AFRICA/ANGOLA - “The Pope was a missionary of the Gospel and wanted to be nothing else. This ought to be the first thing to think about.” Reflections on Benedict XVI's visit.

Luanda (Agenzia Fides) - “The Pope was a missionary of the Gospel and wanted to be nothing else. This ought to be the first thing to think about,” said Fr. Filiberto Rodríguez, Superior of the Salesian Vice-Province “Mamá Muxima” (ANG), who through the ANS agency communicated shared his impressions of the visit Pope Benedict XVI made to Angola.
“In my opinion the Pope’s Visit more than satisfied the expectations there were. Making great sacrifices (walking miles and miles on foot – there are no buses or underground or other means of transport) the people enjoyed it, moving from one place to another enthusiastically accompanying the Pope.
The Church will carry out a serious evaluation of the preparations, the events and the results and will take note of the points it needs to insist on: the Church is the universal sacrament of salvation, since it offers to the world the person of Jesus Christ.
The Government spent a lot of money and I think obtained some results (the journeys of the delegations of all the dioceses were paid for by the provincial governments, roads were asphalted churches painted...), a positive image of Angola given to the world. The image was clouded by the death of two girls before the meeting of the young people with the Pope in the Coqueiros stadium. It will become clearer where responsibility lies but it remains a cloud.”
Fr. Rodriguez does not hesitate to express his critique of the attacks made by the international press in Africa, on the Pope: “They are only looking for things to sensationalise. They want to sell their own papers and they are not interested in the ordinary people (whom they manipulate considering them museum pieces or market fodder), nor the purpose of the Pope’s journey. Many journalists tell you: ‘we want to report the other visit’. My dear friends the journalists: the Pope’s meeting with the People that is the visit! Come and see and report the other things during the year (you forget us most of the time). In fact no government, no organisation has ever in the course of history been so close to the poor and to those who are suffering as has and is the Church and its Institutions.” (SL) (Agenzia Fides 27/3/2009)