DISAPPEARANCE
Death of Benedict XVI: the pontificate of the pope emeritus marked Africa
Pope Benedict XVI waves to the crowd at the Cotonou National Stadium during his visit to Benin, November 20, 2011. ASSOCIATED PRESS - Rebecca Blackwell
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Benedict XVI died on Saturday December 31 at the age of 95.
A few days ago, his successor, Pope Francis, announced that he was "
seriously ill
" and called for prayers for him.
During his pontificate, from 2005 until his resignation in 2013 for health reasons, Benedict XVI maintained the Church's ties with the African continent.
Back on its action in Africa.
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In Africa, faithful and religious remember Benedict XVI as a pope committed to the continent.
With 200 million Catholics, Africa was, in his eyes, “
the hope of the Church
”.
Benedict XVI visited three important Catholic countries on the continent during his seven years at the head of the Vatican: Angola, Cameroon and Benin.
A sign of a special commitment for a sovereign pontiff who traveled little.
His first visit, in March 2009 to Cameroon and Angola, was however preceded by controversy.
The pope had declared that “
we cannot solve the problem of AIDS with the distribution of condoms
” and that their “
use aggravates the problem
”.
A year later, he had nuanced his remarks, confident that the use of condoms "
in certain cases
" makes it possible to avoid contamination.
The bishops of the continent, them, retain especially the
African synod organized in Rome
, in Italy.
In the fall of 2009, nearly 300 African religious leaders were received by Pope Benedict XVI.
Faced with inter-religious conflicts and corruption, for example, the sovereign pontiff had invited them to go beyond the sole religious framework by committing themselves in their country to social justice and good governance.
Pope Benedict XVI waves to the crowd at the Ahmadou-Ahidjo stadium in Yaoundé, Cameroon, March 19, 2009. AP - ANDREW MEDICHINI
A pope “
attentive to the social dimension
”
Joined by RFI, Father Santedi, then secretary general of the National Episcopal Conference of Congo (Cenco), was one of the 300 African religious leaders received in Rome by Benedict XVI, on the occasion of this synod on Africa.
He remembers this moment:
“
I keep a really vivid memory, vibrating in my heart, of the words he said at the opening of this second synod of bishops on Africa
: a synod of hope.
I saw there the commitment of the whole Church in favor of Africa.
He even asked for a renewed look at Africa, a look of faith, of hope to help this continent to be light.
»
“
Then, I will pay the following tribute to this great man who, at the beginning, was only in the doctrine of the faith.
I also discovered a pope very attentive to the social dimension.
He even said that the victims have a right to the truth and that the mission was also to name the executioners.
He went far in the field of the defense of human rights, of the social mission of the Church.
»
"
Do not deprive your people of hope
", he asked the African heads of state
Another highlight in 2011 when, surrounded by 60,000 Beninese, Benedict XVI celebrated a giant mass at the Friendship Stadium in Cotonou.
He signed the Apostolic Exhortation
Africae Munus
, a “
road map
”
for the African Church for the years to come.
This time, "
he did not hesitate to challenge, without naming them, the heads of state
" of the continent, recalls a former official of the Congolese Church.
"
There are too many scandals, corruption and lies that lead to misery
," said Benedict XVI.
“
The people want to understand the political and economic choices made in their name
”, he continued, before calling for their responsibility by declaring: “
Do not deprive your people of hope.
»
► To read also: Pope Benedict XVI asks African leaders to serve their people with honesty
Reached by RFI, the Central African Cardinal Dieudonné Nzapalainga evokes his memories of Benedict XVI:
“
A great man, great priest, great theologian.
He lasted eight years (seven years and ten months, editor's note) and had a lot of humility.
He had a vivid memory and also a clarity in his thoughts, picky about words.
He is also someone who had to respond to scandals in the Church.
I want to talk about the issue of pedophilia where he had to learn and talked about zero tolerance.
He also asked for forgiveness, in the name of the Church, for all the mistakes or mistakes made.
»
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