arrival today that his arrival to the country "is a sign that the universal Church has not forgotten the Angolan people. Most of the population is highly mobilized in different ways, with prayers, community planning and groups coming from other provinces."
The essential work Caritas carries out in Angola today is focused on programs for development and sustainability; professional formation, especially for young people and women; as well as the fight against AIDS and its prevention.
It is expected that the building of peace will be a key aspect of the papal visit to the country. Angola is emerging from a civil war that devastated the country for almost 30 years.
Caritas-Angola was one of the few humanitarian initiatives that worked during the years of conflict. It promoted the cease-fire that made humanitarian access possible and participated in an independent way in the peace negotiations.
It took food and medicines to inhabitants in the most distant regions, where no other organizations were present, and even succeeded in delivering the mail, guaranteeing communications among the peoples. In addition, it endeavored to reunite families that had been separated by the war.
According to Sister Wildner, there are still many challenges: "We must help Angola to build a society of reconciliation, solidarity, justice and peace. We must foster democracy and development, rebuilding the social bases of communities: education, health, housing, water, electricity, agriculture and professional formation."
Benedict XVI arrived today to Angola, which was first evangelized by Portuguese missionaries in 1491.
The countries highest-ranking politicians greeted the Pontiff after midday at the Quatro de Fevereiro Airport of Luanda. In the afternoon he visited Angolan president Jose Eduardo dos Santos in Luanda's presidential palace, and delivered an address to political and civil leaders as well as diplomatic corps.
The Pope also met with the bishops of Angola and São Tomé at Luanda's apostolic nunciature.
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Benedict XVI Speaks for Impoverished Angolans
Underlines Reason and Faith, Not Law of StrongestLUANDA, Angola, MARCH 20, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI is affirming Angolan people in their faith in Christ, noting that this will help them reach out to their poor and needy neighbors for the good of all.
The Pope said this upon his arrival to the Quatro de Fevereiro Airport in Angola this afternoon. He was welcomed by President José Eduardo dos Santos, as well as the president of the Angola bishops' conference, Archbishop Damião António Franklin of Luanda.
He expressed his desire to "reach out to the entire African continent," even though his itinerary has been restricted to Yaoundé and to Luanda.
He encouraged the people of Angola "to continue along the path of peace-building and reconstruction of the country and its institutions."
The Pontiff reminded his listeners that he comes from "a country where peace and fraternity are dear to the hearts of all its people, in particular those, like myself, who have known war and division between family members from the same nation as a result of inhuman and destructive ideologies, which, under the false appearance of dreams and illusions, caused the yoke of oppression to weigh down upon the people."
He noted the consequent awareness of the need for dialogue "as a way of overcoming every form of conflict and tension and making every nation -- including your own -- into a house of peace and fraternity."
The Holy Father urged the Angolans to "take from your spiritual and cultural heritage the best values" and then "go out to meet one another fearlessly, agreeing to share personal resources, both spiritual and material, for the good of all."
He recalled the people of the province of Kunene, afflicted by torrential rains and floods that caused many deaths and left numerous families homeless. He encouraged them "to have the confidence to start again with the help of all."
Peaceful future
Benedict XVI told the Angolans: "Your land is abundant and your nation is mighty. Make use of these advantages to build peace and understanding between peoples, based upon loyalty and equality that can promote for Africa the peaceful future in solidarity that everyone longs for and to which everyone is entitled.
"To this end, I ask you: do not yield to the law of the strongest! God has enabled human beings to fly, over and above their natural tendencies, on the wings of reason and faith."
These wings, he said, enable people to recognize their neighbors as brothers and sisters, "born with the same fundamental human rights."
He recalled the numerous Angolans living below the threshold of poverty, exhorting his listeners, "Do not disappoint their expectations!"
The Pope affirmed that "before there can be a society that is truly solicitous for the common good, there have to be common values, shared by all."
He added, "I am convinced that modern Angola will be able to find such values in the Gospel of Jesus Christ."
The Pontiff acknowledged that the occasion for his Angola visit is "to be together with one of the oldest Catholic communities in sub-equatorial Africa, to strengthen it in its faith in the risen Jesus and to join its sons and daughters in praying that this time of peace in Angola, in justice and fraternity, may prove lasting, allowing the community to carry out the mission that God has entrusted to it for the good of its people within the family of Nations."
