AFRICA/SOUTH AFRICA - The bishops of southern Africa mourn the Pope who asked for forgiveness for the slave trade carried out in the name of Christianity

Tuesday, 5 April 2005

Pretoria (Fides Agency) - “His death, after he bore his sickness with dignity and faith, put an end to 26 years of pontificate. During these years he has guided the Church with extraordinary charisma”. In a message sent to Fides Agency the bishops of the “Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference” (SACBC, that gathers the bishops from South Africa, Botswana and Swaziland) use these words to pay homage to John Paul II. “John Paul II played an extremely important role in changing the history of the last century and he was greeted as one of the greatest popes of modern times” the message says.
“Doubtless, he will be remembered for his clear contribution to the fall of the communist regimes of eastern Europe and for his fearless stance in defence of religious freedom and human rights. With his teachings and his many Encyclical letters, Pope John Paul II showed a live interest for social and economic problems” say the bishops. “He stressed the dignity of work, he defended workers’ rights and he denounced as immoral the unjust distribution of richness and the growing gap between the rich and the poor”.
“John Paul II vigorously pursued the path of dialogue with believers of other religions and in many meetings with representatives of the world religions he tirelessly worked to achieve the greater unity of the human family” the message reads on, and continues remembering “the memorable efforts of John Paul II to bring peace in countries unsettled by war, which he called a defeat for humanity”.
“A powerful advocate of the holiness of life, John Paul II resolutely opposed the culture of death in the world, tirelessly denouncing the immorality of abortion and euthanasia. His constant appeals to rediscover the roots of faith and the values of the Gospel, love, justice and solidarity are a sure antidote against the moral decline inspired by the ideology of consumerism and materialism, religious indifference and moral relativism”. The bishops stress also how “John Paul II was a man of peace and reconciliation. He offered forgiveness to the man who attacked him in 1981. He will be remembered for his work to heal the wounds of the past by asking for forgiveness to other Christian denominations and to the Jewish Community for the bad behaviour of the Catholic Church. Finally the Pope asked for forgiveness to Africa for the sufferance caused by the slave trading carried out in name of Christianity”.
The bishops concluded by saying: “With great sadness we mourn the death of John Paul II, while we are profoundly grateful for the many results that the Lord our God has attained through his tireless efforts to bring people closer to God and one closer to the other”. (L.M.) (Fides Agency 5/4/2005 38 lines words 472)


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