Eucharistic Liturgy in Douala

On Tuesday, 13 August 1985, the Holy Father celebrated Holy Mass in Douala (Cameroon). In his homily, the Pope compared the first evangelization of Cameroon with the first mission of the disciples of Christ. The Mass was followed by by an Act of Entrustment to the Madonna.

1. “Behold, children are a gift from the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is a reward” ( Ps 127:3).

Dear brothers and sisters,

As we celebrate this Eucharist in the heart of the great port city of Douala and the ecclesiastical district of the west coast, our thoughts turn in a special way to the young people who constitute sixty percent of the population of the city. We thank God for the good fortune that these young people represent. We entrust their future to him. However, their education also constitutes a great challenge. How can we overcome it? Or rather, how can we ensure that children and young people acquire a personality worthy of man, worthy of a son of God, a daughter of God? Is this not the great question posed to parents, educators, social and administrative components, pastors and the entire community of the Church? And should not the young people themselves reflect on how to prepare their future? After Mass, it is to them that I will address myself more directly.

For now, together with you, I would like to consider the theme of education, convinced that "if the Lord does not build the house, those who build it labor in vain" ( Ps 127:1).

2. The education of children, young people and adults according to the Catholic faith is one of the fundamental objectives of every missionary work.

Let us look at our Master: “Jesus went through the villages, teaching ” ( Mk 6:6). And to propose his message more widely, he began to send the twelve apostles ahead of him, two by two. These disciples announced that the kingdom of God was near, they invited people to convert, to insert themselves, so to speak, into God’s educational path. And they were already freeing others from obstacles, chasing away impure spirits; they showed the sick the goodness of God who wants to heal and save.

Such was the first mission of the disciples of Jesus. And I cannot help but think of the first evangelization in Cameroon . Less than a century ago, the Pallottine Fathers, who came from the Church of Germany, founded the first mission in Marienberg, in this same diocese. From here, I address my greeting to this cradle of Catholicism in Cameroon, which remains, for all the parishes of the country, a place of high spirituality, dedicated from the beginning to the Queen of the Apostles. The apostolic pioneers had come in the greatest lack of means, like the disciples of Jesus in the Gospel. The Pallottine Fathers, then the missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Saint Quentin were forced to leave the region in 1914, for reasons completely unrelated to their mission. However, they did not need to shake the dust from their sandals, because the populations had already responded in a marvelous way to the good news. Over fifty thousand Cameroonians, baptized or catechumens, had embraced the Catholic faith, and over two hundred catechists had already been trained. The missionaries had announced the word of God with simplicity, had cared for the sick and had founded over two hundred schools, with about twenty thousand students. They knew how Christian education was of capital importance for the future of the mission.

They were courageously replaced by the Fathers of the Holy Spirit, then by other missionaries, priests, brothers, religious and lay people. And today I am very happy to greet this flourishing Church, authentically African. I warmly thank Monsignor Simon Tonyé, your Archbishop, for his welcome; I greet his predecessor, Monsignor Thomas Mongo, the bishops of Bafoussam and Nkongsamba, as well as those of the other provinces who have come to pray with us. I greet all the ethnic groups represented in this Church, for we form one body, the body of Christ. I also greet those who, without fully sharing our faith, respect it and collaborate with you: I assure them of my fraternal sentiments. We have in common an equal task of education, an immense task, on which I would now like to meditate with you.

3. In all civilizations, education is a fundamental condition for continuity. For parents, for teachers, for society as a whole, it is a question of transmitting to the young generations a legacy, the legacy of knowledge, of technical know-how, of a way of thinking and of a morality of life. It is a question of allowing young people to actively assimilate the legacy of the family, the common heritage of the tribe, of the people or of the nation to which they are linked by the unity of culture, language and history (cf. John Paul II, Epistula Apostolica ad iuvenes, Internationali vertente Anno Iuventuti dicato , 11, 31 March 1985 : Insegnamenti di Giovanni Paolo II , VIII/1 [1985] 783 ff.). The Church also has a legacy to transmit: the Gospel and the way in which it has been the object of faith and life for generations of Christians, under the guidance of the Magisterium.

If, on the other hand, education is considered starting from the person who benefits from it, it is a question of bringing man to maturity , so that he learns to "be" and not only to "know", so that he truly responds to his own vocation. The Second Vatican Council clearly expressed the aim pursued by a well-understood education: to form the person in function of his highest end and of the highest objectives of the society in which he will be an adult; to develop in a harmonious way all the aptitudes, the sense of effort and responsibility; to gain mastery of one's own freedom, oriented by recognized moral values ​​and by a faith that is not only learned, but also lived (cf. Gravissimum educationis , 1-2). May the young person progressively make his own all that is true, good and beautiful! May he correspond with his whole being to the plan of God that he carries within himself, as a man or as a woman, created in the image of God, then marked by the grace of Baptism.

