“Here in Africa, as in so many parts of the world, countless men and women long to hear a word of hope and comfort. Regional conflicts leave thousands homeless or destitute, orphaned or widowed. In a continent which, in times past, saw so many of its people cruelly uprooted and traded overseas to work as slaves, today human trafficking, especially of defenseless women and children, has become a new form of slavery. At a time of global food shortages, financial turmoil, and disturbing patterns of climate change, Africa suffers disproportionately: more and more of her people are falling prey to hunger, poverty, and disease. They cry out for reconciliation, justice and peace, and that is what the Church offers them. Not new forms of economic or political oppression, but the glorious freedom of the children of God. Not the imposition of cultural models that ignore the rights of the unborn, but the pure healing water of the Gospel of life. Not bitter interethnic or interreligious rivalry, but the righteousness, peace and joy of God’s kingdom, so aptly described by Pope Paul VI as the civilization of love.”
In addition to the proclamation of the Gospel, the Pope lauded the Church’s efforts to “carry forward her mission of healing and reconciliation” through free care for AIDS patients and education.
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Pope Benedict then highlighted Cameroon as “a land of hope for many in Central Africa” because it has embraced thousands of refugees from war-torn countries, has a government that “speaks out in defense of the rights of the unborn,” has “shown the world that patient diplomacy can indeed bear fruit” in negotiations with Nigeria and is a land of youth.
The Holy Father closed his first speech by praying that the Church in Cameroon and throughout Africa “will continue to grow in holiness, in the service of reconciliation, justice and peace.”
To read the full text of Pope Benedict’s speech please visit: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/document.php?n=806