Benedict XVI speaks of prayer for reconciliation and peace
Luanda, March 22, 2009 - Only the light of God can overcome the great "darkness" present in "many parts of our world," the evil represented by wars and tribal violence, but also by the egoism of men who exploit other men, leading to that hedonism which is at the source of escape into drugs, "sexual irresponsibility," destruction of families and innocent human lives through abortion. Benedict XVI today addressed an invitation to reconciliation and hope to all of Africa, from the esplanade of Cimangola, in Luanda, Angola, where a million people gathered to participate in the great celebration that in a certain way concludes the first trip of Benedict XVI to Africa, from where he will depart again tomorrow.
"Our prayer," he said at the Angelus, "rises today from Angola, from Africa, and embraces the whole world. May the men and women from throughout the world who join us in our prayer, turn their eyes to Africa, to this great Continent so filled with hope, yet so thirsty for justice, for peace, for a sound and integral development that can ensure a future of progress and peace for its people."
Peace, reconciliation, and justice, which will be the theme of the Synod for Africa next October, take on special resonance in this country where 27 years of civil war have left more than one antipersonnel mine for each of the 13 million inhabitants, and where the enormous natural resources - from oil to diamonds - are giving rise to economic development dominated by China - which does not "interfere" in questions like respect for human rights - with extremely deep social inequalities.
The pope also made reference to war. Taking as his point of departure the readings at Mass, he said that "its vivid description of the destruction and ruin caused by war echoes the personal experience of so many people in this country amid the terrible ravages of the civil war. How true it is that war can 'destroy everything of value' (cf. 2 Chr 36:19): families, whole communities, the fruit of men’s labour, the hopes which guide and sustain their lives and work! This experience is all too familiar to Africa as a whole: the destructive power of civil strife, the descent into a maelstrom of hatred and revenge, the squandering of the efforts of generations of good people. When God’s word – a word meant to build up individuals, communities and the whole human family – is neglected, and when God’s law is 'ridiculed, despised, laughed at' (ibid., v. 16), the result can only be destruction and injustice: the abasement of our common humanity and the betrayal of our vocation to be sons and daughters of a merciful Father, brothers and sisters of his beloved Son."
"How much darkness," he added, "there is in so many parts of our world! Tragically, the clouds of evil have also overshadowed Africa, including this beloved nation of Angola. We think of the evil of war, the murderous fruits of tribalism and ethnic rivalry, the greed which corrupts men’s hearts, enslaves the poor, and robs future generations of the resources they need to create a more equitable and just society – a society truly and authentically African in its genius and values. And what of that insidious spirit of selfishness which closes individuals in upon themselves, breaks up families, and, by supplanting the great ideals of generosity and self-sacrifice, inevitably leads to hedonism, the escape into false utopias through drug use, sexual irresponsibility, the weakening of the marriage bond and the break-up of families, and the pressure to destroy innocent human life through abortion?"
To this country and to Africa as a whole, represented here by bishops and faithful who came from all the nearby countries, the pope's message was that of becoming "new" thanks to the faith. God, he said, has given us "his commandments, not as a burden, but as a source of freedom: the freedom to become men and women of wisdom, teachers of justice and peace, people who believe in others and seek their authentic good. God created us to live in the light, and to be light for the world around us!" The "gift" of the Gospel, he added, "affirm, purify and ennoble the profound human values present in your native culture and traditions: your strong families, your deep religious sense, your joyful celebration of the gift of life, your appreciation of the wisdom of the elderly and the aspirations of the young."
To the young people who are the majority of the population on this continent, and whom, yesterday, he had urged to have the courage to make definitive decisions, to take on a lifelong commitments, today he said they should "grow in your friendship with Jesus." "Seek his will for you by listening to his word daily, and by allowing his law to shape your lives and your relationships. In this way you will become wise and generous prophets of God’s saving love. Become evangelizers of your own peers, leading them by your own example to an appreciation of the beauty and truth of the Gospel, and the hope of a future shaped by the values of God’s Kingdom. The Church needs your witness! Do not be afraid to respond generously to God’s call, whether it be to serve him as a priest or a religious, as a Christian parent, or in the many forms of service to others which the Church sets before you."
