On the evening of his last full day in Angola, Pope Leo XIV told the leadership of the Catholic Church in this predominantly Christian country, “Your loyalty to Angola—as it should be throughout the world—is today particularly linked to the proclamation of peace.”
“In the past,” he said, “you have shown courage in denouncing the scourge of war,” referring to the civil war that plagued the country from 1975 to 2002. “You did this by standing at the side of people who were suffering, by building and rebuilding, and by proposing paths and solutions to end the armed conflict. Your contribution is widely recognized and appreciated.”
“But this responsibility is not over,” he told them. “I encourage you to promote a renewed sense of reconciliation by educating everyone in the ways of peace and valuing the harmonious witness of those brothers and sisters in your midst who, after enduring painful trials, have been able to forgive. Rejoice with them and celebrate peace!”
Those were his closing remarks to 27 bishops as well as representatives of the country’s 1,500 priests, 2,460 women and 340 men religious, and pastoral workers who serve Angola’s 20 million Catholics.
He addressed them at the Church of Our Lady of Fatima in Luanda, built by Capuchin Franciscan friars who arrived from Venice in 1963, a priest named Samuel told America just before the pope arrived.
Father Samuel, a young Angolan priest who was baptized in this church and is now working in a parish in the city, said he was “deeply impressed by the simplicity of Pope Leo and his concern for the poor and those on the margins of society.” He said he liked it when, speaking to those in positions of authority on the first day, the pope called on them to “work for the common good, not for personal interest.” His friend, Father José, a priest of St. John Paul II parish in the city, said he was also struck by Pope Leo’s “simplicity and his care for the poor” and his insistence that the wealth from Angola’s natural resources should be “shared” as it is not necessary to have so much poverty in this country.
When I asked why the crowds at the pope’s Masses in Angola seemed more subdued than in Cameroon, Father Samuel responded, “They are afraid” because they see “many police and security forces around,” so they don’t want to get into trouble.
As we spoke, great cheers arose from the thousands of Angolans gathered outside the church, signaling the pope had arrived. Pope Leo came here at the end of a very busy and physically demanding last full day in Angola that saw him travel by plane from Luanda to Saurimo, 600 miles east of the capital city. Saurimo is Angola’s diamond hub and has the fourth-largest diamond mine in the world. There, he visited a home for the care of elderly people and then celebrated Mass in the esplanade for some 60,000 people, to the sound of drums, singing and dancing.
Addressing the church’s leadership back in Luanda, Pope Leo expressed his “great joy” at meeting them and thanked them not only for their “warm welcome” but also for their great “work of evangelization” and their “charity to those most in need” as well their “steadfast commitment to contribute to the progress of this nation on the solid foundations of reconciliation and peace.”
He was welcomed by Archbishop José Manuel Imbamba, the president of the bishops’ conference, and then listened to testimonies from a priest, a catechist and two women religious.
Pope Leo then addressed them, speaking fluently in Portuguese. He began by praising “the Christian vitality” that characterizes their communities and told them, “the Lord knows the generosity with which you embrace your vocation, and he is not indifferent to all that you do, for love of him, to nourish your people with the truth of the Gospel.”
Pope Leo then shared a message for the “many young people” in the country’s seminaries—2,366 in major seminaries and 1,598 in minor seminaries, as well as many others in houses of formation. “Do not be afraid to say ‘yes’ to Christ, to model your lives entirely on his,” he said. “Do not be afraid of tomorrow, for you belong completely to the Lord. It 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,” including “baptism, which has brought you into the great family of the church, and your vocation.”
The American missionary pope also extolled the importance of “the ministry of catechists” (there are 56,559 in Angola) and added, in a message for the wider church, that the ministry of catechist “is a fundamental expression of the life of the church, which can serve as an inspiration for Catholic communities throughout the world.”
He recalled the words of St. Paul to the Corinthians, “For all things are yours…and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God,” and told these church leaders, “Fifty years after your country’s independence, these words tell us that Angola’s present and future belong to you, but you belong to Christ.” Indeed, he said, “all Angolans, without exception, have the right to build up this country and to benefit from it equitably; however, the Lord’s disciples have the duty to do so according to the law of charity.”
Speaking as their spiritual father, he told them, “In the school of Christ, who is ‘the way, the truth, and the life,’ there is always much to learn.” He emphasized the importance of “knowing Christ” and said this happens through “a solid initial formation” and by adherence to the programs of their dioceses, congregations and institutes. He reminded them, however, that it also requires “serious personal study, so that you may enlighten the faithful entrusted to you, saving them above all from the dangerous illusion of superstition.” It was the third time on this visit to Angola that he urged them to be on their guard against “superstition”; it seems to be a problem in this land.
Pope Leo, who is known to love tennis, swimming, listening to music and reading, reminded those present that “formation is something broad” and “concerns the unity of our inner life, care for ourselves and for the gift of God we have received by drawing on literature, music, sports, the arts in general, and above all, prayer of adoration and contemplation.”
“Especially in moments of discouragement and trial,” he urged them to take to heart the words of Pope Francis, who said: “How good it is to stand before a crucifix, or on our knees before the Blessed Sacrament, and simply to be in his presence! How much good it does us when he once more touches our lives and impels us to share his new life!” (“Evangelii Gaudium,” No. 264). “Without this contemplative dimension,” Pope Leo said, “we no longer live in conformity with the Gospel, nor do we reflect the power of the resurrection.”
He told them, “The faithfulness of Christ, who loved us to the end, is the true driving force behind our own faithfulness.” He explained that this faithfulness “is fostered by the unity of priests with their bishop and with their brother priests, and of consecrated men and women with their superiors and among themselves.” He urged them to “nurture fraternity among yourselves with frankness and transparency” and to “not give in to arrogance and self-centeredness.”
“Do not detach yourselves from the people, especially the poor,” Pope Leo said, “and shun the pursuit of privileges.”
He emphasized the important role their own families can play in helping them remain faithful to their mission. He encouraged the families of the priests “to always help” their sons “to remain faithful to the Gospel,” but at the same time, he asked them “not to seek personal gain from your ecclesial service.”
He concluded by reminding Angola’s church leadership that “development is the new name of peace,” as Pope Paul VI wrote in his 1967 encyclical letter “Populorum Progressio.” It is “essential,” he said, “while interpreting current events with wisdom, [that] you never cease to denounce injustices, offering solutions in accordance with Christian charity.” He urged them “to continue to be a generous church, cooperating in the integral development of your country,” and he reaffirmed that “everything you have accomplished in the fields of education and health care has been and remains crucial.” (The church in Angola runs more than 500 schools and 48 hospitals, among other services.)
He told the Catholic leadership that “when difficulties arise” they should “remember the heroic witness of faith given by Angolans—men and women, missionaries born here or coming from abroad—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.” Indeed, he said, “starting with every Eucharist, you, too, dear friends, are the body offered and the blood shed for the life and salvation of your brothers and sisters.” As he blessed them, he prayed that the Virgin Mary, here venerated as Mama Muxima [Mother of the Heart], may always be at their side.
Pope Leo received two strong rounds of applause when he finished speaking. He then led the Catholic leadership in reciting the Our Father and blessed them before returning to the nunciature.
Tomorrow morning, April 21, on the first anniversary of the death of his predecessor, Pope Leo will bid farewell to Angola and take a two-and-a-half-hour flight to Equatorial Guinea, the only Spanish-speaking country in Africa, and the last stage of his 11-day journey in Africa.
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