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On ZENIT's Web Site:
Full text: www.zenit.org/article-25426?l=english
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Pope to Africa: Be Agents of Your Own Development
Says It's Time for Africa to Be Continent of HopeLUANDA, Angola, MARCH 20, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI is encouraging the peoples of Africa to not rely simply on the help of other nations to transform their continent, but to be the "primary agents" of their own development.
The Pope said this today Here is the address Benedict XVI gave today upon visiting President José Eduardo dos Santos of Angola, along with political and civil authorities and the diplomatic corps, at the presidential palace."The time has come for Africa to be the Continent of Hope," the Pope said after noting that Angola itself "is on the road to recovery."
"In the wake of the twenty-seven-year civil war that ravaged this country, peace has begun to take root, bringing with it the fruits of stability and freedom," he explained. "The Government’s tangible efforts to establish an infrastructure and to rebuild the institutions fundamental to development and the well-being of society have begun to foster hope among the nation’s citizens."
"Armed with integrity, magnanimity and compassion," the Pontiff affirmed, "you can transform this continent, freeing your people from the scourges of greed, violence and unrest and leading them along the path marked with the principles indispensable to every modern civic democracy: respect and promotion of human rights, transparent governance, an independent judiciary, a free press, a civil service of integrity, a properly functioning network of schools and hospitals, and -- most pressing -- a determination born from the conversion of hearts to excise corruption once and for all."
Benedict XVI said African nations such as Angola should not be simply "the receivers of others’ plans and solutions," but that Africans themselves be "the primary agents of their own development."
The Pope also expressed concern that the world's current financial crisis could take away from international development efforts on the continent. The "development commitments of the Doha round and likewise the implementation of the oft-repeated promise by developed countries to commit 0.7% of their Gross National Product for official development assistance [...] must not become one of its casualties."
Family
Quoting Ecclesia in Africa, the Holy Father underlined the importance of the family in the continent, which constitutes "the foundation on which the social edifice is built."
"Yet the strains upon families, as we all know, are many indeed: anxiety and ignominy caused by poverty, unemployment, disease and displacement, to mention but a few," he explained. "Particularly disturbing is the crushing yoke of discrimination that women and girls so often endure, not to mention the unspeakable practice of sexual violence and exploitation which causes such humiliation and trauma."
Another concern of Benedict XVI is the promotion of policies of those who, "claiming to improve the 'social edifice,' threaten its very foundations. How bitter the irony of those who promote abortion as a form of 'maternal' health care! How disconcerting the claim that the termination of life is a matter of reproductive health!"
"The Church, in accordance with the will of her divine founder, you will always find standing alongside the poorest of this continent," the Pope said. "I wish to assure each of you that for her part, through diocesan initiatives, through the innumerable educational, health care and social works of religious orders, and through the development programs of Caritas and other agencies, the Church will continue to do all she can to support families -- including those suffering the harrowing effects of HIV/Aids -- and to uphold the equal dignity of women and men, realized in harmonious complementarity."
"The Christian spiritual journey is one of daily conversion," he concluded. "To this the Church invites all leaders so that the path opened for all humanity will be one of truth, integrity, respect and compassion."
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On ZENIT's Web page:
Full text: www.zenit.org/article-25429?l=english
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Pontiff Urges Cameroon to Seize the Moment
Assures People Visit Will Remain Deeply Etched in MemoryYAOUNDÉ, Cameroon, MARCH 20, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI is affirming the signs of hope in Cameroon, and is encouraging the people to build reconciliation and peace, and work to eliminate poverty and injustice.
This morning, after celebrating a private Mass, the Pope went from the apostolic nunciature to the Nsimalen airport, where he said this in a farewell address to the Cameroonians.
Completing the first phase of his apostolic visit to Africa, and preparing to fly to Angola for the second part, he noted, "The warmth of the African sun is reflected in the warmth of the hospitality that has been extended to me."
He thanked all who played a part in his visit, and above all, "those who have been praying so hard that this pastoral visit will bear fruit for the life of the Church in Africa."
