AFRICA/MOZAMBIQUE - Enthusiasm for the Pope's video message in Portuguese

Wednesday, 4 September 2019 pope francis   peace   local churches  

Maputo (Agenzia Fides) - There is strong enthusiasm in Maputo for the arrival of Pope Francis, whose plane will land on the evening of September 4th. "The video message in which Pope Francis turned to Mozambicans in Portuguese aroused a pleasant surprise in the country", ecclesial sources report to Agenzia Fides. "The Pope speaks our language" was the most widespread comment.
"Dear people of Mozambique!" is how Pope Francis begins his video message. "In a few days my visit to your country will begin and although I am unable to go beyond the capital, my heart reaches out to all of you, with a special place for those of you who live in difficult situations. You are all in my prayers".
"Mozambique is experiencing the arrival of the Pontiff with serenity and hope", sources of Fides add. "On October 15 there will be important elections and the election campaign has just begun. But this will not interfere at all with the papal visit. Indeed, it is believed that thanks to the imminent visit of Pope Francis, the two main parties, Frelimo and Renamo, reached the peace agreement signed in early August".
"The new head of Renamo, Ossufo Momade, who is a Muslim, made an explicit reference to the Pope's visit almost to want to put the agreement just signed under his protection" underline our sources.
The ruling party Frelimo (Mozambique Liberation Front), and Renamo (Mozambican National Resistance), the old guerrilla movement that became the main opposition party, signed an agreement on 6 August so that general elections on 15 October are carried out peacefully (see Fides, 7/8/2019). (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 4/9/2019)


Share: