On his third day in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Pope warned against «witchcraft» and «occultism» that trap society in «the clutches of fear» and urged the country’s young people to put aside «tribalism» which at first seems to «strengthen them in their group» but which instead represents «the denial of community».
«Think also of the dependence on occultism and witchcraft, which trap you in the clutches of fear, revenge and anger. Do not let yourselves be enchanted by these false selfish paradises, built on appearance, easy profits or deviant religiosities,» the pontiff said in his meeting with a group of young people at the Martyrs’ Stadium in Kinshasa, capital of the African country with the largest number of Catholics, and one of the places in the world where vocations continue to grow.
The Argentine Pontiff also warned of «the filth of corruption» which he defined as the virtue of «keeping one’s hands clean» because «the hands that traffic in money are stained with blood». «If someone tries to bribe you, promises you favors and riches, do not fall into the trap, do not let them deceive you, do not allow the swamp of evil to engulf you,» he urged.
On the other hand, he warned of «the temptation to point the finger at someone, to exclude someone else because he has a different origin», attitudes that he has framed in «regionalism» or «tribalism». «It is easier to condemn someone than to understand him; but the path that God shows us to build a better world passes through the other, through the whole, through the community. It is to make Church, to broaden horizons, to see in each one his own neighbor, to take care of the other,» he reiterated.
The Pope also made reference to the influence of social networks in the lives of young people, pointing out that «sometimes they confuse them.» «We cannot be satisfied with merely interacting with distant and even false people. Life is not chosen by touching the screen with your finger. It is sad to see young people who are hours in front of a phone. After they contemplated the screen for so long, you look at their faces and see that they are not smiling, their eyes are tired and bored,» he added.
«TO FORGIVE IS TO CHANGE THE COURSE OF HISTORY».
After greeting the crowd aboard the popemobile, the Pontiff has listened to several testimonies and delivered his speech in that sports venue with capacity for 80,000 people in which he has urged not to believe in «the dark plots of money». «To be honest is to shine in the day, it is to spread the light of God, it is to live the beatitude of justice: overcome evil by doing good,» he said.
He also focused his speech on the need for forgiveness to reconcile society in the DR Congo, a country wounded by war and violence. «Forgiveness does not mean forgetting the past, but not resigning oneself to its repetition. It means changing the course of history. It is to lift up those who have fallen. It is to accept the idea that no one is perfect and that not only I, but everyone has the right to start again,» he said.
In the same way, he assured that the Christian «does not love only those who love him, but knows how to stop with forgiveness the spiral of personal and tribal revenge» and named Blessed Isidore Bakanja, who was tortured for a long time because he had not renounced to give testimony of his piety and had proposed Christianity to other young people.
Francis, who travels in a wheelchair because of knee pains, will meet in a few hours with the Prime Minister, Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde, at the Apostolic Nunciature, the «embassy» of the Holy See in the country. He will then go to the cathedral Notre-Dame du Congo, built in 1947, where he will give another speech to priests and religious.
As is customary on his trips, Francis will conclude this third day of his visit with a private meeting with members of the Society of Jesus.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
