Nalukolongo is a place which, as Francis recalled in his brief address to the   
   guests in the institution and the thirty women religious who take care of them,   
   "has always been associated with the Church's outreach to the poor, the   
   handicapped, the sick. I think particularly of the great and fruitful work   
   carried out with those people affected by AIDS. Here, in early times, slave   
   children were ransomed and women received religious instruction. I greet the   
   Good Samaritan Sisters who carry on this fine tradition, and I thank them for   
   their years of quiet and joyful service in this apostolate. And here, Jesus is   
   present here, because he said that he would always be present among the poor,   
   the sick, convicts, the destitute, those who suffer. Jesus is here".   
    "I also greet the representatives of the many other apostolic groups who serve   
   the needs of our brothers and sisters in Uganda. Above all, I greet the   
   residents of this home and others like it, and all who benefit from these works   
   of Christian charity. For this is a home. Here you can find love and care; here   
   you can feel the presence of Jesus, our brother, who loves each of us with   
   God's   
   own love".   
    "Today, from this Home, I appeal to all parishes and communities in Uganda -   
   and the rest of Africa - not to forget the poor, not to forget the poor! The   
   Gospel commands us to go out to the peripheries of society, and to find Christ   
   in the suffering and those in need. The Lord tells us, in no uncertain terms,   
   that is what he will judge us on! How sad it is when our societies allow the   
   elderly to be rejected or neglected! How wrong it is when the young are   
   exploited by the modern-day slavery of human trafficking! If we look closely at   
   the world around us, it seems that, in many places, selfishness and   
   indifference   
   are spreading. How many of our brothers and sisters are victims of today's   
   throwaway culture, which breeds contempt above all towards the unborn, the   
   young   
   and the elderly!".   
    "As Christians, we cannot simply stand by, stand by watching what is   
   happening,   
   without doing anything. Something must change! Our families need to become ever   
   more evident signs of God's patient and merciful love, not only for our   
   children   
   and elders, but for all those in need. Our parishes must not close their doors,   
   or their ears, to the cry of the poor. This is the royal road of Christian   
   discipleship. In this way we bear witness to the Lord who came not to be   
   served,   
   but to serve. In this way we show that people count more than things, that who   
   we are is more important than what we possess. For in those whom we serve,   
   Christ daily reveals himself and prepares the welcome which we hope one day to   
   receive in his eternal kingdom".   
    "Dear friends, by simple gestures, by simple prayerful actions which honour   
   Christ in the least of his brothers and sisters, we can bring the power of his   
   love into our world, and truly change it. I thank you once more for your   
   generosity and love. I will remember you always in my prayers and I ask you,   
   please, to pray for me. I commend all of you to the loving protection of Mary,   
   our Mother, and I give you my blessing. Omukama abakuume (God protect you!)".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    The Pope meets the clergy of Uganda: maintain memory and continue to be   
   witness   
    Vatican City, 29 November 2015 (VIS) The Pope's day ended with an encounter   
   with the priests, men and women religious, and seminarians in the cathedral of   
   Kampala, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Beforehand the Holy Father met   
   with the bishops of Uganda, around thirty in number, including bishops   
   emeritus,   
   in the archbishop's residence near the cathedral.   
    Upon arrival he was greeted by the bishop responsible for consecrated life,   
   John Baptist Kaggwa, to whom he handed the discourse he had prepared for the   
   occasion, and addressed some extemporaneous remarks in Spanish to those   
   present,   
   apologising for nt doing so in English.   
    "There are three things I want to say", Francis began. "First, in the Book of   
   Deuteronomy, Moses reminds his people: 'Do not forget'. He repeats it several   
   times throughout the book: 'Do not forget'. Do not forget all that God has done   
   for the people. The first thing I want to say is: ask for the grace of memory.   
   As I said to the young, the blood of the Catholics of Uganda is mixed the blood   
   of martyrs. Do not lose the memory of this seed, so in this way you will   
   continue to grow. The main enemy of memory is forgetfulness, but it is not the   
   most dangerous. The most dangerous enemy of memory is getting used to   
   inheriting   
   the goods of our fathers. The Church in Uganda should never grow accustomed to   
   viewing her martyrs as a distant memory. Martyr means witness. The Church in   
   Uganda, to be faithful to this memory, must continue to be a witness. You   
   should   
   not 'live off the interest'. Past glories have been the beginning, but you must   
   build future glories too. And this is the task that the Church entrusts to you:   
   to bear witness, like the martyrs who gave their lives for the Gospel".   
    "In order to be witnesses, we need faithfulness. Fidelity to memory, fidelity   
   to our vocation, fidelity to apostolic zeal. Faithfulness means following the   
   way of holiness. It means doing what previous witnesses did: being   
   missionaries.   
