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Cameroon: Pope urges Catholics to be active in nation building

The Pope has urged Catholics in Cameroon to play an active role in the affairs of their nation in order to promote the common good, reports CISA News.

The Catholics should always be an active part of the republic, “spreading fundamental human and Christian values for the life of society, for the development of the nation and for the wellbeing of everyone".

Benedict XVI spoke on Monday when he received the Letters of Credence of Antoine Zanga, the new Cameroonian ambassador to the Holy See.

"Your country like so many others in Africa", the Holy Father told the diplomat, "suffers from the current economic situation which affects so many families who lack the minimum requirements to meet their most elemental needs and which does not favour the growth of the nation. Yet there are internal factors that could help.”

All nations must seek their own economic and social stability, using their own means and respecting their institutions, said the pope. “It is important to support micro-projects which provide local employment, at the same time combating illegal trafficking and corruption. Hence, I invite all Cameroonians to become ever more aware of the common good".

He also hoped that the international community would provide concrete and appropriate forms of assistance and by economic planning on a world-scale, contribute to breaking the vicious circle of under-development and poverty.

Referring to the increasing numbers of refugees arriving from neighbouring states, the pope invited the countries of the region to respond more fully to the requirements of peace and security, “and to counteract the violence in which both innocent people and the Church are victims".

[06/21/2008]

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