Day: April 16, 2026

‘We can always begin anew’: Pope Leo leads peace meeting in heart of Cameroon’s conflict zone #Catholic –

BAMENDA, Cameroon (OSV News) — A religious sister in Cameroon who was kidnapped just a few months ago by separatists and held hostage for three days in the bush was among those who shared her testimony with Pope Leo XIV April 16 in an emotional peace meeting in Cameroon’s northwest city of Bamenda, a region marred by years of separatist violence.

“We were held hostage for three days and three nights. During those days and nights, we neither slept nor ate,” Sister Carine Tangiri Mangu told the pope.

“What kept our hope alive was the rosary which we prayed continuously for those days,” she added.

“Most Holy Father, this is the situation under which many consecrated women do their work and live their lives within this war zone. Some have undergone more dramatic and more traumatizing experiences, but we continue to rely on the help of God and the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary,” she said.

Pope Leo led a historic peace meeting on April 16 in Cameroon’s northwest city of Bamenda, a region marred by years of separatist violence.

The long-running separatist conflict in its English-speaking regions has killed thousands since 2017. The violence pits Anglophone separatists against the Francophone-dominated government, leaving entire communities displaced and children out of school in what humanitarian groups describe as one of the world’s most neglected conflicts.

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In his speech in St. Joseph’s Cathedral, Pope Leo loudly and passionately said, “I am here to proclaim peace,” to an enthusiastic reaction in the crowd.

The pope also had strong words of denunciation for those who perpetuate war. “The masters of war pretend not to know that it takes only a moment to destroy, yet often a lifetime is not enough to rebuild,” the pope said. “They turn a blind eye to the fact that billions of dollars are spent on killing and devastation, yet the resources needed for healing, education and restoration are nowhere to be found.”

Pope Leo strongly denounced those who “rob your land of its resources generally invest much of the profit in weapons, thus perpetuating an endless cycle of destabilization and death.”

“The world is being ravaged by a handful of tyrants, yet it is held together by a multitude of supportive brothers and sisters,” he underlined.

During the peace meeting, the pope heard testimonies from local traditional and religious leaders and a family displaced by the violence.

A local chief imam told the pope about how in November armed men invaded a mosque in Sabga, near Bamenda, during the time of prayer and killed three people, injuring nine others.

Mohammed Abubakar of the Buea Central Mosque continued that on Jan. 14, 2025, “Armed men targeted cattle rearers from the Mbororo ethnic community and killed at least 15 people, including 8 children.” The chief imam added that “The Islamic community has suffered in many English speaking towns and villages, and there were Muslim victims in what has come to be known as the Ngabur Massacre, in which 23 civilians were killed in 2020.

“Holy Father, welcome, and please help us to have peace again,” the imam added.

Denis Salo met the pope, along with his wife and three children, telling Pope Leo how “five of my neighbors were killed and one of my close friends was also killed. While we were being targeted by the separatist fighters, government soldiers were also burning down houses.”

“In 2017, I escaped with my family out of Mbiame, abandoning all that I ever owned, including house, farms, and animals, and arrived in Bamenda. My kids had to abandon school. After seeing no better in Bamenda, I proceeded to Douala to look for livelihood and not finding anything better, I returned to Bamenda,” he said. “I now live in a little rented house with my entire family, and working as a gateman in the hospital of Maria Soledad, and at the same time working as gardener in the Parish of the Immaculate Conception, Ngomgham,” Salo said.

The pope affirmed to the afflicted community that “God has never abandoned us! In him, in his peace, we can always begin anew!”

In an emotional address welcoming the Holy Father in the cathedral, Archbishop Andrew Nkea of Bamenda told the pope: “Today your feet are standing on the soil of Bamenda that has drunk the blood of many of our children.”

“The archbishop mentioned the prophecy that exclaims: ‘How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace!’ (Is 52:7). He welcomed me with these words, and now I would like to respond: how beautiful are your feet as well, dusty from this bloodstained yet fertile land that has been mistreated, yet is rich in vegetation and fruit,” the pope said.

