(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Friday met catechists and teachers at the Munyonyo shrine situated some 40 kilometres south of the Uganda capital, Kampala. In his brief address to the gathering, he encouraged them to persevere in their “rewarding” but “not easy” work and be not just teachers but also “a witness” through their example.
Please find below an English translation of the Pope’s prepared remarks to the catechists and teachers:
Greeting to Catechists
Kampala, Munyonyo
Friday, 27 November 2015
Dear Catechists and Teachers, Dear Friends,
I greet you with affection in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Teacher.
“Teacher!” What a beautiful name this is! Jesus is our first and greatest teacher. Saint Paul tells us that Jesus gave his Church not only apostles and pastors, but also teachers, to build up the whole body in faith and love. Together with the bishops, priests and deacons who are ordained to preach the Gospel and care for the Lord’s flock, you, as catechists, play an outstanding part in bringing the Good News to every village and homestead in your country.
I wish before all else, to thank you for the sacrifices which you and your families make, and for the zeal and devotion with which you carry out your important task. You teach what Jesus taught, you instruct adults and help parents to raise their children in the faith, and you bring the joy and hope of eternal life to all. Thank you for your dedication, your example, your closeness to God’s people in their daily lives, and all the many ways you plant and nurture the seeds of faith throughout this vast land. Thank you especially for teaching our children and young people how to pray.
I know that your work, although rewarding, is not easy. So I encourage you to persevere, and I ask your bishops and priests to support you with a doctrinal, spiritual and pastoral formation capable of making you ever more effective in your outreach. Even when the task seems too much, the resources too few, the obstacles too great, it should never be forgotten that yours is a holy work. The Holy Spirit is present wherever the name of Christ is proclaimed. He is in our midst whenever we lift up our hearts and minds to God in prayer. He will give you the light and strength you need! The message you bring will take root all the more firmly in people’s hearts if you are not only a teacher but also a witness. Your example should speak to everyone of the beauty of prayer, the power of mercy and forgiveness, the joy of sharing in the Eucharist with all our brothers and sisters.
The Christian community in Uganda grew strong through the witness of the martyrs. They testified to the truth which sets men free; they were willing to shed their blood to be faithful to what they knew was good and beautiful and true. We stand here today in Munyonyo at the place where King Mwanga determined to wipe out the followers of Christ. He failed in this, just as King Herod failed to kill Jesus. The light shone in the darkness, and the darkness could not overcome it (cf. Jn 1:5). After seeing the fearless testimony of Saint Andrew Kaggwa and his companions, Christians in Uganda became even more convinced of Christ’s promises.
May Saint Andrew, your patron, and all the Ugandan catechist martyrs, obtain for you the grace to be wise teachers, men and women whose every word is filled with grace, convincing witnesses to the splendour of God’s truth and the joy of the Gospel! Go forth without fear to every town and village in this country, to spread the good seed of God’s word, and trust in his promise that you will come back rejoicing, with sheaves full from the harvest.
Omukama Abawe Omukisa! (God bless you!)
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Friday addressed diplomats and leading figures from Uganda society and encouraged them to “ensure good and transparent governance, integral human development and a wide and just distribution” of Africa’s goods. Referring to Uganda’s famous martyrs, the Pope said they were a reminder of “the importance that faith, moral rectitude and commitment to the common good have played and continue to play” in the life of the nation. In his address, Pope Francis praised Uganda’s “outstanding concern” for welcoming refugees and said how we deal with them “is a test of our humanity.”
Please find below the full text of Pope Francis’ remarks to diplomats and the Ugandan authorities delivered at the State House of Entebbe:
Mr President,
Honourable Members of Government,
Distinguished Members of the Diplomatic Corps,
My Brother Bishops,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I thank you for your gracious welcome, and I am happy to be in Uganda. My visit to your country is meant above all to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the canonization of the Uganda Martyrs by my predecessor, Pope Paul VI. But I hope that my presence here will also be seen as a sign of friendship, esteem and encouragement for all the people of this great nation.
The Martyrs, both Catholic and Anglican, are true national heroes. They bear witness to the guiding principles expressed in Uganda’s motto – For God and My Country. They remind us of the importance that faith, moral rectitude and commitment to the common good have played, and continue to play, in the cultural, economic and political life of this country. They also remind us that, despite our different beliefs and convictions, all of us are called to seek the truth, to work for justice and reconciliation, and to respect, protect and help one another as members of our one human family. These high ideals are particularly demanded of men and women like yourselves, who are charged with ensuring good and transparent governance, integral human development, a broad participation in national life, as well as a wise and just distribution of the goods which the Creator has so richly bestowed upon these lands.
