Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Luanda (Agenzia Fides) – At 12:45 on Friday, March 20, the Holy Father Benedict XVI landed in 4 de Fevereiro International Airport of Luanda, Angola's capital, where he was met by civil, military, and religious authorities. “even if it has been necessary to restrict the itinerary to Yaoundé and to Luanda,” the Pope said in his address, “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.”
Recalling the visit made by John Paul II in June 1992, Benedict XVI said: “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.”
The Pope then expressed his spiritual closeness to the people of the province of Kunene, who have been afflicted by torrential rains and floods, and exhorted his “dear Angolans” to use the wealth of their land and the stability of the nation “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.” Encouraging them not to yield to the law of the strongest, Benedict XVI mentioned that “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.” The Pope then encouraged them not to disappoint the expectations of the multitudes of Angolans living below the threshold of absolute poverty, a task which involves all of Angolan civil society. “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.”
The Holy Father then recalled the motive of his trip 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!” (SL) (Agenzia Fides 21/3/2009)