The Pontiff asked that all continue to pray "that the second special assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops will prove to be a time of grace for the Church throughout the continent, a time of renewal and rededication to the mission to bring the healing message of the Gospel to a broken world."
Signs of hope
He affirmed, "Many of the scenes I have witnessed here will remain deeply etched on my memory."
Of these, he underlined his visit to the Cardinal Léger Center, saying that "it was most moving to observe the care that is taken of the sick and the disabled, some of the most vulnerable members of our society." He added, "That Christ-like compassion is a sure sign of hope for the future of the Church and for the future of Africa."
The Holy Father also recalled his meeting with Muslims, stating, "As we continue on our journey towards greater mutual understanding, I pray that we will also grow in respect and esteem for one another, and strengthen our resolve to work together to proclaim the God-given dignity of the human person, a message that an increasingly secularized world needs to hear."
He affirmed, "Truly this is a moment of great hope for Africa and for the whole world."
Benedict XVI told the people of Cameroon: "Seize the moment the Lord has given you!
"Answer his call to bring reconciliation, healing and peace to your communities and your society!
"Work to eliminate injustice, poverty and hunger wherever you encounter it!
He concluded, "May God bless this beautiful country, 'Africa in miniature,' a land of promise, a land of glory."
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On ZENIT's Web page:
Full text: www.zenit.org/article-25425?l=english
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Vatican: Don't Fight Drugs With Drugs
Says Answer Is Finding Meaning of LifeVIENNA, Austria, MARCH 20, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Drawing on the experience of Catholic health institutions worldwide, the Holy See warned the international community that it is not possible to combat drugs with drugs.
Bishop José Luis Redrado Marchite, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Pastoral Assistance to Health Care Workers, affirmed this in an address on behalf of the Holy See to the U.N. Anti-Drugs Commission. The committee is meeting in the Austrian capital until Friday.
The prelate said, "The network activity of the Catholic Church's organizations and institutions that work in this sector tell us that replacing drugs with drugs has aggravated the situation even more over the years, making dependency chronic, and is not answering the question of the meaning of life that, in our view, is at the heart of the problem."
He spoke about campaigns against drugs launched in several countries, which have been based on the distribution of light drugs, at times even subsidized, in an attempt to replace more serious narcotics.
Reaching the goal
He affirmed that the goal of "a society free of drugs demands of States the strong political will to definitively extirpate this phenomenon that some consider a reality that already is part of our daily living, and for which the damage must simply be limited."
The Church believes that the fight against drugs must be based on a "strategy of recovery of respect for life and the dignity of the person of the drug addict," explained Bishop Redrado.
He affirmed that this calls for "the involvement of the family as primary educational cell and the positive and multi-form contribution of the forces, institutions and associations involved in the society to support drug addicts, and which are inspired in the noble principles and values of love and solidarity."
The prelate mentioned that the Church's programs to combat and prevent drug addiction have been particularly successful in Spain, France, Ireland and Portugal.
The key to the success, he said, is based on "an intense activity of prevention and assistance through sensitizing campaigns, seminars, specific courses and congresses on the subject, physical curing of drug addiction, and the rehabilitation of young people in the family and social realms."
The bishop added that it is necessary to ensure "both medical and psychological intervention, and the promotion among young adolescents of a lifestyle and life conduct that is a favorable assurance for their health."
However, he concluded, "the will to free the social fabric of this insidious threat that generates crime and violence and contributes to the physical and moral destruction of numerous persons and families, calls for firm political resolution, international cooperation and the help of the whole community."
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Say Press Manipulated Comments on Condoms
VIENNE, France, MARCH 20, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Two French deputies publicly supported Benedict XVI's position on condoms as an insufficient means to fight against AIDS, noting that his words were "deformed" and "exaggerated" by the media.
Christian Vanneste, deputy of Nord, and Jacques Remiller, deputy-mayor of Vienne, each used their blogs to defend the Pope's position.
Remiller stated that the Holy Father's words had been manipulated, especially by "the French political class," which has carried out a veritable "witch hunt" against the Pontiff.