My visit is also meant to draw attention to Africa as a whole, its promise, its hopes, its struggles and its achievements. The world looks to Africa as the continent of hope. Uganda has indeed been blessed by God with abundant natural resources, which you are challenged to administer as responsible stewards. But above all, the nation has been blessed in its people: its strong families, its young and its elderly. I look forward to my meeting tomorrow with the young, for whom I will have words of encouragement and challenge. How important it is that they be given hope, opportunities for education and gainful employment, and above all the opportunity to share fully in the life of society. But I also wish to mention the blessing which you have in the elderly. They are the living memory of every people. Their wisdom and experience should always be valued as a compass which can enable society to find the right direction in confronting the challenges of the present with integrity, wisdom and vision.
Here in East Africa, Uganda has shown outstanding concern for welcoming refugees, enabling them to rebuild their lives in security and to sense the dignity which comes from earning one’s livelihood through honest labour. Our world, caught up in wars, violence, and various forms of injustice, is witnessing an unprecedented movement of peoples. How we deal with them is a test of our humanity, our respect for human dignity, and above all our solidarity with our brothers and sisters in need.
Although my visit is brief, I hope to encourage the many quiet efforts being made to care for the poor, the sick and those in any kind of trouble. It is in these small signs that we see the true soul of a people. In so many ways, our world is growing closer; yet at the same time we see with concern the globalization of a “throwaway culture” which blinds us to spiritual values, hardens our hearts before the needs of the poor, and robs our young of hope.
As I look forward to meeting you and spending this time with you, I pray that you, and all the beloved Ugandan people, will always prove worthy of the values which have shaped the soul of your nation. Upon all of you I invoke the Lord’s richest blessings.
Mungu awabariki!
God bless you!
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis arrived in Uganda on Friday on the second leg of his 6-day pastoral visit to Africa. During his 2-day stay in the Ugandan capital Kampala, the Pope will visit the Anglican and Catholic shrines of the nation’s Namugongo martyrs and celebrate a Mass in their honour. The 45 martyrs (23 Anglicans and 22 Catholics) were killed during the persecution of Christians in the region from 1885-1887. The Pope’s other engagements in Kampala include a courtesy visit to Uganda’s President plus a series of meetings with diplomats, catechists and teachers, young people, bishops, religious and seminarians as well as a visit to a Catholic Care Home for poor and destitute people.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has concluded the first leg of his Apostolic Journey to Africa, travelling from Kenya to Uganda on Friday afternoon. The Holy Father will conclude his first visit to Africa with a stop in the Central African Republic, where he will arrive Sunday evening before returning to Rome the next day.
Vatican Radio’s Linda Bordoni was in Kenya with the Holy Father. She sent this wrap-up of the Pope’s visit:
Listen:
What will we remember most of Pope Francis’ visit after his farewell to the Kenyan people at Nairobi airport?
Of course his repeated appeals to authorities and policy-makers to bridge the gap between rich and poor, to protect African women and to nurture the youth, his urgent call to step up the war on climate change, his plea for unity between different faiths in the fight against terrorism.
But more than that, Kenyans say they will remember how his words and his gestures touched them personally and individually.
That’s because, for whom he is and in virtue of his very special human touch, Pope Francis never spoke to the people from a pedestal; he listened to what they were saying and responded with the understanding and sensitivity of a person who really cares for the life and the story of each individual.
A Kenyan teacher I spoke to at the end of the visit on Friday told me the people in Kangemi slum felt so blessed – yes, that’s a word they use a lot here in Kenya – because they did not even have to go to see him, he came to them.
So, I think what people here will remember most will be the fact that Francis brought joy and prayer, he shared their sorrows, their troubles and their hopes, he visibly enjoyed their great dancing, singing and sense of rhythm, he thanked them for welcoming him and told them he felt very much at home.
And in a country where corruption and collusion are seen as prime evils corrupting the system to the tangible detriment of the people, his shining example as an authentic and humble leader who shuns the trappings of wealth and materialism serves not only as an admonition, but is – above all – a powerful sign of encouragement on the path to making the world a better place.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Linda Bordoni spoke Friday to Fr Federico Lombardi and asked for his impressions on the Holy Father’s reception in Nairobi, Kenya.
Highlights for Fr Lombardi include the Mass of more than 100,000 people, meeting with clergy and religious and meeting with leaders of other faith groups. He said Pope Francis is “very happy, very well” and enjoying the enthusiasm of the African people.
Listen to Linda Bordoni’s full interview here:
(from Vatican Radio)…