The Rev. Fonki Samuel Forba, moderator emeritus of the Presbyterian Church
in Cameroon, described to the pope how religious leaders of different denominations have “bonded together and founded a Peace Movement through which we have tried to broker peace and dialogue with the government of Cameroon and the Separatist Fighters.”

He said that under the leadership of Archbishop Nkea, they “have visited and spoken with many of the leaders of the separatist movements at home and abroad, and we have tried to engage the local separatist fighters on the ground in dialogue, convincing them that peace is better than war, and that war can never really solve any conflict,” he said.

“Practically all of us gathered here are traumatized and need both psychological and spiritual healing,” the reverend said.

“This Anglophone crisis is one of the forgotten crises on the planet earth, but it was brought to the notice of the Vatican, and the Vatican was even willing to facilitate dialogue between the warring factions,” Rev. Forba said.

Bishop Michael Miabesue Bibi of Buea told OSV News that the Anglophone crisis made it impossible for people to live normally in the conflicted region.

On top of loss of life and education opportunities for children, he said people “experienced abject poverty” as farmers were unable to sell products due to violence.

“There are people whose houses have been destroyed and they have been rendered homeless,” instantly becoming internally displaced, the bishop listed.

Even though pastoral work has been challenging, the bishop said, “we continue to hope in God, as we continue to pray and the situation will be better.”

Pope Leo expressed support for how “religious leaders have come together to establish a Movement for Peace, through which they seek to mediate between the opposing sides.”

He had however a strong condemnation for those who wage war in the name of God.

“But woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic and political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth,” Pope Leo said.

“Yes, dear brothers and sisters, you who hunger and thirst for justice, who are poor, merciful, meek, and pure of heart, who have wept — you are the light of the world! (cf. Mt 5:3-14),” he said.

After the ceremony, Pope Leo XIV released doves outside of the cathedral, symbolizing peace. A crowd gathered outside of the cathedral, people sang and cheered enthusiastically.

“Our hearts are full of joy and it sounds unbelievable that the successor of St. Peter is among us in this remote part of Africa,” Archbishop Andrew Nkea of Bamenda told the pope.

Courtney Mares is Vatican editor for OSV News. Follow her on X @catholicourtney.

– BAMENDA, Cameroon (OSV News) — A religious sister in Cameroon who was kidnapped just a few months ago by separatists and held hostage for three days in the bush was among those who shared her testimony with Pope Leo XIV April 16 in an emotional peace meeting in Cameroon’s northwest city of Bamenda, a region marred by years of separatist violence. “We were held hostage for three days and three nights. During those days and nights, we neither slept nor ate,” Sister Carine Tangiri Mangu told the pope. “What kept our hope alive was the rosary which we prayed continuously

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At Cameroonian orphanage, Pope Leo tells children they can always find a friend in Jesus #Catholic –

YAOUNDE, Cameroon (OSV News) — Pope Leo XIV brought joy to 64 orphaned and abandoned children on the evening of April 15 when he visited the Ngul Zamba orphanage in Cameroon, blessing the children and assuring them that despite their suffering, Jesus “cares especially for children like you.”

The orphanage, whose name means “the power of God” in the Ewondo language, is run by the Congregation of the Daughters of Mary and currently houses children ranging in age from 3 to 20 years old.

“Dear children, I know that many of you have endured difficult trials,” the pope told the children, speaking in French. “Some of you have known the pain of loss through the death of parents or loved ones. Others have experienced fear, rejection, abandonment, deprivation and uncertainty. Yet, you are called to a future that is greater than your wounds.”

The pope drew on the Gospel to remind the children of Christ’s particular love for the young, noting that Jesus “would often place them at the center of a gathering” and looks upon each child “with that same affection” today.

Among those meeting the pope was Florence, who was celebrating her 11th birthday on the day of the papal visit. She told OSV News she was “very happy.”

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The visit became a spontaneous moment of celebration when the children sang for the pope — and he joined in. Afterward, children and religious sisters alike, including some elderly sisters in wheelchairs, danced and sang in praise, offering a hymn drawing from the Blessed Virgin Mary’s Magnificat.