He noted that what Benedict XVI asked for, just before requesting "free care for AIDS patients" in Cameroon, was that the world "stop considering the condom as the only solution to the problem of AIDS in Africa."
The policy to combat AIDS "must not be limited, in fact, to advertising for condoms," noted the French politician, who added that "it is certainly an effective means when used correctly, but its widespread distribution will not impede grave behavioral problems such as rape and incest."
Farsighted and effective
He added, "What the Pope reminded [us] above all, is that the best, the most farsighted and effective way to combat the plague of AIDS and to protect human life resides in a real education to responsibility, in medical research, the diffusion of therapies, and care of the sick."
Vanneste said that the Pope "is not a demagogic politician, but a bearer of hope -- others would say that he gives an ideal -- and it is from the this that his words should be understood and judged."
He continued: "Surely the popular pack of hounds of materialists and hedonists is very far from being able to understand this message. The more concrete mass of faithful gathered at this moment around the Holy Father is contributing a better answer."
Vanneste asserted that there were no discrepancies on this subject between John Paul II and Benedict XVI, as both "always desired Christian unity, the union of believers, and always mentioned the moral exigencies that cannot be disassociated from Catholicism."
"John Paul II would not have said anything different, because no Pope could prefer a mechanical answer -- that, moreover, is imperfect -- to a moral and spiritual practice that, in itself, is really liberating," he added.
Vanneste stated that those who "detested John Paul II and his principles" did not dare to attack him because "he was the symbol of a country that was victim of Communist oppression" and "a man of communication."
He explained that Benedict XVI is not this, and now "the time has come for revenge" against him "whose least acts and words are picked up to be criticized, not without first deforming and exaggerating them." He pointed out, "There was Regensburg, Williamson and now condoms and Africa."
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Moscow Patriarchate Backs Pope's Stance on Condoms
Says They Can't Be Considered Remedy Against AIDSMOSCOW, MARCH 20, 2009 (Zenit.org).- The Russian Orthodox Church is supporting Benedict XVI's position that condoms are not an acceptable solution to AIDS.
A message on the French official Web site of the Church stated, "The Patriarchate of Moscow is in solidarity with Pope Benedict XVI's position on the means in the fight against AIDS, and on the fact that condoms cannot be considered as a remedy against this sickness."
This statement came as a response to the Pope's words to journalists on his flight to Africa, in which he affirmed: "This problem of AIDS cannot be overcome only with publicity slogans.
"If there is not the soul, if the Africans are not helped, the scourge cannot be resolved with the distribution of condoms: on the contrary, there is a risk of increasing the problem."
Today the deputy chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations, Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, said "It is incorrect to see condoms as a panacea for AIDS."
He noted that AIDS can be prevented not by contraceptives but by education and a righteous life, as the Orthodox Church also teaches.
"The spread of AIDS will only be halted with the ethical education of the affected peoples, and not with recourse to condoms," states the Church's communiqué.
The Russian agency Interfax reported Friday that Father Tchapline took part in a round table in Moscow on the subject. He pointed out that at present certain organizations attempt to simultaneously emphasize the idea of sexual freedom and the fight against AIDS, but that it is impossible to reconcile both of these.
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Pope's Farewell Address to Cameroon
"This Is a Moment of Great Hope for Africa"YAOUNDÉ, Cameroon, MARCH 20, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is the address Benedict XVI gave today at the farewell ceremony at Nsimalen International Airport in Yaoundé. The Pope had arrived to the country Tuesday.
* * *
Mr President,
Distinguished Representatives of the Civil Authorities,
Cardinal Tumi,
My Brother Bishops,
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
As I prepare to leave Cameroon, having completed the first phase of my Apostolic Visit to Africa, I want to thank all of you for the generous reception you have given me during these days. The warmth of the African sun is reflected in the warmth of the hospitality that has been extended to me. I thank the President and the members of the Government for their courteous welcome. I thank my brother Bishops and all the Catholic faithful who have offered such an inspiring example of joyful and exuberant worship during the liturgies that we have experienced together. I am glad, too, that members of other Christian ecclesial communities were able to be present at some of our gatherings, and I renew my respectful greetings to them and their leaders. I would like to express my great appreciation for all the work undertaken by the civil authorities in order to ensure the smooth progress of my visit. But above all, I want to thank all those who have been praying so hard that this pastoral visit will bear fruit for the life of the Church in Africa. And I ask you to continue praying that the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops will prove to be a time of grace for the Church throughout the continent, a time of renewal and rededication to the mission to bring the healing message of the Gospel to a broken world.
