Vatican City, 12 September 2014 (VIS) –
The education of young people in order to overcome violence and
inequality, the participation of the Church in building society and
the consolidation of peace and her mission in aid of “those whom
life has wounded” were the main issues in the discourse Pope
Francis handed to the bishops of the Democratic Republic of Congo
this morning, at the end of their “ad Limina” visit.
“The Church in the Democratic
Republic of Congo is a young Church”, writes the Holy Father.
“However, it is also a Church of youth. Children and adolescents,
in particular, need God's strength to help them resist the many
temptations of a precarious life in which they are unable to study or
find work. I am sympathetic to their plight, and I know you share
their sorrows, their joys and hopes. I think with horror especially
of those children and young people conscripted into militias and
forced to kill their own countrymen. I encourage you, therefore, to
pursue the pastoral care of youth. By providing the greatest
assistance possible, especially through the creation of spaces for
human, spiritual and professional formation, you can help them
discover their deepest vocation that predisposes them to encounter
the Lord”.
“The most effective way to overcome
violence, inequality and ethnic divisions is to equip the young with
a critical mind and to offer them the opportunity to mature an
understanding of Gospel values. It is also necessary to strengthen
pastoral care in universities and in Catholic and public schools,
combining education with the clear proclamation of the Gospel. ...
Similarly, to face the problem of family breakdown, caused in
particular by war and poverty, it is essential to promote and
encourage all initiatives to strengthen the family, the source of
brotherhood and the foundation and first road to peace”.
“Fidelity to the Gospel also implies
that the Church participates in the construction of the city. One of
the most valuable contributions that the local church can offer your
country is to help people rediscover the relevance of faith in daily
life and the need to promote the common good. Similarly, leading
figures in the nation, enlightened by pastors and in relation to
their skills, can also be supported in incorporating Christian
teachings in their personal lives and in the exercise of their duties
in the service of the state and society. In this sense, the
Magisterium of the Church, especially the encyclical Caritas in
Veritate, the post-Synodal apostolic exhortation “Africae munus”
and the recent apostolic exhortation “Evangelii gaudium”, are
invaluable tools”.
The Pope urges the Congolese bishops to
“work tirelessly for the establishment of a just and lasting peace
through a pastoral of dialogue and reconciliation among the various
sectors of society, supporting the process of disarmament, and
promoting effective collaboration with other religious
denominations”. He emphasises that at this time, when the country
is currently experiencing political events that are important for the
future, “it is necessary for the Church to make her contribution,
avoiding the risk of becoming substitute for political institutions
and temporal realities that must retain their autonomy”. In
particular, pastors must be careful not to take on roles that
rightfully belong to the lay faithful, whose mission is justly that
of bearing witness to Christ and the Gospel in politics and in all
other areas of their activities”.
After highlighting the need for
collaboration between all pastoral workers in the various fields of
the apostolate, especially in education, health and charitable aid,
Francis reminds the prelates that there are high expectations of them
“in defence of spiritual and social values”, and he urges them to
“provide guidance and solutions for the promotion of a society
based on respect for the dignity of the human person”. In this
regard, “attention to the poor and needy, as well as the elderly,
the sick and disabled, should be the subject of adequate pastoral
care under constant review”. Indeed, “the Church is called to be
concerned with the wellbeing of these people and to bring the
attention of society and public authorities to their situation”.
The Holy Father concludes by
encouraging the bishops to be “men of hope for the people” and
gave thanks for the work of all missionaries, priests, religious and
other pastoral workers dedicated to the service of “those who have
been wounded by life, the victims of violence, especially in the most
isolated and remote areas of the country”, and reserved special
mention for “the internally displaced and the many people who come
from neighbouring countries”.
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