Pope Leo closed his remarks to the children by offering them an apostolic blessing and entrusting them to the care of Our Lady.

“As I impart my heartfelt blessing, I entrust each of you to the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary, our Mother,” he said. “May she always watch over you, console you in moments of sadness and help you to grow as true friends of her son, Jesus.”

The superior general of the Congregation of the Daughters of Mary informed the pope that the congregation is marking its 100th anniversary of being founded in Cameroon this year. She noted that for more than 40 years, the congregation has welcomed abandoned children “to offer them a real family life,” in keeping with their charism, “In the footsteps of Christ, at the service of the poor and the small.”

The pope thanked the sisters, staff, volunteers and teachers who care for the children, urging them to persevere in their mission.

“Your faithful dedication is a beautiful testimony of love,” he said. “By caring for these children, you are getting a foretaste of the joy that the Lord has promised to those who serve the little ones. Your patience reflects the face of divine mercy.”

He added, “Through you, God’s tenderness is made manifest.”

The visit to the orphanage took place on Pope Leo’s first day in Cameroon, and the third day of an 11-day apsotolic visit to four African countries.

Courtney Mares is Vatican editor for OSV News. Follow her on X @catholicourtney.

 

– YAOUNDE, Cameroon (OSV News) — Pope Leo XIV brought joy to 64 orphaned and abandoned children on the evening of April 15 when he visited the Ngul Zamba orphanage in Cameroon, blessing the children and assuring them that despite their suffering, Jesus “cares especially for children like you.” The orphanage, whose name means “the power of God” in the Ewondo language, is run by the Congregation of the Daughters of Mary and currently houses children ranging in age from 3 to 20 years old. “Dear children, I know that many of you have endured difficult trials,” the pope told the

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Americans continue to feel drawn to Pope Leo, first American pontiff, a year after election #Catholic –

CHICAGO (OSV News) — A year into his papacy, Pope Leo XIV is still enjoying popularity and rockstar-like fame, especially in Chicago, his hometown. Beyond the pop-culture interest, some of the faithful told OSV News his message of peace, dedication to the faith and outreach to young people have stood out.

After Easter morning Mass, Victoria Mendez and her family stopped to talk by the heavy bronze doors of St. Rita of Casica Catholic Church on Chicago’s South Side. The parish is run by Augustinians, the religious order and its Midwest province that formed Pope Leo.

“I think we’ve seen a lot of people fall in love with Catholicism, seeing that their pope is from Chicago,” said 24-year-old Mendez.

While anecdotal, said she has the sense Pope Leo is drawing interest in the faith. She has observed more youth in the church since his election. She also mentioned an uptick in conversions to the faith — not just in the U.S. but also Europe, particularly this Easter. Though none of the reports about the bump in new Catholics have tied the pope’s popularity to the numbers, several people told OSV News it may play a role.

“He’s just very good with people. He’s very into creating peace within different forms of Catholicism. And he’s just so open-minded. And he cares about everybody,” said Mendez. “You see that in all his actions and everything he says and does, and the way he reflects himself. You can tell he’s really trying to bring peace on earth.”

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On the day of his election, from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, Pope Leo’s first words were, “Peace be with you all!”

His message for peace has been consistent throughout the past year. And these days, it is more vehement because of the war in Iran that the U.S. and Israel began Feb. 28.

Mendez pointed out Pope Leo also “connects with the younger generation” through his social media posts and stories of his youth told by his brothers about growing up in Dolton, a southern suburb of Chicago.

Pope Leo, born Robert F. Prevost, lived in Dolton until he entered the Augustinians’ minor seminary in Holland, Michigan, when he was 13. He completed an undergraduate degree in math at Villanova University near Philadelphia in 1977, earned a master’s degree from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago in 1982, the year he was ordained to the priesthood, and earned a doctorate in canon law in 1984 at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome.

