Pope: message to the Pan-African Congress of Catholic Laity

Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday sent a message to participants of the Pan-African Congress of Catholic Laity. Organised by the Pontifical Council for the Laity, the event began on September 4 and lasts until September 9 in Yaoundé, Cameroon. It opened with a keynote address by Cardinal Stanslaw Rylko, and brings together the laity with their bishops from different geographical and cultural areas in Africa to reflect on various challenges and share experiences.

Here is the text, translated by Vatican Radio, of the Pope's message:

To Cardinal Stanislaw Rylco,
President of the Pontifical Council for the Laity

I am pleased to address my cordial greeting to you, Venerable Brother, to the Cardinals, Bishops, priests, consecrated persons, and especially to all the lay faithful gathered in Yaoundé from September 4 to 9 for the important Pan-African Congress of Catholic Laity in Africa, organized by the Pontifical Council for the Laity with the support of the Episcopal Conference of Cameroon on the theme: "Witnesses of Jesus Christ in Africa today. Salt of the earth ... light of the world”. The theme deliberately recalls the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Africae munus, which bears the subtitle the same quote from the Gospel of St. Matthew: "You are the salt of the earth ... You are the light of the world". Personally delivering this important document to the bishops of Africa in Cotonou, on November 20 last year, I wanted to offer some theological and pastoral guidelines for the journey of the Church on the Continent.

Your Congress is presented as a significant milestone in the realization of what the Holy Spirit has inspired in the Synodol Fathers during the Second Special Assembly for Africa, held in October 2009 in Rome. In Cotonou I expressed the hope that the Exhortation Africae munus may serve as a guide, especially to proclaim the Gospel through the efforts of the whole People of God. It is for this reason that I have learnt, with satisfaction, of the initiative of the Pontifical Council to convene a Congress dedicated to the laity in Africa, who are called in a special way in our times to a more intense work in the vineyard of the Lord. (cf. John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation. ap. Christifideles laici, 2).

During my travels on the Continent, I have stated on several occasions that Africa is called to be the "Continent of hope." These were not occasional words, they pointed to the bright horizon seen by the eyes of faith. Of course, at first sight, Africa's problems appear serious and not easy to solve, and not only for material difficulties, but also for spiritual and moral obstacles faced even by the Church. It 'also true that even the most valuable traditional values ​​of African culture are today threatened by secularism which causes disorientation, tears in the personal and social fabric, exasperates tribalism, violence, corruption in public life, humiliation and exploitation of women and children, growth of poverty and hunger. Added to this is also the shadow of fundamentalist terrorism, which has recently targeted the Christian communities of some African countries. If, however, with more depth, we look at the heart of African peoples, we discover a wealth of spiritual resources which are precious for our times. The love for life and for the family, a sense of joy and sharing, the enthusiasm of living the faith, all values that I have seen during my travels in Africa, and that are still etched in my heart. Never let the dark and nihilistic relativist mentality that affects various parts of the world, open a breach in your reality! Welcome and spread the message of joy and hope that Christ brings with renewed strength, it’s a message that is capable of purifying and strengthening the great values ​​of your culture. For this reason, in the Encyclical Spe Salvi, I wanted to present the holy Sudanese Saint Josephine Bakhita as a witness of hope (cf. n. 3), to show how the encounter with the God of Jesus Christ is able to profoundly transform every human being, even in the poorest of conditions - Bakhita was a slave – and to give each human beign the supreme dignity of a child of God. And it was exactly "through the knowledge of this hope that she was "redeemed ", no longer a slave, but a free child of God" (ibidem). And the discovery of Christian hope aroused in her a new, overwhelming desire: "she felt that the liberation that she had received through her encounter with the God of Jesus Christ had to be extended and handed on to others, to as many people possible . The hope, that was given to her and that had "redeemed" her, could not be keep to herself; this hope had to reach many, to reach everybody "(ibidem). The encounter with Christ gives us the momentum to overcome even the most seemingly insurmountable difficulties. This is Saint Bakhita’s experience, but it is also the experience that many young Africans - thanks be to God, the great majority of the population - are called to live today in the faithful following of the Lord. Making Africa the “Continent of Hope" is a commitment that must guide the mission of the lay faithful in Africa today, as well as this Congress that you are celebrating.

In this perspective, your meeting is a significant moment in the preparation of two important universal ecclesial events that are just around the corner: the Synod of Bishops on New Evangelization and the '"Year of Faith." In Cotonou, delivering the Exhortation Africae munus, I stated that "all those who have received the wonderful gift of faith, the gift of the encounter with the risen Lord, also feel the need to announce it to others" (Homily at Mass at the "Stade de l'amitie", Cotonou-Benin, November 20, 2011). The mission, in fact, comes from faith, a gift of God to be accepted, nourished and deepened because "we can not accept that salt becomes insipid and that light is kept hidden" (Motu Proprio Porta Fidei, 3). The priority of faith naturally has a more logical than chronological meaning. In fact, the acceptance of this divine gift goes hand in hand with the enthusiasm for the proclamation of the Gospel in a kind of a "virtuous circle" where faith moves the announcement and the announcement strengthens the faith: "Faith, in fact, it grows when it is lived as an experience of love received, and when it is communicated as an experience of grace and joy "(ibid., n. 7). Truly, "Faith is strengthened by giving," according to the unforgettable words of Blessed John Paul II (Enc. Redemptoris Missio, 2).

Finally, I would like to recall a few words of the Servant of God, Paul VI, faithful interpreter of the Council: " For the Church, evangelizing means bringing the Good News into all the strata of humanity, and through its influence transforming humanity from within and making it new"(Ap exhortation Evangelii nuntiandi, 18). In this transformation of the whole society, which is so urgent for Africa today, the lay faithful have an irreplaceable role: "Through its lay members, the Church is made present and active in the life of the world. The laity has a great role to play in the Church and in society. [...] The lay faithful, in fact, are "ambassadors of Christ" (2 Cor 5:20) in the public place, in the heart of the world "(Ap. Exhortation Africae munus, 128). Women and men, young people, the elderly and children, families and entire societies, all of Africa today looks to the "ambassadors" of the Good News, the lay faithful from the parishes, Communautés Ecclésiales Vivantes, from the ecclesial movements and from new communities who are in love with Christ and the Church, filled with joy and gratitude for the Baptism they have received, brave peacemakers and heralds of true hope.

Entrusting the Congress to the caring and motherly intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who, as recited in the prayer of your Congress, is "Our Lady of Africa, Queen of Peace and Star of New Evangelization," I impart my Apostolic Blessing to all participants.