Pope calls for reconciliation in Congo
April 29, 2010
Pope Benedict XVI urged authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to "do everything in their power to end the state of war which, unfortunately, still persists in certain areas of the country," during an April 29 meeting with a new ambassador from Congo to the Holy See.
"Over recent years your country has gone through particularly difficult and tragic moments," the Holy Father observed during his meeting with the new envoy, Jean-Pierre Hamuli Mupenda. "Blind and pitiless violence has afflicted a large part of the population."
The country's rich natural resources have unfortunately "become a source of greed and unbridled profit for many people inside and outside your country," contributing to the years of violence, the Pope remarked. But those same resources, properly used, could help lift the people of the Congo from poverty.
"Little by little, the badly frayed fabric of society must be mended," the Pope said. He called upon international leaders-- especially those whose countries have been involved in the many episodes of violence over the years-- to help in the process of reconciliation and redevelopment.
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