(16 June 08 - RV) On Monday morning Pope Benedict XVI praised the nation of Cameroon
while welcoming Antoine Zanga, Cameroon’s first Ambassador to the Holy See to live
in Rome. The Pope noted that Cameroon, like many other countries on the African
Continent, suffers tremendously due to the current economic situation, and that many
families are unable to provide for even their most basic of needs. He highlighted
the importance for all nations to seek out economical and social stability through
their own means and institutions, and the urgency with which they must fight against
the evils of illicit trafficking and corruption.
The Holy Father went on
to urge all Cameroonians to think always of the common good and to take into account
different phenomena that have a harmful effect on populations, such as climate change,
pandemics, and wars. He also called upon the international community to find the
political and economic means to break the vicious cycles of under-development and
extreme poverty.
The Pope then expressed his desire for a more equitable distribution
of global wealth and for the international institutions that work with Cameroon to
lighten or cancel the nation’s debts. Finally he prayed that Cameroon will find a
new economical and social momentum for the good of all its inhabitants, and to give
the youth in particular a renewed sense of hope for a better future.