Of course, one must be realistic. Such a formation comes up against many obstacles, against internal resistance, against external contrary influences. The educator must progressively help the young person to clarify his judgment and to strengthen his will, so that he makes choices based on truth, goodness, and self-giving. The task of the educator who accompanies him is difficult, but exhilarating. You know how much importance the Church attributes to it, and what respect it has for this noble vocation!

4. Catholic education is first and foremost the work of the family . Whoever brings a child into the world has the inalienable duty to lead him to maturity, as Pope Pius XI emphasized in his encyclical Divinis Illius Magistri (December 31, 1929). The parents are the first interested parties, and together with them all those who make up the family understood in the broadest sense, as it is usually conceived by you. To this end God has assigned them a natural authority: may they exercise it with firmness and love, giving themselves a good example! Everyone recognizes the capital role of the father, or, in the case of orphans, of whoever takes his place; and the primary role of the mother, whose affectionate presence is always a source of comfort.

Dear Christian parents, do you sufficiently appreciate the great gift of God, who makes you his co-workers, not only in transmitting life to your children, but also in raising them? It is a talent that he entrusts to you, so that you can make it fruitful. I would like you to reread in the Bible, in the fourth chapter of the book of Tobit, the admirable recommendations that the father, Tobit, so tested by life, gave to his son who was leaving for distant places in search of money and a bride: “Honor your mother . . . Every day, my son, remember the Lord; do not sin . . . Do good works . . . do not take the path of injustice . . . Never turn your face away from the poor . . . Do not do to anyone what you do not like . . . Ask the opinion of every wise person . . . In every circumstance, bless the Lord and ask that he be your guide in your ways . . . Do not be afraid if we have become poor. You will have great wealth if you have the fear of God” (cf. Tob 4:3-21). The Jew who spoke thus, exiled in a pagan country, had always accompanied his words with his example: he risked his life out of loyalty to his deceased compatriots whom he buried, he earned his living in a scrupulously honest way, he gave alms and prayed every day. He truly succeeded in educating his son. It is the book of the Bible that shows how God rewarded him.

It is precisely in this way, I have no doubt, that African families intend to fulfill their role. However, I know the difficulties you encounter. Children acquire knowledge at school that their parents do not know, and are perhaps less sensitive to their wisdom, less attentive to their advice. For many, dialogue becomes difficult. Although education is in itself a fundamental asset of civilization, sometimes young people derive from their education a critical spirit and inclined to doubt, open to multiple currents of ideas whose value they do not clearly discern. Because of their studies, they are often forced to move away from the family home. Once they have finished school, they are too often left without work, unemployed in urban areas, prey to all sorts of friendships and seductions.

Yes, dear parents, I understand that your responsibility is often difficult to exercise. And yet, I beg you, never abdicate it! Your children, even when they are grown up, need you more than ever. The bonds woven with you are of inestimable value for their education, because they are marked by your natural authority and by love. This affection of parents is based on the value of their conjugal love, as a true conception of marriage demands. When a home is disunited, even if the children continue to be dependents, they lack the joint love of the father and the mother. Children are born out of wedlock; young people should be aware of the serious responsibilities they assume! When, on the contrary, a home gives an example of a united conjugal life, in an atmosphere of faith and prayer, the children are happy and confident, open to dialogue. It is up to society to help you carry out your role; the Church supports you and prays for you; “The Christian Association of Families of Cameroon” is at your disposal, but no one can ever replace you.

5. However, you must also count on other educators . You have noticed, in reading the Bible, that Tobit wanted his son to have a good companion for his journey ( Job 5:9), a sure guide who would show him the way, protect him, heal him, advise him, under the gaze of God, and remain faithful until the end of his mission. This is what every educator should be. He renders an inestimable service, more important than all material goods: when Tobit offers him half of the money brought back, it is not enough to reward him (cf. Job 12:1-5).

It is up to you, therefore, to introduce your young people into circles wider than the family. Their educators may be priests, religious men and women, lay people, adults or experienced young people. Know to whom you entrust your children.

6. Beyond the family, the first educational environment is the school . The school's mission is not only to educate, to overcome the handicap of illiteracy, to help express oneself, to transmit scientific and technical knowledge, and through them, a trade, to teach how to read in the great book of nature and the works of man. It must educate, in cooperation with parents, according to the concepts that I mentioned earlier following the Council. The needs of teachers will be different and complementary to those of families. It is therefore understandable that they verify what has been received through checks and exams: in school life, it is a method that favors serious and lasting assimilation, much more than a simple means of assigning diplomas and titles.

For Christian children, it is of capital importance to be able to progress in their religious education at the same rate as in their secular education. We absolutely must find a way to do this. The missionary pioneers who founded the first schools in Cameroon understood this very well! Today, both in this province and throughout the country, you have a large number of Catholic primary schools and various secondary institutes: they make it possible to create a community in which living faith in Jesus Christ and prayer are almost naturally integrated with studies, in which the evangelical spirit inspires moral education and the atmosphere of school life. I strongly urge Catholic parents who are able to do so to support these schools beyond the subsidies normally granted; and I ask pastors and teachers to watch over their value, both on the human and spiritual levels.

