UGANDA: Address of Pope Francis to the Public Authorities and Diplomatic Corps at State house
President, Honourable Members of Government, Distinguished Members of the
Diplomatic Corps, My Brother Bishops, Ladies and Gentlemen,
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
awabariki! God bless you!
