«Today more than ever, if the peoples of Africa are to be free of poverty and bloody struggles that do not cease to wound their land, it is necessary to continue to contribute aid to their populations,» the Pope said today.
Such action must try «to respond to their fundamental needs and, especially, to help them to become the first protagonists of their development, in particular with a serious education in civic and political responsibility,» the Holy Father added.
The Pontiff made his appeal at the conclusion of a meeting with French bishops of the ecclesiastical province of Besançon and the Archdiocese of Strasbourg, who were ending their five-yearly visit to Rome. Aid to Africa has been a particular concern of the Church in France for centuries.
These programs of promotion, the Pope said, must be oriented to «overcoming the opposition of groups so that every one will really acquire the sense of the state and all citizens will unite to invent a future of peace and prosperity.»
