Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale304

Even amid the greatest suffering, the Christian message always brings

hope. The life of Saint Josephine Bakhita offers a shining example of the

transformation that an encounter with the living God can bring to a situation

of great hardship and injustice. In the face of suffering or violence, poverty or

hunger, corruption or abuse of power, a Christian can never remain silent.

The saving message of the Gospel needs to be proclaimed loud and clear, so

that the light of Christ can shine into the darkness of people's lives. Here in

Africa, as in so many parts of the world, countless men and women long to

hear a word of hope and comfort. Regional conflicts leave thousands home-

less or destitute, orphaned or widowed. In a continent which, in times past,

saw so many of its people cruelly uprooted and traded overseas to work as

slaves, today human trafficking, especially of defenceless women and chil-

dren, has become a new form of slavery. At a time of global food shortages,

financial turmoil, and disturbing patterns of climate change, Africa suffers

disproportionately: more and more of her people are falling prey to hunger,

poverty, and disease. They cry out for reconciliation, justice and peace, and

that is what the Church offers them. Not new forms of economic or political

oppression, but the glorious freedom of the children of God.2 Not the impo-

sition of cultural models that ignore the rights of the unborn, but the pure

healing water of the Gospel of life. Not bitter interethnic or interreligious

rivalry, but the righteousness, peace and joy of God's kingdom, so aptly

described by Pope Paul VI as the civilization of love.3

Alors qu'au Cameroun plus d'un quart de la population est catholique,

l'Eglise est en mesure de mener à bien sa mission de réconfort et de réconci-

liation. Au Centre Cardinal Léger je pourrai constater par moi-même la sol-

licitude pastorale de cette Eglise locale envers les personnes malades et souf-

frantes; et il est particulièrement souhaitable que les malades du sida puissent

recevoir dans ce pays un traitement gratuit. L'éducation est un autre aspect

essentiel du ministère de l'Eglise: maintenant nous pouvons voir les efforts de

générations de missionnaires enseignants porter des fruits quand nous con-

templons l'œuvre accomplie par l'Université catholique d'Afrique centrale,

qui est un signe de grande espérance pour l'avenir de cette région. Car le

Cameroun est bien une terre d'espérance pour beaucoup d'hommes et de

femmes de cette région centrale de l'Afrique. Des milliers de réfugiés, fuyant

des pays dévastés par la guerre, ont été accueillis ici. C'est une terre de la vie

3 0 O t t o b r e 2 0 0 9 - 0 9 : 3 7 p a g i n a 3 0 4 e : / 0 6 9 1 _ 9/L a v o r o/Ac t a _Ap r i l e _ 9 . 3 d GRECCO

2 Cfr. Rom 8, 21. 3 Cfr. Regina Caeli message, Pentecost Sunday, 1970.