and ways of thinking which can fuel spiritual complacency. We need to examine   
   our consciences, as individuals and as communities.   
    As I mentioned, we are entering the season of Advent, which is a time of new   
   beginnings. In the Church we like to say that Africa is the continent of hope,   
   and with good reason. The Church in these lands is blessed with an abundant   
   harvest of religious vocations. This evening I would offer a special word of   
   encouragement to the young seminarians and religious present. The Lord's call   
   is   
   a source of joy and a summons to serve. Jesus tells us that 'it is out of the   
   abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks'. May the fire of the Holy Spirit   
   purify your hearts, so that you can be joyful and convincing witnesses to the   
   hope of the Gospel. You have a beautiful word to speak! May you always speak   
   it,   
   above all, by the integrity and conviction of your lives.   
    Dear brothers and sisters, my visit to Uganda is brief, and today was a very   
   long day! But I consider our meeting tonight to be the crowning of this   
   beautiful day when I was able to go as a pilgrim to the Shrine of the Uganda   
   Martyrs at Namugongo, and to meet with the many young people who are the future   
   of the nation and our Church. Truly I leave Africa with great hope in the   
   harvest of grace which God is preparing in your midst! I ask all of you to pray   
   for an outpouring of apostolic zeal, for joyful perseverance in the calling you   
   have received, and, above all, for the gift of a pure heart ever open to the   
   needs of all our brothers and sisters. In this way the Church in Uganda will   
   truly prove worthy of its glorious heritage and face the challenges of the   
   future with sure hope in Christ's promises. I will remember all of you in my   
   prayers, and I ask you, please, to pray for me!".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    The Pope arrives in the Central African Republic as a pilgrim of peace and an   
   apostle of hope   
    Vatican City, 29 November 2015 (VIS) - This morning, at 9.15 local time (7.15   
   in Rome), the Holy Father left Uganda to embark on the final phase of his   
   eleventh apostolic trip, in the Central African Republic, reaching the capital   
   Bangui at 10 am local time, the same as in Rome. The Pope was received by the   
   Head of State of the Transition of the Central African Republic, Catherine   
   Samba-Panza, who is also the deputy president of the Association of African   
   Women Jurists. The Head of State, mayor of the capital during the 2012- 2013   
   armed conflict, was elected as interim president to govern the country during   
   the phase of transition between civil war and the upcoming presidential and   
   parliamentary elections, scheduled to take place in December.   
    From the airport the Pope proceeded to the Palais de la Renaissance, where   
   after meeting with the family of the president in private, he encountered the   
   ruling class and diplomatic corps accredited to the country, to whom he   
   expressed his sympathy and spiritual closeness to all Central Africans. The   
   bishop of Rome also greeted the representatives of international organisations   
   whose work evokes "the ideal of solidarity and cooperation which needs to be   
   cultivated between peoples and nations".   
    "As the Central African Republic progressively moves, in spite of   
   difficulties,   
   towards the normalisation of its social and political life, I come to this land   
   for the first time, following my predecessor St. John Paul II. I come as a   
   pilgrim of peace and an apostle of hope. For this reason, I express my   
   appreciation of the efforts made by the different national and international   
   authorities, beginning with Madam Interim Head of State, to guide the country   
   to   
   this point. It is my fervent wish that the various national consultations to be   
   held in coming weeks will enable the country to embark serenely on new chapter   
   of its history".   
    "To brighten the horizon, there is the motto of the Central African Republic,   
   which translates the hope of pioneers and the dream of the founding fathers:   
   'Unity-Dignity-Labour'. Today, more than ever, this trilogy expresses the   
   aspirations of each Central African. Consequently, it is a sure compass for the   
   authorities called to guide the destiny of the country. Unity, dignity, labour!   
   Three very significant words, each of which represents as much a building   
   project as a unending programme, something to be ceaselessly crafted".   
    "First, unity. This, we know, is a cardinal value for the harmony of peoples.   
   It is to be lived and built up on the basis of the marvellous diversity of our   
   environment, avoiding the temptation of fear of others, of the unfamiliar, of   
   what is not part of our ethnic group, our political views or our religious   
   confession. Unity, on the contrary, calls for creating and promoting a   
   synthesis   
   of the richness which each person has to offer. Unity in diversity is a   
   constant   
   challenge, one which demands creativity, generosity, self-sacrifice and respect   
   for others".   
