MAPUTO, SEPTEMBER 6 2019 (CISA)-Pope Francis on September 5 met the Youth of Mozambique at Maxaquene Stadium in Maputo where he called on them to participate in the peace process and the care of the environment in the country.
“Many of you were born at a time of peace, a hard-won peace that was not always easy to achieve and took time to build. Peace is a process that you too are called to advance, by being ever ready to reach out to those experiencing hardship. What power there is in an outstretched hand and a friendship that finds concrete expression,” he said.
“Try to grow in friendship with those who think differently than you, so that solidarity will increase among you and become the best weapon to change the course of history,” he added.
He encouraged them to shun social enmity, noting that it is destructive to families, countries and the world.
“…the greatest enmity of all is war. Today we see that the world is destroying itself by war. So, find ways of building social friendship,” he said.
“It is not easy; it always means having to give something up and to negotiate, but if we do it for the sake of helping others, we can have the magnificent experience of setting our differences aside and working together for something greater,” he added.
If, as a result of our own simple and at times costly efforts, we can find points of agreement amid conflict, build bridges and make peace for the benefit of all, then we will experience the miracle of the culture of encounter”
The Pope noted that reaching out to others also relates to the commitment to caring for the earth.
“You have indeed been blessed with stupendous natural beauty: forests and rivers, valleys and mountains and so many beautiful beaches,” he noted.
Citing the tragedy of cyclones that hit the country earlier in the year, the Pope encouraged them to continue with the effort of rebuilding and caring for the country.
“A few months ago, you suffered the collision of two cyclones, and saw the consequences of the ecological disaster that we are experiencing. Many people, including a great number of young people, have already taken up the pressing challenge of protecting our common home. This is the challenge before us, to protect our common home. Here you have a beautiful dream to cultivate together, as a family, a great challenge that can keep you united. I am convinced that you can be the agents of this much-needed change: protecting our common home, a home that belongs to all and is meant for all,” he stated.
