Africa: Peace and Reconciliation

The central African Republic is looking for signs of reconciliation. For months in the past, entire villages and cities were left defenseless against marauding gangs.

Pope Francis visited the country six months ago, in an act of real faith, as Archbishop Dieudonné Nzapalainga of Bangui wrote in a recent letter.

Pope Francis came as an ambassador of peace. Since then a new spirit of peace and reconciliation is blowing through the country. The Church wants to keep this spirit alive and is planning to hold a conference and bring together priests, religious, and lay pastoral workers in the country – a total of 648 people.

Together they will join in prayer and hold conferences and seminars, and celebrate a solemn pontifical Mass in order to draw strength from the source of love for the work of reconciliation.

“We Christians want to reach out to the poor and the sick, to the abandoned and forgotten, to the politicians and the Muslims – just as the Holy Father has asked us to do.”

So they may all see the face of the loving and merciful God – so that the wounds may heal and peace be established among the people.