    Then, dignity. This moral value is rightly synonymous with the honesty,   
   loyalty, graciousness and honour which characterise men and women conscious of   
   their rights and duties, and which lead them to mutual respect. Each person has   
   dignity. I was interested to learn that Central Africa is the country of the   
   'Zo   
   kwe zo', the country where everybody is somebody. Everything must be done to   
   protect the status and dignity of the human person. Those who have the means to   
   enjoy a decent life, rather than being concerned with privileges, must seek to   
   help those poorer than themselves to attain dignified living conditions,   
   particularly through the development of their human, cultural, economic and   
   social potential. Consequently, access to education and to health care, the   
   fight against malnutrition and efforts to ensure decent housing for everyone   
   must be at the forefront of a development concerned for human dignity. In   
   effect, our human dignity is expressed by our working for the dignity of our   
   fellow man".   
    "Finally, labour. It is by working that you are able to improve the lives of   
   your families. St. Paul tells us that 'children ought not to lay up for their   
   parents, but parents for their children'. The work of parents expresses their   
   love for their children. And you again, Central Africans, can improve this   
   marvellous land by wisely exploiting its many resources. Your country is   
   located   
   in a region considered to be one of the two lungs of mankind on account of its   
   exceptionally rich biodiversity. In this regard, echoing my cncyclical 'Laudato   
   Si'', I would like particularly to draw the attention of everyone, citizens and   
   national leaders, international partners and multinational societies, to their   
   grave responsibility in making use of environmental resources, in development   
   decisions and projects which in any way affect the entire planet. The work of   
   building a prosperous society must be a cooperative effort. The wisdom of your   
   people has long understood this truth, as seen in the proverb: 'The ants are   
   little, but since they are so many, they can bring their hoard home'".   
    "It is no doubt superfluous to underline the capital importance of upright   
   conduct and administration on the part of public authorities. They must be the   
   first to embody consistently the values of unity, dignity and labour, serving   
   as   
   models for their compatriots".   
    "The history of the evangelisation of this land and the socio-political   
   history   
   of this country attest to the commitment of the Church in promoting the values   
   of unity, dignity and labour. In recalling the pioneers of evangelisation in   
   the   
   Central African Republic, I greet my brother bishops, who now carry on this   
   work. With them, I express once more the readiness of the local Church to   
   contribute even more to the promotion of the common good, particularly by   
   working for peace and reconciliation. I do not doubt that the Central African   
   authorities, present and future, will work tirelessly to ensure that the Church   
   enjoys favourable conditions for the fulfilment of her spiritual mission. In   
   this way she will be able to contribute increasingly to 'promoting the good of   
   every man and of the whole man', to use the felicitous expression of my   
   predecessor, Blessed Paul VI, who fifty years ago was the first Pope of modern   
   times to come to Africa, to encourage and confirm the continent in goodness at   
   the dawn of a new age".   
    "For my part, I express my appreciation for the efforts made by the   
   international community, represented here by the Diplomatic Corps and the   
   members of the various Missions of the International Organisations. I heartily   
   encourage them to continue along the path of solidarity, in the hope that their   
   commitment, together with the activity of the Central African authorities, will   
   help the country to advance, especially in the areas of reconciliation,   
   disarmament, peacekeeping, health care and the cultivation of a sound   
   administration at all levels".   
    "To conclude, I would like to express once more my joy to visit this   
   marvellous   
   country, located in the heart of Africa, home to a people profoundly religious   
   and blessed with so such natural and cultural richness. Here I see a country   
   filled with God's gifts! May the Central African people, its leaders and its   
   partners, always appreciate the value of these gifts by working ceaselessly for   
   unity, human dignity and a peace based on justice. May God bless you all! Thank   
   you".   
    After his meeting with the country's leaders, the Holy Father travelled by   
   popemobile to the refugee camp in the parish of St. Sauveur, where he was   
   welcomed by the children who live there and greeted by a woman residing there.   
   The Pope greeted all present and addressed the following words to them: "We   
   must   
   work and pray to do everything possible for peace, but peace without love,   
   without friendship, without tolerance and without forgiveness, is not possible.   
   Each one of us must do something. I wish peace upon all of you and for all   
   Central Africans, a great peace among you; that you may live in peace   
   regardless   
   of ethnic group, culture, religion or social status. Peace to all, as we are   
   all   
   brothers and sisters. I would like us all to say together that we are all   
   brothers and sisters, and therefore we want peace. I bring you the Lord's   
   blessing".   
    This afternoon, after lunching with the bishops of the Central African   
   Republic   
   at the apostolic nunciature, he will visit the faculty of theology in Bangui,   
   where he will pronounce a discourse before the country's evangelical   
   communities.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
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