He then served in Peru’s impoverished northwest for nearly 20 years, where in 2015 he became bishop. He also held leadership positions in Rome, including prior general for the Augustinians, head of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America and prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops. He was elevated to cardinal in September 2023 and elected pope May 8, 2025.

Born and raised on Chicago’s South Side herself, Mendez said “it makes me happy” that Pope Leo is relatable to even non-Catholics, especially as a fellow fan of the South Side-based Chicago White Sox.

Mendez’s mother, Maria, said the family was drawn to St. Rita and recently began attending Mass there because of its ties to the pope. She said the papal connection and the Augustinian charism of fostering unity have made the parish very attractive.

The Augustinians “approach people in a different way, that makes people come back. (It’s) the welcoming (way), their hospitality,” said Maria.

The 70-year old Pope Leo is “a happy pope,” she said, adding, “He brings happiness to every individual. Doesn’t matter the nationality or age, he’s there for everyone. Yeah, we could feel it.”

Northeast of St. Rita, people walked April 7 under a bright spring sun and braced themselves against strong, cold wind as they left the downtown Holy Name Cathedral following daily Mass.

Tom Pyden was descending the cathedral’s steps when he told OSV News Pope Leo has “done a very good job” for the Church and the world because of “his repeated calls for peace and not backing down from that.”

Pyden was in Chicago from Plymouth, Michigan, to visit his son for Easter week. Though he is not from the Windy City, he said of Pope Leo that he was “so very proud that he’s from the U.S.”

“I read daily inspirational sayings from him. I think he’s very inclusive. And I don’t know him, but it seems like he has a wonderful personality that draws people together,” said Pyden, who also remarked on his possible impact on the number of new Catholics entering the Church at Easter vigil, even at his own parish.

Ellie Greg, a 26-year-old dog walker who lives near the cathedral, said she might have been baptized Catholic but was raised as a non-denomination Christian. She told OSV News she does not practice any faith now, but, she said, for pope “obviously, it’s good to have somebody hometown.”

“I haven’t had any complaints,” she said of the pope. “Honestly, I don’t pay too much attention to news of the Vatican, but I haven’t heard anything offensive (from Pope Leo).”

Even though she is not practicing the faith, Greg has a personal connection to the American pope. She grew up in Frankfurt, a south Chicago suburb. “It’s pretty close to where Pope Leo grew up,” she said, “and they said his favorite restaurant is Aurelio’s. I used to work at Aurelio’s.”

The local south suburban-based pizza chain created a “poperoni pizza” within days of his election.

A passerby who said she was on her way to her nearby mainline Protestant church shouted over her shoulder, “I think he’s doing a great job! Love him! Just love him!”

Pilar Villa of Guadalajara, Mexico, was visiting Chicago over Easter with her twin teenage daughters. She told OSV News she likes that Pope Leo has given clear messages and has dedicated time to youth and young people.

“He recently talked about the importance of young people not having ties to artificial intelligence, that they should follow God and believe in God,” she said.

Pope Leo has spoken via video twice with American youth, first in June and then in November.

In a video message to youth in June at the Chicago archdiocese Mass of thanksgiving for his election as pope, he emphasized the importance of recognizing God’s presence in their lives, especially “that longing for love in our lives, for … searching, a true searching, for finding the ways that we may be able to do something with our own lives to serve others.”

In November, Pope Leo had a live video encounter with young people at the National Catholic Youth Conference in Indianapolis. “Look to Jesus. Trust his mercy and go to him with confidence. He will always welcome you home,” he said.

Retired Bishop Daniel T. Turley of Chulacanas, Peru, a native Chicago South Sider and Pope Leo’s past Augustinian superior during his missionary work, said Pope Leo’s solid upbringing in the faith and missionary life in impoverished Peru beset with domestic terrorism have influenced Pope Leo’s leadership.

“(He) is a pope at a very time of crisis, so he brings to his papacy, a great deal of balance, of joy, but also a message asking for peace, asking for non-violence, asking to respect the dignity of life throughout the world, and asking countries to search out ways of unity. And he is a pope that is trying to build bridges,” he told OSV News.

