Pope tells reporters he felt sense of God's family in Africa
(March 24, 2009) Pope Benedict XVI said he felt a great sense of family and respect
for the sacred during his weeklong trip to Africa. Speaking to reporters aboard his
plane back to Rome March 23, the pope thanked everyone involved in the visit, including
the journalists who covered it. "I was particularly struck by two things: on one hand,
an impression of this friendliness, of almost exuberant joy, Africa in celebration.
And it seemed to me that in the pope they saw the personification of the fact that
we are a family of God," he said. "On the other hand, I was impressed by the spirit
of concentration in the liturgy and a strong sense of the sacred," he said. There
was no "self-presentation and self-animation" by participating groups at Mass, but
a focus on the divine presence, he said. The pope again expressed his sadness at the
deaths of two girls trampled before the start of a papal youth rally in Angola and
noted that one of the girls still had not been identified. "Let us pray for them and
hope that in the future things are organized so that this will no longer happen,"
he said.