Many of the scenes I have witnessed here will remain deeply etched on my memory. At the Cardinal Léger Centre, it was most moving to observe the care that is taken of the sick and the disabled, some of the most vulnerable members of our society. That Christ-like compassion is a sure sign of hope for the future of the Church and for the future of Africa.
My meeting with members of the Muslim community here in Cameroon was another highlight that will remain with me. As we continue on our journey towards greater mutual understanding, I pray that we will also grow in respect and esteem for one another, and strengthen our resolve to work together to proclaim the God-given dignity of the human person, a message that an increasingly secularized world needs to hear.
My principal reason for coming to Cameroon, of course, was to visit the Catholic community here. It gave me great joy to spend some fraternal moments with the Bishops, and to celebrate the Church’s liturgy with so many members of the faithful. I came here specifically in order to share with you the historic moment of the promulgation of the Instrumentum Laboris for the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops. Truly this is a moment of great hope for Africa and for the whole world.
People of Cameroon, I urge you to seize the moment the Lord has given you! Answer his call to bring reconciliation, healing and peace to your communities and your society! Work to eliminate injustice, poverty and hunger wherever you encounter it! And may God bless this beautiful country, "Africa in miniature", a land of promise, a land of glory. God bless you all!
© Copyright 2009 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana
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Benedict XVI's Greetings at Angolan Airport
"Your Land Is Abundant and Your Nation Is Mighty"LUANDA, Angola, MARCH 20, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is the address Benedict XVI gave today upon arriving at the Quatro de Fevereiro Airport in Luanda on the second phase of his international trip to Africa.
* * *
Mr President,
Distinguished Civil and Military Authorities,
Dear Brother Bishops,
Dear Angolan Friends,
With sincere sentiments of respect and friendship, I set foot on the soil of this noble and young nation in the course of a pastoral visit in which I intend to reach out to the entire African continent, even if it has been necessary to restrict the itinerary to Yaoundé and to Luanda. I would like everyone to know, however, that I keep very much in my heart and in my prayers Africa in general and the people of Angola in particular, whom I warmly encourage to continue along the path of peace-building and reconstruction of the country and its institutions.
Mr President, I begin by thanking you for your kind invitation to visit Angola and for the warm words of welcome that you have just addressed to me. Please accept my respectful greetings and my very best wishes, which I also extend to the other Authorities who have kindly come here to receive me. I greet the whole of the Catholic Church in Angola in the persons of the Bishops here present, and I thank all my Angolan friends for the affectionate welcome they have given me. To those who are listening on radio and television, I offer a further cordial greeting, certain of Heaven’s blessing on the common mission that has been entrusted to us: that of building together a freer and more peaceful society, marked by greater solidarity.
How can I fail to recall the famous visitor who blessed Angola in June 1992: my beloved Predecessor John Paul II? A tireless missionary of Jesus Christ to the furthest ends of the earth, he pointed out the way towards God, inviting all people of good will to listen to their own rightly formed consciences and to build a society of justice, of peace and of solidarity, in mutual charity and forgiveness. For my part, I remind you that I come from a country where peace and fraternity are dear to the hearts of all its people, in particular those, like myself, who have known war and division between family members from the same nation as a result of inhuman and destructive ideologies, which, under the false appearance of dreams and illusions, caused the yoke of oppression to weigh down upon the people. You can therefore understand how keenly aware I am of dialogue as a way of overcoming every form of conflict and tension and making every nation -- including your own -- into a house of peace and fraternity. With this in view, you must take from your spiritual and cultural heritage the best values that Angola possesses, and go out to meet one another fearlessly, agreeing to share personal resources, both spiritual and material, for the good of all.
How can our thoughts not turn also to the people from the province of Kunene, who have been afflicted by torrential rains and floods, causing numerous deaths and leaving many families without shelter through the destruction of their homes? At this time I would like to offer those people the assurance of my solidarity, together with a particular encouragement to have the confidence to start again with the help of all.
