Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Yaounde (Agenzia Fides) - “I come among you as a pastor, I come to confirm my brothers and sisters in the faith. This was the role that Christ entrusted to Peter at the Last Supper, and it is the role of Peter’s successors.” With these words, the Holy Father Benedict XVI expressed his principle motive in embarking on his apostolic journey to Africa, during the Welcoming Ceremony held at the Nsimalen International Airport in Yaounde (Cameroon), on the afternoon of March 17, in the presence of civil and religious authorities.
In his speech, the Pope recalled the testimonies of the many saints from this continent during the first centuries of Christianity (including Saint Cyprian, Saint Monica, Saint Augustine, and Saint Athanasius), and in our days, “waves of missionaries and martyrs have continued to bear witness to Christ throughout Africa, and today the Church is blessed with almost a hundred and fifty million members.”
It was in Yaoundé in 1995 that Pope John Paul II promulgated the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation “Ecclesia in Africa,” the fruit of the First Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops. Benedict XVI continued: “I have come here to issue the Instrumentum Laboris for the Second Special Assembly, which will take place in Rome this coming October. The Synod Fathers will reflect together on the theme: 'The Church in Africa in Service to Reconciliation, Justice and Peace: You are the salt of the earth...You are the light of the world (Mt 5:13-14).' Almost ten years into the new millennium, this moment of grace is a summons to all the Bishops, priests, religious and lay faithful of the continent to rededicate themselves to the mission of the Church to bring hope to the hearts of the people of Africa, and indeed to people throughout the world.”
The Pope then named Saint Josephine Bakhita, who offers “a shining example of the transformation that an encounter with the living God can bring to a situation of great hardship and injustice. In the face of suffering or violence, poverty or hunger, corruption or abuse of power, a Christian can never remain silent. The saving message of the Gospel needs to be proclaimed loud and clear, so that the light of Christ can shine into the darkness of people’s lives. Here in Africa, as in so many parts of the world, countless men and women long to hear a word of hope and comfort.”
Benedict XVI he recalled the many local conflicts that “leave thousands homeless or destitute, orphaned or widowed”... the slave trade of the past has been substituted for the human trafficking of today, especially of women and children; the growing number of Africans falling prey to hunger, poverty, and disease. “They cry out for reconciliation, justice and peace, and that is what the Church offers them,” the Pope said.
In Cameroon, the Church carries out her mission in the area of healthcare and reconciliation, especially in assisting AIDS patients, and in education: “ we see the efforts of generations of missionary teachers bearing fruit in the work of the Catholic University for Central Africa, a sign of great hope for the future of the region,” the Pontiff commented, recalling that “Cameroon is truly a land of hope for many in Central Africa.” Thousands of refugees from war-torn countries in the region have received a welcome here. It is a land of life, with a Government that speaks out in defense of the rights of the unborn, with dialogue and diplomacy that guarantees peace. It is also a land of the youth, full of vitality and eager to build “a more just and peaceful world,” the Holy Father said. “As I come among you today, I pray that the Church here and throughout Africa will continue to grow in holiness, in the service of reconciliation, justice and peace. I pray that the work of the Second Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops will fan into a flame the gifts that the Spirit has poured out upon the Church in Africa...God bless Cameroon! And God bless Africa!” (SL) (Agenzia Fides 18/3/2009)