The pope had already spoken about young people at the beginning of the Mass, when he expressed his sadness over the death of two young women yesterday at the stadium of Luanda and sent his wishes for a speedy recovery to the 40 young people injured in the stampede at the entrance to the stadium. "I wish to include in this Eucharist," he said, "a special prayer for the two young women who yesterday lost their lives at the stadium Dos Coqueiros. Let us entrust them," he continued, "to Jesus, that he may welcome them into his kingdom. To their relatives and friends I express my solidarity and my most profound condolences, in part because they were coming to see me. At the same time, I pray for those injured, and wish them a speedy recovery. Let us entrust ourselves," he concluded, "to the unfathomable designs of God."
- Asianews
Pope Benedict urged Bishops of Angola to fight relativism
Luanda, Angola, Mar 21, 2009 - Pope Benedict gathered the bishops of Angola and Sao Tome at the apostolic nunciature on Friday night to speak about the state of the Church in their country, warning them to fight the spread of relativism by promoting an "adult and mature faith."
"God will reward you," he told the prelates, "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 Sao Tome and Principe that dynamism which everyone acknowledges."
However, the Church still faces other challenges such as "widespread relativism which acknowledges nothing as definitive and, even more, tends to make its ultimate measure the individual and his personal caprice," the Pope cautioned.
In the face of relativism, he said, "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."
The Holy Father also praised the efforts of the bishops to develop a communications strategy since "culture and models of behavior are nowadays more and more conditioned and shaped by the images set forth by the communications media." This strategy, the Pope observed, "will enable you to provide everyone with a Christian interpretation of human events, problems and realities."
As he did in Cameroon, Pope Benedict also focused the bishops’ attention on the "difficulties and threats" facing families, which he said "are particularly in need of evangelization and practical support." This is all the more necessary because many marriages are proving to be fragile and there is a "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," he added, "continue to raise your voice in defense 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."
Pope Benedict also shared his joy at the vibrancy of the faith community in Angola and Sao Tome, citing the increasing number of native priests and of the faithful.
- CNA
Pope Benedict XVI urged to reject the Tyranny of Materialism
YAOUNDE, Cameroon (CNS)—Celebrating Mass with more than 40,000 Catholics in Cameroon, Pope Benedict XVI urged African families to reject the "tyranny of materialism" and other social changes that risk eroding the continent's traditional values.
"Brothers and sisters in Cameroon and throughout Africa, you who have received from God so many human virtues, take care of your souls! Do not let yourselves be captivated by selfish illusions and false ideals!" the pope said in a homily March 19 at the Amadou Ahidjo soccer stadium in Yaounde.
The Mass marked the publication of the working document for October's Synod of Bishops for Africa, and at the end of the liturgy the pope personally handed copies of the text to bishops from all over the continent.
Wearing gold vestments, the 81-year-old pope celebrated Mass on a hut-shaped altar erected at one end of the playing field. The liturgy used eight languages, including Cameroon's native Ewondo language, and featured African songs backed by the distinctive notes of wooden balaphons.
In a greeting, Archbishop Simon Tonye Bakot of Yaounde explained that Africans treat the "Mvamba," or grandfather, with immense respect, and that they welcomed the pontiff as the "great Mvamba."
The pope delivered his sermon emphatically, speaking in French and English. He said it was essential for African mothers and fathers to pass on to their children the human and spiritual values of the past, beginning with belief in God.
But social changes, including a growing generation gap and a sense of uprootedness on the continent, have made this difficult today, he said.
"At a time when so many people have no qualms about trying to impose the tyranny of materialism, with scant concern for the most deprived, you must be very careful. Africa in general, and Cameroon in particular, place themselves at risk if they do not recognize the true author of life!" he said.
The pope said traditional values have also been overturned by a rural exodus and urbanization that have broken family ties and left many younger people alone, unemployed and disoriented. Africans in general have left the land, physically and morally, resulting in a kind of "interior exile" that alienates them from God and themselves, he said.
"Is this an irresistible development? By no means!" the pope said. He said the church is ready to bring spiritual and material help to suffering people of the continent.