Bishop Turley said a “Leo effect” might be having some impact on the faithful coming into the Church or returning. He said he has celebrated numerous large-group confirmations throughout the Chicago archdiocese over the past year, and pastors at those parishes have observed increased numbers of those entering rites of initiation.

“There’s a ‘Leo effect’ for Chicago in particular,” he said. “It’s like a ripple of the ocean, the waves, you know. So it’s a wave of energy, happiness, joy, hope. That’s rippling through the Augustinian order. It’s rippling through the United States of America because he’s the first American pope in the history of the Church. But he’s also the first pope from Chicago. There’s a ‘Leo effect’ in Chicago, in the United States, and then in the whole world.”

Simone Orendain is an OSV News correspondent. She writes from Chicago.

 

– CHICAGO (OSV News) — A year into his papacy, Pope Leo XIV is still enjoying popularity and rockstar-like fame, especially in Chicago, his hometown. Beyond the pop-culture interest, some of the faithful told OSV News his message of peace, dedication to the faith and outreach to young people have stood out. After Easter morning Mass, Victoria Mendez and her family stopped to talk by the heavy bronze doors of St. Rita of Casica Catholic Church on Chicago’s South Side. The parish is run by Augustinians, the religious order and its Midwest province that formed Pope Leo. “I think we’ve seen

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Court hears lawsuit on Illinois law mandating pro-life doctors, centers give abortion referrals #Catholic –

CHICAGO (OSV News) — A federal appellate court in Chicago heard oral arguments April 10 in a case challenging an Illinois law that compels pro-life physicians and pregnancy centers to give patients who ask for it a referral to an abortion provider.

Erin Hawley, counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom, a public interest firm dedicated to religious freedom, went before a three-judge panel of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to argue against the law on behalf of pro-life physicians and pregnancy centers.

The case is Shroeder et al v. Treto Jr., and the lawsuit has to do with a provision left in place by U.S. District Judge Iain D. Johnston in a split decision handed down a year ago.

On April 4, 2025, Judge Johnston of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois struck down the part of the state’s 2016 Health Care Right of Conscience Act that required pro-life physicians and pregnancy centers to share the “benefits of abortion” after giving a pregnant woman an ultrasound — or lose their conscience protection rights.

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But Johnston upheld a separate amendment to the act which lawyers with the Thomas More Society argued “gutted conscience protections for pro-life physicians and pregnancy centers and required them to refer for abortion.”

Johnston ruled the provision “merely regulates professional conduct, instructing clinicians, upon request, to either refer or transfer a patient to another physician, or at least provide her with a list of potential providers,” and does not “compel speech.”

A preliminary injunction enjoining enforcement of the act, known as HCRCA, has been in place since 2017.

Hawley told OSV News outside the federal courthouse in downtown Chicago that ADF also believes the district court was “incorrect” on the referral provision.

“The district court found that a referral was conduct (behavior), but, of course, it’s speaking words,” Hawley said.

“It also conveys a message — as the pregnancy center experts expressed at trial — that the person you’re recommending is capable of performing the surgery and it vouches for them,” she said. “So we think, and that the 7th Circuit seemed to agree, that referrals are, in fact, speech that are protected by the First Amendment.”

Therefore, Hawley argued, refusing to engage in speech on referrals is also protected by the First Amendment.

Hawley added she was “hopeful” the appellate judges would rule in their favor based on their argument that a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that Colorado’s ban on so-called conversion therapy for minors was unconstitutional.

The justices ruled 8-1 March 31 in Chiles v. Salazar that a “talk therapy” counselor working with clients who wanted to “eliminate unwanted sexual attractions, change sexual behaviors or grow in the experience of harmony with their bodies,” could not be stopped by the state. They said the therapy is based on “how to best speak” and falls under free speech protections.

Schroeder, et al. v. Treto Jr. — Mario Treto Jr. heads the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation — was filed in 2017 by lawyers for the Thomas More Society. The Catholic-run public interest firm based in Chicago was representing Illinois physician Dr. Ronald Schroeder, 1st Way Pregnancy Support Services, and Pregnancy Aid South Suburbs.

