Love your enemies, Pope preaches in strife-torn Central African Republic
November 30, 2015
On November 29, Pope Francis arrived in the Central African Republic, the final stop in his six-day apostolic journey to Africa.
The nation of 4.7 million, torn by civil strife since 2012, is approximately 50% Protestant, 30% Catholic, and 15% Muslim.
Reflecting on the nation’s motto (“unity, dignity, labor”) during a meeting with authorities and the diplomatic corps in the presidential palace in Bangui, the Pope expressed hope for an “advance, especially in the areas of reconciliation, disarmament, peacekeeping, health care and the cultivation of a sound administration at all levels.”
“Those who have the means to enjoy a decent life, rather than being concerned with privileges, must seek to help those poorer than themselves to attain dignified living conditions, particularly through the development of their human, cultural, economic and social potential,” he added.
The Pope then traveled to a refugee camp in Bangui, where he said, “We must work, pray and do everything possible for peace.”
“Peace is not possible without love, without friendship, without tolerance and without forgiveness,” he added in his brief remarks.
Later in the afternoon, Pope Francis addressed members of Protestant communities at the Faculty of Evangelical Theology of Bangui.
Referring to the “ecumenism of blood,” he stated that “we are all here to serve the same risen Lord, who gathers us today; and, through the common baptism we have received, we are sent to announce the joy of the Gospel to the men and women of this beloved country of Central Africa.”
He then offered Sunday Mass at the cathedral in Bangui, where he opened the holy door for the jubilee year of mercy and preached on love of enemies, “which protects us from the temptation to seek revenge and from the spiral of endless retaliation.”
“Jesus placed special emphasis on this aspect of the Christian testimony,” he added. “Those who evangelize must therefore be first and foremost practitioners of forgiveness, specialists in reconciliation, experts in mercy.”
Following Mass, a prayer vigil for youth took place in the cathedral square. The Pope heard the confessions of several young people and spoke extemporaneously.
Calling upon youth to resist “war, hate, division,” he said that “fleeing the challenges of life is never the solution … You must pray to resist, to love, not to hate, and to be artisans of peace.”
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