VATICAN - Benedict XVI in Cameroon (6) - Meeting with the sick and suffering: “Every African who suffers, indeed every person who suffers, helps Christ to carry his Cross and climbs with him the path to Golgotha in order one day to rise again with him.”

Yaounde (Agenzia Fides) – On the afternoon of March 19, the Holy Father Benedict XVI visited the Cardinal Paul Emile Leger Center - Centre National de Réhabilitation des Handicapés – in Yaounde, where he met with a group of sick persons in representation of all the health care structures in the country. “You are not alone in your pain, for Christ himself is close to all who suffer. He reveals to the sick and infirm their place in the heart of God and in society,” the Pope said in his address.
“This Centre is named after Cardinal Paul-Émile Léger, a son of Canada who came among you to bring relief to bodies and souls. As I stand here today, I am mindful of all the people in hospitals, in specialized health centers or clinics, who suffer from a disability, mental or physical. I also think of those whose flesh bears the scars of wars and violence. I remember too all the sick and, especially here in Africa, the victims of such diseases as AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. I know how actively engaged the Catholic Church in your country is in the fight against these terrible afflictions, and I encourage you to pursue this urgent task with great determination.”
Benedict XVI recalled that in the face of suffering, sickness and death, “ it is tempting to cry out in pain,” and in these circumstances, “some are tempted to doubt whether God is present in their lives.” “Job, however, was conscious of God’s presence; his was not a cry of rebellion, but, from the depths of his sorrow, he allowed his trust to grow.” The Pope then mentioned how among those who accompanied Jesus on His path of suffering leading towards Calvary, there was an African named Simon of Cyrene, given the task of helping Jesus to carry his Cross. “History tells us, then, that an African, a son of your continent, took part, at the price of his own suffering, in the infinite suffering of the one who ransomed all men, including his executioners. Simon of Cyrene could not have known that it was his Saviour who stood there before him...Only after the resurrection could he have understood what he had done. Brothers and sisters, it is the same for each of us: in the depths of our anguish, of our own rebellion, Christ offers us his loving presence even if we find it hard to understand that he is at our side. Only the Lord’s final victory will reveal for us the definitive meaning of our trials.”
The Pope continued: “Can it not be said that every African is in some sense a member of the family of Simon of Cyrene? Every African who suffers, indeed every person who suffers, helps Christ to carry his Cross and climbs with him the path to Golgotha in order one day to rise again with him...I pray, dear brothers and sisters, that you will be able to recognize yourselves in 'Simon of Cyrene.' I pray, dear brothers and sisters who are sick, that many of you will encounter a Simon at your bedside.”
Inviting all present to fix their gaze upon the Crucified one, “with faith and courage, for from him come life, comfort, and healing,” the Pope mentioned the example of the Saints, who lived “lives entirely dedicated to God, our Father.” Then, addressing the hospital personnel, he mentioned how through their work, they “accomplish an act of charity and love that God recognizes;” and to the researchers and doctors, who are called to “practice every legitimate form of pain relief,” he reminded them that their first task is that of being “defenders of life from conception to natural death.”
“I encourage priests and those who visit the sick to commit themselves to an active and friendly presence in their hospital chaplaincy, or to assure an ecclesial presence in the home, for the comfort and spiritual support of the sick. In accordance with his promise, God will give you a just reward, and he will recompense you in heaven.” Before greeting them personally and taking his leave, the Pope assured each of them of his affection and prayer, with the wish that none of them should ever feel alone: “In fact it is the task of every human person, created in the image of Christ, to be a good neighbor to those around him.” (SL) (Agenzia Fides 20/3/2009)