Vatican official urges harmony in Africa's Great Lakes region

Published: 2005-07-20

KIGOMA, Tanzania (CNS) -- Despite the horrors of war that led them to flee their homes, refugees from Africa's Great Lakes region must learn to recognize all people as their brothers and sisters and work for reconciliation, said Cardinal Renato Martino. The cardinal, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, celebrated Mass and administered the sacrament of confirmation to 445 refugees July 17 near the Mtabila and Muyovosi refugee camps outside Kigoma. In his homily, the cardinal emphasized how God pours his love out on all people, calling them to recognize their common bonds as children of the same God. Cardinal Martino said Christians, and especially those who were about to receive the special sacramental grace of the Holy Spirit, must work "to restore life in common with our brothers and sisters because we are all children of the same heavenly Father." Reconciliation, he said, is the essential first step toward peace and stability in the region that has faced waves of violence for more than 30 years.

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