Change of heart and reconciliation needed in rebuilding Africa: Pope

(March 22, 2009) The central message of Pope Benedict XVI to African Catholics on Sunday was one of change of heart and reconciliation in order to rebuild their nations and the continent after the ravages of civil war, hatred, revenge, selfishness and greed.
He spoke at an open-air Mass in the Angolan capital, Luanda, for the Inter-regional Meeting of Bishops of Southern Africa, known by the acronym IMBISA. Sunday was Pope Benedict’s last full day of his March 17-23 pastoral visit to Cameroon and Angola. The main purpose of Pope Benedict’s African visit was to present the working document of the Second Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for Africa, scheduled for October in the Vatican.
At the very start of the Mass Pope Benedict sadly remembered two young people who lost their lives in a stampede at Luanda’s sports stadium where the young people had an appointment with him the previous evening. Reports say a girl and a boy were crushed as they tried to enter Coqueiros Stadium, and eight other people were injured and 10 more people required medical assistance. The two were taken to hospital by ambulance but declared dead on arrival. The incident took place hours before the Pope had arrived at the stadium. Pope Benedict urged for prayer for the souls of the two young people. He expressed his heartfelt condolences and solidarity with the families and friends of the deceased, and pledged his prayers for the injured.
Pope Benedict homily at Sunday’s Mass in Luanda was mostly in Portuguese, but he also spoke briefly in English.The Pope spoke of the terrible ravages of the civil war that Angolans have personally experienced. War can “destroy everything of value”: families, whole communities, the fruit of men’s labour, the hopes which guide and sustain their lives and work. He said 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. The Pope pointed out that when God’s word is neglected, and when God’s law is “ridiculed, despised and laughed at, the result can only be destruction and injustice.
Speaking in Portuguese, Pope Benedict recalled that Sunday, March 22, was dedicated to prayer and sacrifice for national reconciliation in Angola. He pointed out that the Gospel teaches us that true reconciliation can only be the fruit of conversion, a change of heart, a new way of thinking. It teaches us that only the power of God’s love can change our hearts and make us triumph over the power of sin and division. The Pope said that he has come to Africa to preach this message of forgiveness, hope and new life in Christ.
He recalled that on Thursday in Yaoundé, Cameroon he presented the working document of the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops, on the theme: The Church in Africa in Service to Reconciliation, Justice and Peace. He urged the Church in Africa to pray that that every Christian in the great continent will experience the healing touch of God’s merciful love, and that the Church in Africa will become “for all, through the witness borne by its sons and daughters, a place of true reconciliation.”
The Pope told Africans that even though the light of Christ has already come into this world, yet many preferred the darkness to the light, because their deeds were evil. He wondered how much darkness there is in so many parts of our world! Tragically, the clouds of evil have also overshadowed Africa, including Angola, the Pope said and pointed to 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. Then there was the 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.
But in the face of all this the Word of God is of unbounded hope, the Pope said. God does not give up on us! He continues to lift our eyes to a future of hope, and he promises us the strength to accomplish it. The Pope thus urged Africans to live by the truth. “Radiate the light of faith, hope and love in your families and communities! From their bitter experience they know that in comparison with the sudden, destructive fury of evil, the work of rebuilding is painfully slow and arduous. “Living by the truth takes time, effort and perseverance,” the Pope said. “It has to begin in our own hearts, in the small daily sacrifices if we are to be faithful to God’s law, in the little acts by which we demonstrate that we love our neighbours, all our neighbours, regardless of race, ethnicity or language, and by our readiness to work with them to build together on foundations that will endure.
Finally, the Pope has a special word for the young people of Angola as well as of Africa. He told them that the Church needed their witness as they are the hope of their country’s future, the promise of a better tomorrow! “Begin today to grow in your friendship with Jesus, who is “the way, and the truth and the life”: a friendship nurtured and deepened by humble and persevering prayer and by listening to the Word of God daily. “In this way,” he said, “you will become wise and generous prophets of God’s saving love.” He encouraged them to be evangelizers of their own peers, leading them by 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.

At the end of the Mass, before reciting the Marian ‘Angelus’ prayer, Pope Benedict urged faithful throughout the world to join them in praying for Africa 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. He especially urged for prayers for the work of preparation for the coming Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops, scheduled to meet in the Vatican in October - that Africa’s Catholics may become ever more fully a leaven of evangelical hope for all people of good will who love Africa, who are committed to the material and spiritual advancement of its children, and the spread of freedom, prosperity, justice and solidarity in the pursuit of the common good.
The Pope prayed to Mary, Queen of Peace, that she continue to guide Angola’s people in the task of national reconciliation following the devastating and inhuman experience of the civil war. May she obtain for all Angolans the grace of authentic forgiveness, respect for others, and cooperation which alone can carry forward the immense work of rebuilding, the Pope entreated. In a special way the Pope urged the Virgin Mary’s intercession for peace, the conversion of hearts, and an end to the conflict in the neighbouring Great Lakes region.