VATICAN: “Unite in Spirit of Ubuntu”, Pope Francis to African Youth Students.
Sr. Henriette Anne FSSA
In a planned virtual dialogue, which brought on board Catholic Youths from different universities on November 1, 2022, Pope Francis encouraged the youths to unite in spirit of Ubuntu emphasizing that “You are the tree… You are the roots. Therefore, the stronger you are, the stronger your roots are. But we don’t want your roots to be individual; we want you to be united so that your roots can turn into a tree, which in turn can bear fruits.” Perhaps the term that I could use to understand this is Ubuntu, which belongs to your culture, an encounter that can lead us forward,” he said.
He also added, “The term Ubuntu should remind you that you Africans are your own masters. You are your own missionaries. Run forward.”
During the sharing, Pope Francis lamented that for years Africa has been exploited and many times it has been denied opportunity to grow stressing to the young people to accept their past while looking to grow their continent.
“Africa isn’t meant to be exploited. Africa isn’t meant to be seen as a subculture; it has its own wealth, not just its many natural resources, not just its many beauties; it has its human beings and you young Africans have to appreciate the wealth that you are,” the Holy Father said.
“All of us were born like something small, but then of course, we can become mature if we accept the burden of history; the good and bad part of history; the joyful part and the tough part of history,” Pope Francis said
The Holy Father continued, “You all are familiar with the tough part of your history. You all are familiar with the exploitation, the slavery. You know what it means to exploit Africa, without allowing it to grow. You all are part of this very harsh history and you just have to learn to accept it, allow me to express my appreciation of your culture and your history.
During the conversation, Pope Francis also spoke about the need of the youths to integrate their friendship with the elderly and tap their wisdom.
When it comes to politics Pope Francis noted, “Politics is the highest form of charity because it’s something that strives toward the common good,” said Francis, informing the students to develop a deep political understanding of their countries, its peoples and their shared ideas.
“If young people don’t struggle, who will?” he asked.
“Don’t stop dreaming because whenever young people stop dreaming, that’s when the world stops. You were born to dream. You were born to be prophets of the future, and therefore, I urge you to look to your past, to look to your roots, to look to your personal history. Struggle in the present consistently with the view to the future.”
“I ask you to pray for me and may the Virgin Mary take care of you,” the Holy Father said during virtual dialogue event that Pan-African Catholic Theology and Pastoral Network PACTPAN organized.
