Yaoundé, Cameroon, Mar 20, 2009 / 08:37 am
On Thursday afternoon, after having celebrated Mass with 70,000 people, Pope Benedict traveled to a home for young people with disabilities or suffering from traumatic experiences. The Holy Father told the young people that they are not alone in their pain as he elaborated on the Church’s commitment to accompany those suffering, including AIDS patients.
The visit to Yaounde's Cardinal Leger National Rehabilitation Centre began at four in the afternoon and saw the Holy Father meet with the center’s youth as well as 200 sick people, who were brought there from hospitals around Cameroon.
"You are not alone in your pain, for Christ Himself is close to all who suffer," the Pope proclaimed as he spoke to the sick. "He reveals to the sick and infirm their place in the heart of God and in society," he added, noting how in the Gospels Christ often shows us, "through specific actions, His fraternal tenderness and benevolence towards all the broken-hearted, all whose bodies are wounded."
In keeping with his goal of tending to the wounds of Africa, the Pope said, "As I stand here today, I am mindful of all the people in hospitals ... who suffer from a disability, mental or physical. I also think of those whose flesh bears the scars of wars and violence. I remember too all the sick and, especially here in Africa, the victims of such diseases as HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. I know how actively engaged the Catholic Church in your country is in the fight against these terrible afflictions, and I encourage you to pursue this urgent task with great determination."