The pontiff urged bishops, priests, religious, and catechists to remain committed to peace, justice, and integral development.LUANDA, Angola \u2014 Pope Leo XIV on Monday thanked the Catholic Church in Angola for its long-standing witness in a nation still marked by the wounds of war, praising its efforts to help build the country on \u201cthe solid foundations of reconciliation and peace.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meeting with the Catholic Community in Luanda<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you also for your steadfast commitment to contribute to the progress of this nation on the solid foundations of reconciliation and peace,\u201d the pope said April 20 during a meeting with bishops, priests, consecrated men and women, catechists, and other pastoral workers at the Parish of Our Lady of F\u00e1tima in Luanda.<\/p>\n
The parish, dedicated to Our Lady of F\u00e1tima and built by Capuchin Franciscans in 1963, welcomed the pope with a festive reception. Two children greeted him at the entrance with flowers, while young women in red skirts danced on the church square as they awaited his arrival.<\/p>\n
The stop was one of the pope\u2019s final public events in Angola before his departure Tuesday for Equatorial Guinea, the last leg of his African journey.<\/p>\n
Leo thanked the Church in Angola for its vitality and missionary spirit, telling clergy and religious that the Lord sees the generosity with which they have embraced their vocation.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is therefore worth opening your hearts completely to Christ!\u201d he said. \u201cDo not be afraid to say \u2018yes\u2019 to Christ, to model your lives entirely on his! Do not be afraid of tomorrow, for you belong completely to the Lord.\u201d<\/p>\n
Addressing seminarians and those in formation in particular, the pope emphasized the total gift of self to God in priestly and religious life.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is worth following him in obedience, poverty, and celibacy. He takes nothing away! The only thing he takes from us and takes upon himself is sin. Yes, from him you receive everything,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The pope also highlighted the importance of catechists, calling their ministry a foundational expression of ecclesial life in Africa.<\/p>\n
\u201cParticularly in Africa, it is a fundamental expression of the life of the Church, which can serve as an inspiration for Catholic communities throughout the world,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Fifty years after Angola\u2019s independence, Leo reflected on the country\u2019s future and on the Christian duty to help shape it.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll Angolans, without exception, have the right to build up this country and to benefit from it equitably; however, the Lord\u2019s disciples have the duty to do so according to the law of charity,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The pope framed that responsibility above all as a call to fidelity to Christ. Referring to the Angolan bishops\u2019 current three-year pastoral plan, \u201cFaithful Disciples, Joyful Disciples,\u201d he said the first path the Lord opens before the Church is fidelity.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first path is fidelity to Christ,\u201d he said, urging ongoing formation, vigilance in personal integrity, and perseverance \u201cin proclaiming the good news of peace.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leo said formation must be rooted not only in study and pastoral structures but also in a contemplative life nourished by prayer, adoration, and the broader cultivation of the human person.<\/p>\n
\u201cFormation is much broader,\u201d he said. \u201cIt concerns the unity of our inner life, care for ourselves and for the gift of God we have received \u2026 by drawing on literature, music, sports, the arts in general, and above all, prayer of adoration and contemplation.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also encouraged clergy and religious to remain close to the people, especially the poor, and to reject privilege, arrogance, and self-centeredness.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo not detach yourselves from the people, especially the poor, and shun the pursuit of privileges,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The pope gave special thanks to families, calling them indispensable in nurturing vocations and asking relatives to support priests and religious with prayer and honest counsel rather than seeking personal advantage from their ecclesial service.<\/p>\n
After winning independence in 1975, Angola was plunged into a civil war that lasted until 2002. The long conflict left enduring scars, making the Church\u2019s message of reconciliation and peace especially resonant today.<\/p>\n
Turning to Angola\u2019s history of conflict, Leo said the Church\u2019s fidelity today is especially tied to the proclamation of peace.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the past, you have shown courage in denouncing the scourge of war,\u201d he said. \u201cYour contribution is widely recognized and appreciated. But this responsibility is not over!\u201d<\/p>\n
He urged the Church to promote a renewed sense of reconciliation by educating people in the ways of peace and by honoring those who have learned to forgive after enduring suffering.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is therefore essential that, while interpreting current events with wisdom, you never cease to denounce injustices, offering solutions in accordance with Christian charity,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Leo also called on the Church to continue cooperating in the country\u2019s \u201cintegral development,\u201d especially through education and health care.<\/p>\n
\u201cContinue to be a generous Church, cooperating in the integral development of your country,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He concluded by pointing to the witness of those who gave their lives for Angola and for the Gospel.<\/p>\n
\u201cRemember the heroic witness of faith given by Angolans \u2014 men and women, missionaries born here or coming from abroad \u2014 who had the courage to give their lives for this people and for the Gospel, preferring death to betraying the justice, truth, mercy, charity, and peace of Christ,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Follow the Live Updates of Pope Leo\u2019s Trip in Africa available at EWTN News.<\/p>\n
This story was first published by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.<\/p>\n