Pope: the African Church, the bearer of hope in a world that is hungry and thirsty for justice
Looking back at the stages of his trip to Benin at the general audience, Benedict XVI says that he found "a freshness in their yes to life, a freshness of religious awareness and of hope, a perception of reality in its totality with God and not reduced to a positivism which eventually extinguishes hope".
Vatican City (AsiaNews) - To be bearers of hope in every aspect of the Church and society in "a world that is hungry and thirsty for justice”, this is the task Benedict XVI sees entrusted to joy, love for life with a vision that "is not reduced to a positivism which eventually extinguishes hope," which he found in Benin, on his second trip to an' Africa that "in recent months" has shown a "burning desire for freedom and justice."
Benedict XVI retraced the visit step by step with the eight thousand people present in the Paul VI for the general audience today: from his arrival, Friday 18, to his departure, Sunday 20, with its focal points of the celebration of 150 years of evangelization of Benin and the delivery of the apostolic exhortation Africae Munus, the Pope’s views on the analysis and proposals advanced by the Synod for Africa held in the Vatican in October 2009.
The journey, as a whole, was "a great appeal to Africa, to direct every effort to proclaiming the Gospel to those who still do not know", and the Christian communities "called to renew faith within themselves," " to become joyful instruments of divine wealth "," each bringing their own moral wealth to the common good "to be instruments of justice, peace and reconciliation.
"This spirit of reconciliation is essential, of course, on the civil level and requires an openness to the hope that animates the sociopolitical and economic life of the continent, as I was able underline in the meeting with the political institutions, the Diplomatic Corps and Representatives of Religions".
On that occasion the Pope Benedict “ stressed the need to build a society in which relations between ethnic groups and religions are characterized by dialogue and harmony. I invited all – he continued - to be true sowers of hope in every situation and environment”. As for Christians, "they are men of hope, who must always have the best interests of their brothers and sisters at heart."
The Pope then recalled the Sunday Mass celebrated in Cotonou, an "extraordinary moment of prayer and celebration of faith which was attended by thousands of people from Benin and other African countries, old and young: a wonderful testimony of how faith manages draws together the generations and can meet the challenges of each season of life. "
It was also the occasion for the handing over of the Apostolic Exhortation to the presidents of African episcopal conferences of the, to meditate on and "live fully, to respond effectively to the challenging task of evangelizing the pilgrim Church in the Third Millennium", capable of becoming a builder of "communion , peace and solidarity "."The Africans responded with enthusiasm to the Pope, and on their faces, in their ardent faith, belief in their adherence to the Gospel of life I once again recognized signs of hope and comfort for the great continent of Africa. "
Ultimately, the Pope in Africa found " a freshness in their yes to life, a freshness of religious awareness and of hope, a perception of reality in its totality with God and not reduced to a positivism which eventually extinguishes hope. All of this speaks of the presence on that continent of a reservoir of life and vitality for the future, on which we can count, on which the Church can rely".
Benedict XVI retraced the visit step by step with the eight thousand people present in the Paul VI for the general audience today: from his arrival, Friday 18, to his departure, Sunday 20, with its focal points of the celebration of 150 years of evangelization of Benin and the delivery of the apostolic exhortation Africae Munus, the Pope’s views on the analysis and proposals advanced by the Synod for Africa held in the Vatican in October 2009.
The journey, as a whole, was "a great appeal to Africa, to direct every effort to proclaiming the Gospel to those who still do not know", and the Christian communities "called to renew faith within themselves," " to become joyful instruments of divine wealth "," each bringing their own moral wealth to the common good "to be instruments of justice, peace and reconciliation.
"This spirit of reconciliation is essential, of course, on the civil level and requires an openness to the hope that animates the sociopolitical and economic life of the continent, as I was able underline in the meeting with the political institutions, the Diplomatic Corps and Representatives of Religions".
On that occasion the Pope Benedict “ stressed the need to build a society in which relations between ethnic groups and religions are characterized by dialogue and harmony. I invited all – he continued - to be true sowers of hope in every situation and environment”. As for Christians, "they are men of hope, who must always have the best interests of their brothers and sisters at heart."
The Pope then recalled the Sunday Mass celebrated in Cotonou, an "extraordinary moment of prayer and celebration of faith which was attended by thousands of people from Benin and other African countries, old and young: a wonderful testimony of how faith manages draws together the generations and can meet the challenges of each season of life. "
It was also the occasion for the handing over of the Apostolic Exhortation to the presidents of African episcopal conferences of the, to meditate on and "live fully, to respond effectively to the challenging task of evangelizing the pilgrim Church in the Third Millennium", capable of becoming a builder of "communion , peace and solidarity "."The Africans responded with enthusiasm to the Pope, and on their faces, in their ardent faith, belief in their adherence to the Gospel of life I once again recognized signs of hope and comfort for the great continent of Africa. "
Ultimately, the Pope in Africa found " a freshness in their yes to life, a freshness of religious awareness and of hope, a perception of reality in its totality with God and not reduced to a positivism which eventually extinguishes hope. All of this speaks of the presence on that continent of a reservoir of life and vitality for the future, on which we can count, on which the Church can rely".
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