Vatican City, Nov 23, 2011 / 10:20 am
Pope Benedict said Nov. 23 that during his trip to the country of Benin this past weekend he saw that Africa is “a reservoir of life and vitality” for the Church and its future.
In keeping with tradition, the Pope offered his assessment of the Nov. 18-20 visit to Benin at today’s general audience, which was held in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall because of a winter rain storm.
“In Africa I saw a freshness in the 'yes' to life, a freshness of religious meaning and hope, a holistic vision of reality where God is not confined to that positivist perspective which, in the final analysis, extinguishes all hope,” he said.
“This tells us that the continent is a reservoir of life and vitality for the future upon which we can rely, upon which the Church can rely.”
Pope Benedict told attendees at the audience that during his three-visit, he and the Church in Africa had “lived together a touching experience of faith and renewed encounter with the living Jesus Christ.”