Luanda – “These were intense days full of joy, faith, and enthusiasm for all of us,” writes Sister Idalina Mareco of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians to Fides from Luanda, at the end of Pope Leo XIV’s trip to Africa, which ended yesterday, April 23.
“A sign of God’s closeness to our Angolan people, who suffer from wounds, hunger, injustice, social division, and unemployment. The Holy Father knows the people’s pain, but also recognizes their human richness and resources. In all his messages, he reminded us of these resources and encouraged hope, peace, and reconciliation. We all need these moments that bring us closer together and unite us in communion around the Vicar of Christ,” affirms Sister Idalina, who lives and works in the province of Luanda.
“Together you can make Angola a project of hope. The Catholic Church, whose work for the good of the country you, I know, greatly appreciate, wants to be leaven in the dough and promote the growth of a just model of coexistence, free from the kinds of servitude imposed by elites with money and false pleasures. Only together will we be able to multiply the gifts of this wonderful people, reaching even the urban fringe and the most remote rural regions, where their life pulsates and their future is being prepared,” the Pope said on Saturday, April 18, in his address to representatives of politics and civil society and the diplomatic corps at the Presidential Palace in Luanda. [The text abruptly ends here, so the translation stops as well.] “Welcoming the Pope to our home,” writes Sister Laurinda Kinha of the Don Bosco Society, “signifies a time of grace. Given the many experiences of the Angolan people in recent times, the Holy Father’s visit brings deep and genuine comfort. And as a Church, he specifically reaffirms our commitment to our uniqueness. The shepherd visits his flock; this thought also carries a certain privilege, as it is his first personal trip since the beginning of his pontificate.” The Angolans hope, the nun continues, that the message of faith delivered by the Pope will show them how true reconciliation can be lived among brothers and sisters.
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