   Perhaps here in Uganda there are dioceses that have many priests and dioceses   
   that have few. Faithfulness means suggesting to the bishop that you go to   
   another diocese in need of missionaries. And this is not easy. Faithfulness   
   means perseverance in your vocation. Here I wish to thank the Sisters of the   
   House of Mercy in a special way for the example of faithfulness they give:   
   fidelity to the poor, the sick and the needy, because Christ is there. Uganda   
   has been irrigated by the blood of martyrs and witnesses. Today it is necessary   
   to continue to irrigate it, and to welcome new challenges, new witnesses and   
   new   
   missions. Otherwise, you will lose the great wealth you have, and the 'pearl of   
   Africa' will end up preserved in a museum, because this is how the devil   
   attacks   
   , little by little. I am speaking not only to priests, but also to the   
   religious. But I wish to say this in a special way to priests, with regard to   
   the problem of mission: may priests in dioceses where the clergy is   
   well-represented offer themselves to diocese with fewer clergy, so Uganda can   
   continue to be missionary".   
    "Memory, which means fidelity; and fidelity, which is only possible with the   
   prayer. If a religious, a nun or a priest stops praying or prays rarely,   
   because   
   he or she has a lot of work, then he or she has already started to lose memory,   
   which means losing faithfulness. Prayer also means humiliation: the humiliation   
   of going regularly to the confessor, to tell him your sins. You can not limp   
   with both legs. We men and women religious, priests can not lead a double life.   
   If you are a sinner, if you are a sinner, ask forgiveness. But not to hide a   
   lack of fidelity. Do not close memory away in the cupboard".   
    "Memory, new challenges, faithfulness to memory, and prayer. Prayer always   
   begins with recognition that we are sinners. With these three pillars the   
   "pearl   
   of Africa" will continue to be a pearl, and not just a phrase we find in the   
   dictionary. May the martyrs, who gave strength to this Church, help you to move   
   forward in memory, fidelity and prayer. And please, I ask you not to forget to   
   pray for me".   
    Finally, Pope Francis invited those present to pray the Hail Mary together.   
    The following is the discourse prepared by the Holy Father for his encounter   
   with the clergy.   
    "Dear Brother Priests, Religious and Seminarians,   
    I am happy to be with you, and I thank you for your cordial welcome. I   
   especially thank the speakers for bearing witness to your hopes and concerns,   
   and, above all, the joy which inspires you in your service to God's people in   
   Uganda.   
    I am pleased, too, that our meeting takes place on the eve of the First Sunday   
   of Advent, a season which invites us to look to new beginnings. This Advent we   
   are also preparing to cross the threshold of the extraordinary Jubilee Year of   
   Mercy which I have called for the whole Church.   
    As we approach the Jubilee of Mercy, I would ask you two questions. First: who   
   are you, as priests or future priests, and as consecrated persons? In one   
   sense,   
   the answer is an easy one: surely you are men and women whose lives have been   
   shaped by a 'personal encounter with Jesus Christ'. Jesus has touched your   
   hearts, called you by name, and asked you to follow him with an undivided heart   
   in the service of his holy people.   
    The Church in Uganda has been blessed, in its short yet venerable history,   
   with   
   a great cloud of witnesses - lay faithful, catechists, priests and religious -   
   who forsook everything for the love of Jesus: homes, families, and, in the case   
   of the martyrs, their own lives. In your own lives, whether in the priestly   
   ministry or in your religious consecration, you are called to carry on this   
   great legacy, above all with quiet acts of humble service. Jesus wants to use   
   you to touch the hearts of yet other people: he wants to use your mouths to   
   proclaim his saving word, your arms to embrace the poor whom he loves, your   
   hands to build up communities of authentic missionary disciples. May we never   
   forget that our 'yes' to Jesus is a 'yes' to his people. Our doors, the doors   
   of   
   our churches, but above all the doors of our hearts, must constantly be open to   
   God's people, our people. For that is who we are.   
    A second question I would ask you tonight is: What more are you called to do   
   in   
   living your specific vocation? Because there is always more that we can do,   
   another mile to be walked on our journey.   
    God's people, indeed all people, yearn for new life, forgiveness and peace.   
   Sadly, there are many troubling situations in our world for which we must pray,   
   beginning with realities closest to us. I pray especially for the beloved   
   people   
   of Burundi, that the Lord may awaken in their leaders and in society as a whole   
   a commitment to dialogue and cooperation, reconciliation and peace. If we are   
   to   
   accompany those who suffer, then like the light passing through the stained   
   glass windows of this Cathedral, we must let God's power and healing pass   
   through us. We must first let the waves of his mercy flow over us, purify us,   
   and refresh us, so that we can bring that mercy to others, especially those on   
   the peripheries.   
    All of us know well how difficult this can be. There is so much work to be   
   done. At the same time, modern life also offers so many distractions which can   
   dull our consciences, dissipate our zeal, and even lure us into that 'spiritual   
   worldliness' which eats away at the foundations of the Christian life. The work   
   of conversion - that conversion which is the heart of the Gospel of Jesus -   
   must   
   be carried out each day, in the battle to recognise and overcome those habits   
      
   --- MPost/386 v1.21   
    * Origin: Sursum Corda! BBS=Huntsville AL=bbs.sursum-corda.com (1:396/45)