Dear Angolans, your land is abundant and your nation is mighty. Make use of these advantages to build peace and understanding between peoples, based upon loyalty and equality that can promote for Africa the peaceful future in solidarity that everyone longs for and to which everyone is entitled. To this end, I ask you: do not yield to the law of the strongest! God has enabled human beings to fly, over and above their natural tendencies, on the wings of reason and faith. If you let these wings bear you aloft, you will easily recognize your neighbour as a brother or sister, born with the same fundamental human rights. Unfortunately, within the borders of Angola, there are still many poor people demanding that their rights be respected. The multitude of Angolans who live below the threshold of absolute poverty must not be forgotten. Do not disappoint their expectations!
This is a huge task, requiring greater civic participation on everyone’s part. It is necessary to involve the whole of Angolan civil society in this effort; but society needs to grow stronger and more articulated, both among its constitutive elements and in its dialogue with the Government, before it can take up the challenge. Before there can be a society that is truly solicitous for the common good, there have to be common values, shared by all. I am convinced that modern Angola will be able to find such values in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as happened long ago, at the time of your illustrious forebear, Dom Alphonsus I Mbemba-a-Nzinga. Through his efforts, five hundred years ago, a Christian kingdom emerged in Mbanza Congo which survived until the eighteenth century. From its ashes, at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, a renewed Church could arise which has continued to grow right up to our own days; may God be thanked for it! This is the immediate occasion for my visit to Angola: to be together with one of the oldest Catholic communities in sub-equatorial Africa, to strengthen it in its faith in the risen Jesus and to join its sons and daughters in praying that this time of peace in Angola, in justice and fraternity, may prove lasting, allowing the community to carry out the mission that God has entrusted to it for the good of its people within the family of Nations. May God bless Angola!
© Copyright 2009 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana
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Papal Address to Angolan Politicians
"The Time Has Come for Africa to Be the Continent of Hope"LUANDA, Angola, MARCH 20, 2009 (<A href="http://www.zenit.org">Zenit.org</A>).- Here is the address Benedict XVI gave today upon visiting President José Eduardo dos Santos of Angola, along with political and civil authorities and the diplomatic corps, at the presidential palace.
* * *
Mr President,
Your Excellencies,
Dear Brother Bishops,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
As a kind gesture of hospitality President José Eduardo dos Santos has welcomed us here to his residence. In so doing he has enabled me to greet you all with great joy and to wish you every success in the formidable responsibilities you bear in serving society and the whole human family in the civic, political and the diplomatic sectors. Mr President, thank you for your welcome, for the kind words of esteem you have just addressed to me as the Successor of Peter, and for your appreciation of the work of the Catholic Church for this beloved nation.
Friends, you are the protagonists and witnesses of an Angola which is on the road to recovery. In the wake of the twenty-seven-year civil war that ravaged this country, peace has begun to take root, bringing with it the fruits of stability and freedom. The Government’s tangible efforts to establish an infrastructure and to rebuild the institutions fundamental to development and the well-being of society have begun to foster hope among the nation’s citizens. Multilateral agencies too have made their contribution, determined to overcome particular interests in order to work for the common good. There is also the example of those honest teachers, medical workers, and civil servants who, on meagre wages, serve their communities with integrity and compassion, and there are countless others who selflessly undertake voluntary work at the service of the most needy. May God bless them abundantly! May their charity multiply!
Angola knows that the time has come for Africa to be the Continent of Hope! All upright human conduct is hope in action. Our actions are never indifferent before God. Nor are they indifferent for the unfolding of history. Friends, armed with integrity, magnanimity and compassion, you can transform this continent, freeing your people from the scourges of greed, violence and unrest and leading them along the path marked with the principles indispensable to every modern civic democracy: respect and promotion of human rights, transparent governance, an independent judiciary, a free press, a civil service of integrity, a properly functioning network of schools and hospitals, and – most pressing – a determination born from the conversion of hearts to excise corruption once and for all. In my Message for the World Day of Peace this year, I drew particular attention to the need for an ethical approach to development. In fact, the peoples of this continent are rightly calling out, not simply for more programmes and protocols, but for a deep-seated, lasting conversion of hearts to sincere solidarity. Their plea to those serving in politics, public service, international agencies, and multinational companies is simply this: stand alongside us in a profoundly human way; accompany us, and our families and our communities (cf. No. 13)!
