Pope Benedict XVI recieves new ambassador from Ivory Coast

Pope Benedict XVI received Letters of Credence from Ivory Coast’s new ambassador to the Holy See, Joseph Tebah-Klah on Friday. Joseph Tebah-Klah is the first ambassador from Ivory Coast to begin his mission to the Holy See since the brief but intense civil war that erupted in his country earlier this year after the outgoing president Laurent Gbagbo refused to relinquish power after his political opponent, Alassane Ouattara, defeated him in internationally-certified elections.

In remarks to the Ambassador, Pope Benedict offered his prayers for the president and for the whole country asking God to guide and support their efforts to make progress on the path to a lasting peace. The Holy Father went on to discuss the need to continue the real, concrete commitment to national healing and social cohesion, and welcomed the establishment of a Commission for Truth, Dialogue and Reconciliation, encouraging the Commission to work diligently and impartially. Pope Benedict also encouraged Ivory Coast’s political leadership to engage resolutely on the path to a transparent and equitable governance. “To achieve the common good,” said Pope Benedict, “one needs discipline, justice and transparency.” He also called on politicians to make every effort to ensure that the country's wealth equitably benefit all citizens.

Another central concern of Pope Benedict’s remarks to the ambassador was the challenge of achieving peace and justice in a religiously diverse society such as Ivory Coast, which is roughly 1/3 Christian with 1/3 Muslim, with a great number of practicing devotees of traditional religions. Quoting his first encyclical, Deus caritas est, Pope Benedict said, “The State may not impose religion, yet it must guarantee religious freedom and harmony between the followers of different religions. For her part, the Church, as the social expression of Christian faith, has a proper independence and is structured on the basis of her faith as a community which the State must recognize. The two spheres are distinct, yet always interrelated. (n.28)”

The Holy father pointed to the proper functioning of schools and other educational institutions as essential to meeting the goal, and said that the Church, far from wanting to replace the state, can through its many institutions in the areas of education and health care, provide comfort and care for the soul – “and this aid,” he said, “is often more necessary than material support especially when it comes to heal so many wounds of body and soul.”

Noting that the new ambassador’s assumption of his duties coincides with the fortieth anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Ivory Coast and the Holy See, Pope Benedict expressed his best wishes for the success of the ambassador’s mission, and asked God to bestow generous blessings on the ambassador and all the Ivorian leadership and people. Listen