Patrick Gillen, Thomas More Society senior counsel, said he was “hopeful that they’ll recognize the import of recent decisions like Chiles … and see that this case is very close” to that type of case.

He told OSV News if this appeal fails, they are prepared to go to the U.S. Supreme Court, calling cases like this “fundamentally important.”

“There’s no more telling sign of a society and a culture in crisis, than the effort to suppress dissent,” Gillen said.

With these cases, he said, “it becomes vitally important to push back against what I call a totalitarian impulse on the part of the state to control the speech and thoughts of their citizenry on matters of life and death importance.”

Simone Orendain is an OSV News correspondent. She writes from Chicago.

– CHICAGO (OSV News) — A federal appellate court in Chicago heard oral arguments April 10 in a case challenging an Illinois law that compels pro-life physicians and pregnancy centers to give patients who ask for it a referral to an abortion provider. Erin Hawley, counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom, a public interest firm dedicated to religious freedom, went before a three-judge panel of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to argue against the law on behalf of pro-life physicians and pregnancy centers. The case is Shroeder et al v. Treto Jr., and the lawsuit has to do with a

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Pope Leo XIV sets stage for June consistory with letter to cardinals #Catholic –

(OSV News) — Pope Leo XIV sent a letter to the College of Cardinals thanking them for their participation in the January consistory and preparing the conversation for their next gathering June 26-27 — right before the solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul.

The January consistory focused on two topics, voted on by the cardinals: synodality and Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation “Evangelii Gaudium” (“The Joy of the Gospel”).

The pope did not specify in his letter what the topics of the next consistory would be, but he gave hints on what are the possible further reflections driven by the first consistory that coincided with the closing of the Jubilee Year doors on Jan. 6 and started right afterward.

The conversation in January resulted in “free, concrete and spiritually fruitful exchanges,” the pope said in his letter, dated April 12 and published by the Vatican April 14. “The compiled contributions constitute a resource of lasting value, which I hope will be reflected on further, and will mature through ecclesial discernment,” he said.

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Reflecting on “mission and the transmission of the faith” aspects of “Evangelii Gaudium,” the pope said in his letter to cardinals that the exhortation “was recognized as a ‘breath of fresh air,’ capable of initiating processes of pastoral and missionary conversion — rather than producing immediate structural reforms — and thus profoundly guiding the Church’s journey.”

“This journey affects the very quality of spiritual life, expressed in the primacy of prayer, in the witness that precedes words, and in the coherence between faith and life,” the pope said, adding that at the community level, “it calls for a shift from a pastoral approach of maintenance to one of mission.”

Communities, Pope Leo said, should be “living agents of the proclamation,” meaning they should be welcoming, using accessible language and being attentive to the “quality of relationships, and capable of offering places for listening, accompaniment and healing.”

He warned that on the diocesan level, the responsibility of pastors “to resolutely support missionary boldness” cannot be “weighed down or stifled by organizational excesses,” but needs to be “guided by a discernment that helps us to recognize what is essential.”

“From all this flows a profoundly unified understanding of mission,” the pope wrote to the cardinals, defining the mission as “Christ-centered and kerygmatic.”

“It is born of an encounter with Christ that is capable of transforming lives and spreading through attraction rather than conquest,” the pope wrote.

“It is an integral mission, holding in balance explicit proclamation, witness, commitment and dialogue, and yielding neither to the temptation of proselytism nor to a merely institutional mentality of preservation or expansion.”

Even when the Church finds herself in a minority, the pope said, “she is called to live with confident courage, as a small flock bringing hope to all, mindful that the aim of mission is not its own survival, but the communication of the love with which God loves the world.”

On the day his letter was released, the pope celebrated the first-ever public papal Mass in Algeria — a country that is 99% Sunni Muslim, home to fewer than 9,000 Catholics among more than 45 million people.