"The first priority will consist in restoring a sense of the acceptance of life as a gift from God," he said. Every "tiny person, however weak," is created in God's image, he said, adding: "Every person must live! Death must not prevail over life!"
The pope held out St. Joseph, whose feast day was celebrated the same day, as a model for husbands and fathers in Africa. He made a special plea for husbands to treat their wives with respect and love, as St. Joseph treated Mary. It is a sensitive topic in Africa, where in many places wives are still considered the property of their husbands and subservient to them.
The pope also offered special words to young Africans, asking them to allow Christ into their lives and, if they feel called, to enter the "supreme service" of the priesthood or consecrated life.
"To the children who no longer have a father, or who live abandoned in the poverty of the streets, to those forcibly separated from their parents, to the maltreated and abused, to those constrained to join paramilitary forces that are terrorizing some countries, I would like to say: God loves you, he has not forgotten you and St. Joseph protects you!" he said, as the crowd burst into applause.
The papal Mass was the pope's biggest liturgical event in Cameroon, and was broadcast on national television. President Paul Biya, a Catholic, sat near the altar with other leading government officials.
At the end of the liturgy, the pope handed out the 60-page working document for the Oct. 4-25 Synod of Bishops for Africa. The text called on Catholics to help end the rampant injustice that fuels conflicts on the continent and usher in an era of peace. It said the synod would examine ways to better prepare the faithful in Africa for a more visible and active role in promoting unity both in the church and society.
The document said globalization "infringes on Africa's rights" and tends "to be the vehicle for the domination of a single, cultural model and a culture of death." But it also pinned the blame for many of Africa's ills on the evil in people's hearts, which makes them thirsty for riches, power or revenge.
Later in the day, the pope was scheduled to visit a church-run center for the sick and disabled, and then talk with a group of African bishops in greater detail about the themes of the upcoming synod.
Benedict XVI: Recognise others as fellow men and women
God gave man “wings’, faith and reason, to enable him not to “yield to the law of the strongest” but to recognise others as brothers and sisters who have the same rights. Such is the basis of dialogue, forgiveness and reconciliation, whose roots are found in Christianity, and of which Benedict XVI is the bearer in this, his first trip to Africa.
The Holy Father focused on these themes today, especially after arriving in Angola, a country slowly recovering from a civil war that lasted from 1975 to 2002 and cost 500,000 dead, as well as countless maimed, orphans and refugees.
On his departure from Cameroon this morning he touched upon an issue, albeit indirectly, that is a source of conflict and violence, and not only in Africa: Christian-Muslim relations.
In his farewell address the Pontiff mentioned his stay in Cameroon, stressing the importance of his meetings with leaders of the local Muslim community.
“As we continue on our journey towards greater mutual understanding,” he said, “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.”
On his arrival at Luanda’s “4 de Fevereiro’ Airport in post-war Angola, where he was welcomed by Angolan President José Eduardo dos Santos, and where Catholics represent half of the population, the Holy Father mentioned John Paul II’s second visit to the country in 1992, who “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,” he added, let me “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.”
Benedict XVI also went on to remind Angolans that their country’s wealth must be used 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.”
Benedict XVI’s visit to Angola begins today
Bishop Filomeno Viera Dias of Cabinda said Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Angola, which begins today, constitutes “a great historic moment in the history of our people, our country, for reconciliation and the rebuilding of Angolan society, beginning with its deepest values.”
Speaking to the Angopress news agency, the bishop said that “the preparation has been extremely careful, even though there have been some slight modifications, but we are optimistic. By Friday we will have everything in order to welcome the Pope.”
Bishop Viera Dias said the Pope would be welcomed as only Angola can. “At this moment the only thing left is for me to ask Angolans to experience this moment as a great moment in the history of our people, our country, for reconciliation and the rebuilding of the Angolan society, beginning with its deepest values.
The bishop called on all Angolans to attend the Mass with Pope Benedict XVI this Sunday.
Angola is still recovering from the effects of a 30-year civil war, and hopes that the Pope’s visit will give momentum to a continued rebirth.