Social and economic development in Africa bring into partnership national leadership together with regional initiatives and international resolve. Such partnerships require that African nations be seen not simply as the receivers of others’ plans and solutions. African men and women themselves, working together for the good of their communities, should be the primary agents of their own development. In this regard, there are a growing number of effective initiatives which merit support. Among them are: the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), the Pact on Security, Stability, and Development in the Great Lakes Region, together with the "Kimberley Process", the "Publish What You Pay Coalition" and the "Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative". Their common goal is to promote transparency, honest business practice and good governance. In regard to the international community as a whole, of pressing importance are co-ordinated efforts to address the issue of climate change, the full and fair implementation of the development commitments of the Doha round and likewise the implementation of the oft-repeated promise by developed countries to commit 0.7% of their Gross National Product for official development assistance. This undertaking is all the more necessary in view of the world’s current financial turmoil, and must not become one of its casualties.
Friends, I wish to say that my visit to Cameroon and to Angola has stirred within me that profound human delight at being among families. Indeed I think that those who come from other continents can learn afresh from Africa that "the family is the foundation on which the social edifice is built" (Ecclesia in Africa, 80). Yet the strains upon families, as we all know, are many indeed: anxiety and ignominy caused by poverty, unemployment, disease and displacement, to mention but a few. Particularly disturbing is the crushing yoke of discrimination that women and girls so often endure, not to mention the unspeakable practice of sexual violence and exploitation which causes such humiliation and trauma. I must also mention a further area of grave concern: the policies of those who, claiming to improve the "social edifice", threaten its very foundations. How bitter the irony of those who promote abortion as a form of "maternal" healthcare! How disconcerting the claim that the termination of life is a matter of reproductive health (cf. Maputo Protocol, art. 14)!
The Church, in accordance with the will of her divine founder, you will always find standing alongside the poorest of this continent. I wish to assure each of you that for her part, through diocesan initiatives, through the innumerable educational, healthcare and social works of Religious Orders, and through the development programmes of Caritas and other agencies, the Church will continue to do all she can to support families - including those suffering the harrowing effects of HIV/Aids - and to uphold the equal dignity of women and men, realized in harmonious complementarity. The Christian spiritual journey is one of daily conversion. To this the Church invites all leaders so that the path opened for all humanity will be one of truth, integrity, respect and compassion.
Mr President, I wish to express once again my sincere thanks for welcoming us here to your home. I thank all of you here assembled for your gracious presence and your attention. Be assured of my prayers for you and your families and for all the men, women and children of majestic Africa! God bless you all!
© Copyright 2009 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana
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Pontiff's Address to Bishops of Angola and São Tomé
"Your Nations Have So Many Vibrant Communities of Faith"LUANDA, Angola, MARCH 20, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is the address Benedict XVI gave today upon meeting with the bishops of Angola and São Tomé at the apostolic nunciature in Luanda.
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Dear Cardinal do Nascimento,
Dear Bishops of Angola and São Tomé,
I am delighted to meet you in this house which Angola has given to the Successor of Peter -- ordinarily in the person of his Representative -- as a visible expression of the bonds uniting the people of Angola and São Tomé to the Catholic Church, which for over five hundred years has rejoiced to count you among her children. May our prayer of praise rise up, harmonious and fervent, to God the Father who, by the workings and grace of the Holy Spirit, unceasingly gives birth to the Mystical Body of his Son. Here, in these lands, the Church bears the distinctive features of your native peoples, yet without losing the Jewish, Roman, Portuguese and other characteristics she had acquired earlier, for “as many of you as were baptized into Christ … are one in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:27-28). Venerable Brothers, God in his goodness, in order to carry forward today this work of bringing to birth the whole Christ through faith and Baptism, willed to call upon you and me. It should be no surprise, then, that we sense the pangs of birth until Christ is completely formed in the heart of your people (cf. Gal 4:19). God will reward you for all the apostolic work which you have accomplished in difficult conditions, both during the war and at the present time, in spite of so many limitations, thus helping to give the Church in Angola and in São Tomé and Principe that dynamism which everyone acknowledges.