Among the specific suggestions that emerged from the January consistory, the pope pointed to some deserving further reflection, such as “the need to relaunch ‘Evangelii Gaudium’ through an honest assessment of what has actually been embraced over the years” and what “remains unfamiliar or unimplemented, with particular attention to the necessary reforms of the processes of Christian initiation.”

He also pointed out to “the importance of valuing apostolic and pastoral visits as authentic opportunities for kerygmatic proclamation and for a growth in the quality of relationships” and “the similar need to reassess the effectiveness of ecclesial communication, including at the level of the Holy See, from a more explicitly missionary perspective.”

 

– (OSV News) — Pope Leo XIV sent a letter to the College of Cardinals thanking them for their participation in the January consistory and preparing the conversation for their next gathering June 26-27 — right before the solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul. The January consistory focused on two topics, voted on by the cardinals: synodality and Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation “Evangelii Gaudium” (“The Joy of the Gospel”). The pope did not specify in his letter what the topics of the next consistory would be, but he gave hints on what are the possible further reflections driven by the first

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En Argelia, el Papa León encuentra la encarnación del ‘código fundamental’ de los cristianos #Catholic –

ANNABA, ARGELIA (CNS) — En un país marcado por las penurias, una fe profunda y una independencia ganada a duras penas, el Papa León XIV señaló a Argelia como un testimonio vivo de lo que él denominó el “código fundamental” de la Iglesia: una caridad que trasciende el poder, une a la comunidad y construye la paz.

A lo largo de la primera etapa de su viaje de 11 días por África, el Papa volvió una y otra vez a una idea: la paz no viene a través del poder o el dominio, sino a través de un amor sacrificial, ejemplificado en Cristo.

En la Basílica de San Agustín, su padre espiritual, el Papa León presentó a los cristianos de Argelia como un ejemplo de este aspecto de la misión de la Iglesia, pidiéndoles que siguieran siendo un signo humilde y fiel del amor de Cristo.

“La presencia de ustedes en el país trae a la mente el incienso: un grano incandescente, que esparce perfume porque da gloria al Señor y alegría y consuelo a tantos hermanos y hermanas”, dijo durante su última Misa en el país el 14 de abril.

En su homilía, describió una Iglesia de la caridad: “donde hay desesperación, enciende esperanza; donde hay miseria, lleva dignidad; donde hay conflicto, lleva reconciliación”.

“Por eso, sobre todo ante la indigencia y la opresión, los cristianos tienen como código fundamental la caridad: hagamos al prójimo lo que quisiéramos que hicieran por nosotros”, dijo el Papa. “La fe en el único Dios, Señor del cielo y de la tierra, une a los hombres según una justicia perfecta, que invita a todos a la caridad, es decir, a amar a toda criatura con el amor que Dios nos da en Cristo”.

En su discurso del 13 de abril ante el presidente argelino Abdelmadjid Tebboune y el cuerpo diplomático, señaló que los argelinos practican la “sadaka” (que significa limosna y justicia) “incluso entre quienes tienen recursos limitados”, y cómo su “sentido de solidaridad, acogida y comunidad con el que está tejida la vida cotidiana de millones de personas humildes y justas”.

Tras ser colonia francesa durante más de 130 años, Argelia buscó la independencia en 1954, lo que desencadenó una guerra que dejó un saldo estimado de 1,5 millones de muertos.

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El Papa destacó la solidaridad de Argelia a pesar de sus años de penurias y conflicto.

Posicionó a Argelia como maestra de los países económicamente más ricos, replanteando lo que significa el desarrollo.

“Una religión sin piedad y una vida social sin solidaridad son un escándalo a los ojos de Dios”, dijo el Papa León. “Sin embargo, muchas sociedades que se creen avanzadas se precipitan cada vez más en la desigualdad y la exclusión. Las personas y las organizaciones que dominan sobre los demás –y África lo sabe bien– destruyen el mundo que el Altísimo ha creado para que todos viviéramos juntos”.

