Maputo, Mozambique, Sep 5, 2019 / 02:13 am
In his opening speech in Mozambique Thursday, Pope Francis encouraged the country's authorities to work diligently for peace.
"Peace is not merely absence of war but a tireless commitment – especially on the part of those of us charged with greater responsibility – to recognize, protect and concretely restore the dignity, so often overlooked or ignored, of our brothers and sisters, so that they can see themselves as the principal protagonists of the destiny of their nation," he said Sept. 5 at the Palácio da Ponta Vermelha in Maputo, addressing authorities, civil society, and the diplomatic corps.
The pope expressed his own gratitude "and that of the larger international community, for the efforts made in recent decades to ensure that peace is once more the norm, and reconciliation the best path to confront the difficulties and challenges that you face as a nation."
Mozambique fought a civil war from 1977 to 1992 between Frelimo, a socialist party that has ruled the country since it gained independence in 1975, and Renamo, an anti-communist organization.