Conscious of the ministry I have been called to carry out in the service of ecclesial communion, I ask you to assure your communities of my constant concern for them. I greet them all with heartfelt affection in the person of the individual members of this Episcopal Conference. I offer a particular greeting to your President, Archbishop Damião Franklin, whom I thank for his words of welcome in your name, emphasizing your commitment to clear discernment and, as a result, to a unified plan to be implemented in your diocesan communities for the purpose of “equipping the saints … until all of us come to the maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ” (Eph 4:12-13). Indeed, as a corrective to a widespread relativism which acknowledges nothing as definitive and, even more, tends to make its ultimate measure the individual and his personal caprice, we hold out another measure: the Son of God, who is also true man. Christ is the measure of true humanism. The Christian marked by an adult and mature faith is not one who is borne along by the waves of fashion and the latest novelties, but one who lives deeply rooted in the friendship of Christ. This friendship opens us up to all that is good, and it provides us with the criterion for discerning between error and truth.
Certainly a decisive factor for the future of the faith and the overall direction of national life is the area of culture. Here the Church enjoys renowned academic institutions, which must make it a point of honour to enable the voice of Catholics to be constantly heard in discussion of cultural issues affecting national life, thus reinforcing the ability to explore rationally, in the light of faith, the many questions emerging in the various areas of science and of life. Culture and models of behaviour are nowadays more and more conditioned and shaped by the images set forth by the communications media. For this reason, I wish to acknowledge your praiseworthy efforts to develop, in this area too, a communications strategy which will enable you to provide everyone with a Christian interpretation of human events, problems and realities.
One such human reality, presently faced with numerous difficulties and threats, is the family. Families are particularly in need of evangelization and practical support, since, in addition to the fragility and lack of inner stability of so many conjugal unions, there is the widespread tendency in society and culture to call into question the unique nature and specific mission of the family based on marriage. In your pastoral concern, which extends to every human being, continue to raise your voice in defence of the sacredness of human life and the value of the institution of marriage, as well as in promotion of the family’s proper role in the Church and in society, at the same time demanding economic and legislative measures to support the family in bearing and raising children.
I rejoice that your nations have so many vibrant communities of faith, a committed laity devoted to many works of the apostolate, and a significant number of vocations to the ordained ministry and the consecrated life, especially the contemplative life. They represent a genuine sign of hope for the future. As the clergy becomes increasingly indigenous, I wish to pay homage to the work which has been patiently and heroically carried out by the missionaries in proclaiming Christ and his Gospel and in giving birth to the Christian communities for which you today are responsible. I urge you to be deeply concerned for your priests, attentive to their continuing formation on both the theological and spiritual levels, and alert to the conditions in which they live and exercise their specific mission, so that they can be authentic witnesses of the word they proclaim and the sacraments they celebrate. In the gift of themselves to Christ and to the people whom they shepherd, may they remain faithful to the demands of their state of life, and live out their priestly ministry as a true path to holiness, striving to become saints and in this way to raise up new saints all around them.
Dear Brothers, I entrust myself to your prayerful remembrance before the Lord, while for my part I assure you of a particular prayer to the one who is truly the Spouse of the Church, which he loves, protects and nourishes: the only-begotten Son of the living God, Jesus Christ our Lord. May he sustain your pastoral commitments by his grace, so that they will prove fruitful in accordance with the example and under the protection of the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary. With these sentiments I impart my Apostolic Blessing to each of you, to your priests, and to the consecrated persons, seminarians, catechists and all the lay faithful who are members of the flock which God has entrusted to you.
© Copyright 2009 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
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Working Document for Africa Synod
VATICAN CITY, MARCH 20, 2009 (Zenit.org).- The "instrumentum laboris" (working document) for the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops is available on ZENIT's Web page. The theme of the assembly is "The Church in Africa in Service to Reconciliation, Justice and Peace."* * *
Full text: www.zenit.org/article-25422?l=english
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