Durante su discurso del 13 de abril en la Basílica de Nuestra Señora de África, volvió a hablar sobre el amor desinteresado y señaló que la labor de la Iglesia con los niños con discapacidad demuestra cómo la caridad trasciende la ayuda o asistencia (mencionado como “ayuda material” en el texto en inglés publicado por el Vaticano) y crea “una verdadera comunidad en la que muchísimas personas participan, tanto en los acontecimientos alegres como en los dolorosos, unidos por vínculos de confianza, amistad y familiaridad”.

Reforzó este mensaje al hablar en un hogar de ancianos dirigido por las Hermanitas de los Pobres, reflejando su repetido mensaje de que este sentimiento es lo que construye el reino de Dios.

“El corazón de nuestro Padre no está con los malvados, con los prepotentes, con los soberbios”, dijo el Papa el 14 de abril. “El corazón de Dios está con los pequeños, con los humildes, y con ellos lleva adelante su Reino de amor y de paz, cada día. Como tratan de hacerlo ustedes aquí en el servicio cotidiano, en su amistad y en la vida comunitaria”.

Es precisamente a través de la caridad que, según el Papa, uno realiza actos de martirio, independientemente de su religión.

“El amor a los hermanos es precisamente el que ha animado el testimonio de los mártires que hemos recordado”, dijo en la Basílica de Nuestra Señora de África. “Frente al odio y a la violencia, permanecieron fieles a la caridad hasta el sacrificio de la vida, junto con tantos otros hombres y mujeres, cristianos y musulmanes”.

A lo largo de su estancia de dos días en Argelia, destacó la abnegación de los mártires. La primera parada del Papa León el 13 de abril fue el Monumento a los Mártires de Maqam Echahid, que conmemora a quienes murieron durante la Guerra de Argelia.

“Detenerse ante este Monumento es un homenaje a esa historia y al alma de un pueblo que ha luchado por la independencia, la dignidad y la soberanía de esta nación”, dijo.

Al comienzo de su discurso ante el cuerpo diplomático, recordó a los 19 religiosos y religiosas que fueron martirizados durante la Guerra de Argelia.

Al expresar este amor caritativo, los fieles encuentran la capacidad de perdonar y reconciliarse, lo que en última instancia conduce a la paz, la mayor prioridad del Papa León en este momento.

Durante meses, el Papa León se ha mostrado inquebrantablemente constante en su llamado a la paz, especialmente tras el conflicto en Oriente Medio. El Papa León presentó la paz no como un ideal vago, sino como una vocación moral, arraigada en la fraternidad humana, la justicia y la humildad.

Ante un país abrumadoramente musulmán –se estima que el 99 % se identifica como suní–, enfatizó que tanto los argelinos como los cristianos son hermanos y hermanas porque comparten el “mismo Padre en los cielos”.

“En un mundo lleno de enfrentamientos e incomprensiones, ¡encontrémonos y tratemos de comprendernos, reconociendo que todos somos una sola familia!”, dijo al cuerpo diplomático el 13 de abril. “Hoy, la sencillez de esta certeza es la llave para abrir muchas puertas cerradas”.

Desde el inicio de su visita, se presentó a sí mismo como “un peregrino de paz”. El Papa dijo que el mundo no puede “añadir resentimiento al resentimiento, de generación en generación”.

“En este lugar recordamos que Dios desea la paz para cada país; una paz que no es sólo ausencia de conflicto, sino expresión de justicia y de dignidad”, dijo ante el monumento de los mártires. “Esta paz, que permite enfrentar el futuro con ánimo reconciliado, es posible solamente con el perdón”.

– ANNABA, ARGELIA (CNS) — En un país marcado por las penurias, una fe profunda y una independencia ganada a duras penas, el Papa León XIV señaló a Argelia como un testimonio vivo de lo que él denominó el “código fundamental” de la Iglesia: una caridad que trasciende el poder, une a la comunidad y construye la paz. A lo largo de la primera etapa de su viaje de 11 días por África, el Papa volvió una y otra vez a una idea: la paz no viene a través del poder o el dominio, sino a través de un amor sacrificial,

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