Pope Leo XIV completes the penultimate stage of his visit to Angola
Pope Leo XIV appealed, in Saurimo, in Eastern Angola, to faith in Christ, warning that “when injustice corrupts the hearts, the bread of all becomes the property of a few”.
“Indeed, today we see that many people’s desires are frustrated by the violent, exploited by the arrogant and deceived by wealth. When injustice corrupts the hearts, the bread of all becomes the property of a few”, he declared, in the homily he is giving at the mass that brings together thousands of people on the Saurimo esplanade.
Leo XIV, who referred to “superstitious commerce, in which God becomes an idol that is sought after only when he serves us and while he serves us”, highlighted that Christ “does not reject this insincere search, but encourages its conversion”.
“He does not send the crowd away, but invites everyone to examine what is beating in our hearts. Christ calls us to freedom: he does not want servants or clients, but he is looking for brothers and sisters to whom he can dedicate himself with all his being. To respond with faith to this love, it is not enough to hear about Jesus: we must accept the meaning of his words. It is not enough to even see what Jesus does: we must follow and imitate his initiative”, he urged.
The Angolan Catholic Church has expressed its concern about the growth of rituals associated with superstitions, an issue very present in Eastern Angola, a region where Christian evangelization was later.
“Even the most beautiful gifts from the Lord, who always cares for his people, then become a demand, a prize or blackmail, and are misunderstood precisely by those who receive them. The evangelical account, therefore, makes us understand that there are wrong reasons to look for Christ, especially when he is considered a guru or a good luck charm”, he warned.
The Pope cited the Gospel – “You seek me, not because you saw miraculous signs, but because you ate the loaves and were satisfied” – to state that Christ asks whether he is sought “out of gratitude or out of interest, out of calculation or out of love”.
Leo XIV stated that what brought him here, to be with the population of Saurimo, was the “Good News, the Gospel that runs like blood in his veins”.
“We did not come into the world to die. We were not born to become slaves neither to the corruption of the flesh nor to the corruption of the soul: every form of oppression, violence, exploitation and lies denies the resurrection of Christ, the supreme gift of our freedom. In fact, this liberation from evil and death does not only happen at the end of time, but in the history of every day”, he declared.
Leo XIV says that the elderly must be supported but also listened to
Pope Leo XIV expressed appreciation for the initiatives of the Angolan authorities in favor of the elderly, arguing that they should not only be supported, but listened to, because they “guard the wisdom of a people”.
Leo XIV delivered this message during his visit to a nursing home in Muangueje, Saurimo, capital of the province of Lunda Sul, where he will also celebrate a mass.
“I would like to express my appreciation to the Angolan authorities for the initiatives in favor of the elderly, as well as to all collaborators and volunteers”, said the Pope, quoted by Angolan television TPA, stressing that the care of the most fragile people is a very important sign of the quality of a country’s social life.
According to Leo
“And we have to be grateful to them, as they faced great difficulties for the good of the community”, he said.
The Pope said he hopes that the elderly can truly live at home in a family environment.
The home hosts 64 elderly people, the majority of whom are women (36), having recently been rehabilitated with the support of some companies, mainly from the extractive sector.
In their message, the elderly thanked the Pope for his presence in that home, stressing that the visit was a source of great joy.
Representing the elderly, a woman, who spoke in Tchokwe, the local language, said that she has been in the home for five months because her children accused her of being a witch and wanted to kill her.
“You’ve already caught spells and our children are always sick. It’s me, your mother who’s going to kill your children, I’m the one who raised you and you didn’t die? This is the reason why I’m here, because my own children accused me of this crime, they took bags to be wrapped and thrown into the river”, he said.
The Pope, who went to the Cathedral, will now perform the highlight of this visit, the celebration of the open mass.
Leo XIV, who is completing the penultimate stage of his visit to Angola, left Luanda this Monday morning, for Saurimo, returning to the Angolan capital after 3 pm, to meet with bishops, priests, consecrated men and women and pastoral agents.
The end of this visit by the Pope, who has been in Angola since Saturday, is scheduled for Tuesday, when he is scheduled to head to Equatorial Guinea, the last stage of the tour of the African continent, which ends on Thursday and which also included Algeria and Cameroon.
