VATICAN CITY, 20 MAR 2009 (VIS) - Following a two-hour flight from Yaounde, Cameroon, the Holy Father's plane landed at 4 de Fevereiro airport in the Angolan capital city of Luanda.
As he descended from the aircraft, the Pope was greeted by President Jose Eduardo dos Santos of Angola, then by Archbishop Damiao Antonio Franklin of Luanda, president of the Episcopal Conference of Angola and Sao Tome.
Having greeted other State dignitaries and listened to President dos Santos's welcome speech, the Pope pronounced his address.
He began by explaining that, although his African trip was limited to Yaounde and Luanda, he wanted everyone to know "that I keep very much in my heart and in my prayers Africa in general and the people of Angola in particular, whom I warmly encourage to continue along the path of peace-building and reconstruction of the country and its institutions".
After recalling John Paul II's visit to the country in June 1992, Benedict XVI pointed out that in his own country, Germany, "peace and fraternity are dear to the hearts of all people, in particular those, like myself, who have known war and division between family members from the same nation as a result of inhuman and destructive ideologies, which, under the false appearance of dreams and illusions, caused the yoke of oppression to weigh down upon the people. You can therefore understand how keenly aware I am of dialogue as a way of overcoming every form of conflict and tension and making every nation - including your own - into a house of peace and fraternity".
"Your land is abundant and your nation is mighty", he told the Angolan people. "Make use of these advantages to build peace and understanding between peoples, based upon loyalty and equality that can promote for Africa the peaceful future in solidarity that everyone longs for and to which everyone is entitled. To this end, I ask you: do not yield to the law of the strongest! God has enabled human beings to fly, over and above their natural tendencies, on the wings of reason and faith. If you let these wings bear you aloft, you will easily recognise your neighbour as a brother or sister, born with the same fundamental human rights.
"Unfortunately", he added, "within the borders of Angola, there are still many poor people demanding that their rights be respected. The multitude of Angolans who live below the threshold of absolute poverty must not be forgotten. Do not disappoint their expectations.
"This is a huge task, requiring greater civic participation on everyone's part. It is necessary to involve the whole of Angolan civil society in this effort; but society needs to grow stronger and more articulated, both among its constitutive elements and in its dialogue with the government, before it can take up the challenge. Before there can be a society that is truly solicitous for the common good, there have to be common values, shared by all".
The Pope concluded by reiterating the "immediate occasion" for his Angolan visit: "To be together with one of the oldest Catholic communities in sub-equatorial Africa, to strengthen it in its faith in the risen Jesus and to join its sons and daughters in praying that this time of peace in Angola, in justice and fraternity, may prove lasting, allowing the community to carry out the mission that God has entrusted to it for the good of its people within the family of nations".
The welcome ceremony over, the Holy Father travelled to the apostolic nunciature where he had lunch.
PV-ANGOLA/ARRIVAL/LUANDA VIS 20090320 (600)
As he descended from the aircraft, the Pope was greeted by President Jose Eduardo dos Santos of Angola, then by Archbishop Damiao Antonio Franklin of Luanda, president of the Episcopal Conference of Angola and Sao Tome.
Having greeted other State dignitaries and listened to President dos Santos's welcome speech, the Pope pronounced his address.
He began by explaining that, although his African trip was limited to Yaounde and Luanda, he wanted everyone to know "that I keep very much in my heart and in my prayers Africa in general and the people of Angola in particular, whom I warmly encourage to continue along the path of peace-building and reconstruction of the country and its institutions".
After recalling John Paul II's visit to the country in June 1992, Benedict XVI pointed out that in his own country, Germany, "peace and fraternity are dear to the hearts of all people, in particular those, like myself, who have known war and division between family members from the same nation as a result of inhuman and destructive ideologies, which, under the false appearance of dreams and illusions, caused the yoke of oppression to weigh down upon the people. You can therefore understand how keenly aware I am of dialogue as a way of overcoming every form of conflict and tension and making every nation - including your own - into a house of peace and fraternity".
"Your land is abundant and your nation is mighty", he told the Angolan people. "Make use of these advantages to build peace and understanding between peoples, based upon loyalty and equality that can promote for Africa the peaceful future in solidarity that everyone longs for and to which everyone is entitled. To this end, I ask you: do not yield to the law of the strongest! God has enabled human beings to fly, over and above their natural tendencies, on the wings of reason and faith. If you let these wings bear you aloft, you will easily recognise your neighbour as a brother or sister, born with the same fundamental human rights.
"Unfortunately", he added, "within the borders of Angola, there are still many poor people demanding that their rights be respected. The multitude of Angolans who live below the threshold of absolute poverty must not be forgotten. Do not disappoint their expectations.
"This is a huge task, requiring greater civic participation on everyone's part. It is necessary to involve the whole of Angolan civil society in this effort; but society needs to grow stronger and more articulated, both among its constitutive elements and in its dialogue with the government, before it can take up the challenge. Before there can be a society that is truly solicitous for the common good, there have to be common values, shared by all".
The Pope concluded by reiterating the "immediate occasion" for his Angolan visit: "To be together with one of the oldest Catholic communities in sub-equatorial Africa, to strengthen it in its faith in the risen Jesus and to join its sons and daughters in praying that this time of peace in Angola, in justice and fraternity, may prove lasting, allowing the community to carry out the mission that God has entrusted to it for the good of its people within the family of nations".
The welcome ceremony over, the Holy Father travelled to the apostolic nunciature where he had lunch.
PV-ANGOLA/ARRIVAL/LUANDA VIS 20090320 (600)
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