Maravi

‘Gospel should look at everyone’s development’

‘Gospel should look at everyone’s development’
By Mwala Kalaluka in Mongu
Monday September 03, 2007 [04:00]

THE Vatican's Apostolic Nuncio to Zambia Nicola Girasoli has said the announcement of the gospel should look at the development of every person, especially of the poorest and the most neglected in society. In a homily delivered during celebrations to mark the 10th anniversary of Mongu Diocese at Our Lady of Lourdes Cathedral in Mongu yesterday, Archbishop Girasoli said there was no way the Church could proclaim the new commandment of love without promoting justice and peace.

He said without promoting the true and authentic advancement of the human being, the Church would not be fulfilling its obligation in the new commandment of love.

"Between evangelisation and human development - development and liberation - there are profound links," Archbishop Girasoli said. "We are called to struggle for the defense of personal dignity, for justice and social peace."
He also said there was a significant connection between peace and development.
"We recall the well known sentence of Pope Paul VI: "The new name for peace is development" (Populorum Progression N.48). We find this sentence also written at the entrance of the United Nations in New York. Peace and development are strictly connected," he said. "But we can achieve peace and development only if we work in solidarity."

He pointed out that solidarity in fact, implied respect for human dignity and love for the poor and the voiceless.

"The gospel today teaches us how we shall love the poor. Love cannot be based on human reason. Love is love and not calculation. Love is not mathematic," Archbishop Girasoli said. "We shall be blessed only if we love without motivating our love. Christian love is a pure mercy, which gives hope to those who are hopeless, joy to those whose life has let them to lose their smile."
He congratulated the Church in Mongu Diocese that just within a space of 10 years, its dedication towards addressing the problems of the poor and promoting justice and peace including the improvement of health and education accessibility to the children of the province was acknowledged locally and nationally.
"On March 31, when I visited Mongu on the occasion of the Kuomboka Ceremony and officially I had the honourable opportunity to officially meet and pay my respects to His Royal Highness the Litunga Lubosi Imwiko II, I was very honoured to hear from his Royal Highness the appreciation and esteem for what the Catholic Church is doing in this province, especially in the field of health and education," Archbishop Girasoli said. "Indeed Bishop Duffy and all of you have followed very clearly the path indicated by the beloved late Pope, the servant of God his Holiness Pope John Paul II, for the so called new evangelisation."

He thanked Bishop Duffy for the deep and courageous pastoral guidance he had given the church in Mongu over the last decade.

"He (Bishop Duffy) is doing a great job for maintaining the Diocese at a very high standard," he said. "I hope we may let him stay as Bishop of Mongu for a long time. In fact, it does not seem at all that he has reached 75 years. He is still looking young, energetic and full of enthusiasm."

Archbishop Girasoli said it was his prayer that Zambia through the help of the Church could manage conflicts peacefully.

"May the Almighty God help all of us to go beyond all disputes and in our work and to consider as the most urgent priority the good and the improvement of the human conditions of our people, especially the poorest," said Archbishop Girasoli. "A true establishment of justice and peace can be successful only if it is supported by reconciliation... Reconciliation has a pragmatic character; it is a language of learning to live with others, in a pluralistic society and to manage conflicts peacefully."

Labels: CATHOLIC CHURCH

posted by MrK @ 4:04 AM