I know that, especially in Douala, there are many other state schools or colleges, as well as private colleges. In all these cases it is important that parents, parish priests and teachers of good will cooperate in order to ensure that children and young people receive a good Christian education, in particular through donations. Catholics cannot neglect the education of their children in the faith.

7. However, many other communities , work environments, recreational organizations today contribute to influencing young people. Here too, educational action must be exercised. For a Christian, in particular, faith is not simple abstract knowledge, it is an experience of the Church. This experience begins in the heart of the Christian family, which is similar to a sanctuary of God in the home. It can continue in the Catholic school. But it lives above all in the parish, where young people must have a privileged place. They can reach their maturity as Christians thanks to catechists, or prayer groups, Catholic action movements, confraternities, various associations in which young people and together with educators learn to reflect and act as Christians, in that climate of friendship that is suitable for adolescents.

8. If the family and the various movements educate, it is nevertheless up to the young people who are maturing to take on the task of their own education (cf. John Paul II, Epistula Apostolica ad iuvenes, Internationali vertente Anno Iuventuti dicato , 13, 31 March 1985: Insegnamenti di Giovanni Paolo II , VIII/1 [1985] 787 ff.), to build their own personality starting from the heritage received, from the moral and spiritual values ​​discovered. All human contacts, all knowledge must serve this enrichment; and above all, work itself, which forms man, must do so. All work, since manual work must be respected as much as intellectual work.

9. However, if young people have the responsibility for their own self-education, it is also necessary that they find in society conditions and a climate that favor it. And here those responsible for the common good, those in the media, whatever their religion, religious communities, have their role to play in improving these conditions.

Do you adults attach great importance to moral and spiritual values, to honesty, to selfless service? Or on the contrary do you give priority to money, to profit, to selfish possession? Do you give yourselves to systematic criticism and to skepticism that makes you cynical?

Are you concerned with making your Christian communities lively and open? If they do not know how to welcome young people warmly, they will distance themselves to seek such an atmosphere elsewhere. And if their Christian formation is insufficient, they will not be able to discern the shortcomings of the doctrines that are proposed to them.

Is the drama of young people reduced to unemployment, tempted by any means, even dishonest, to survive, sufficiently taken into account? Does society try enough to remedy the uprooting of young people from their families, does it help them enough to find and accept job opportunities?

Tobi got the son he deserved, you will get the young people you deserve.

10. Dear brothers and sisters, I wanted to recall these needs that may seem heavy, however I invite you to trust. The work of Catholic education would be beyond our strength if we remained isolated. Yes, let us unite. And let us entrust to God the collaboration that He requires of us for our children, for His children: “If the Lord does not build the house, those who build it labor in vain.”

Let us look unceasingly to Christ . He is the Master who educated the apostles in faith, in perseverance amid so many trials, so many reticences, with tireless patience. He is the Savior who frees from evil and at the same time indicates the path to follow. But even more, he gives the Holy Spirit who acts as an interior master in the hearts of our children while we exhort them from the outside. He offers each of them his sacraments, in order to strengthen his alliance with them.

We will pray to him for them, for you, for all educators, just as he prayed for his apostles, so that he could say: “Not one of them was lost” (cf. Jn 17:12). He makes our prayer his own: “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them” ( Mt 18:20).

Let us unite all the efforts of the people of God in Cameroon for the success of the education of the young: may Christ unite them to his sacrifice redeeming the world! May he make of us an offering pleasing to God, and may this sacrifice bear fruit in the life of all! We live this Eucharist in union with the International Eucharistic Congress of Nairobi, in which I am about to participate, and which has as its theme: “The Eucharist and the Christian Family”.

The Virgin Mary participated in the education of the disciples around Jesus: “Do whatever he tells you” ( Jn 2:5). Having ascended to heaven, she guides and supports the hope of this people still on the journey (cf. “Praefatio”). As a Mother, better than any mother on earth, she watches over us, so that our hearts turn to God.

Amen!

Act of entrustment to the Madonna

Most Holy Virgin, during this last solemn Mass in Cameroon, on behalf of all my brothers and sisters of this country, I wish to entrust to you the future of this Church, the progress of this nation.

Today I resume the very significant journey of the first Catholic missionaries who arrived here ninety years ago; they immediately entrusted their mission to Mary's mountain: Marienberg.

You, who were chosen by God to welcome his Son and who thanked him incessantly for his wonders, grant that these Christian people of Cameroon may increasingly appreciate the gift of faith received and the presence of God who dwells among us.

You who were preserved from sin, who kept your heart transparent to God, pray for us poor sinners, always give us the desire to convert, to purify ourselves, to rediscover the grace of God, to live under his gaze.

You who sought the will of God as the servant of the Lord, make your children always available to serve the Lord and their brothers, especially the souls who have consecrated themselves to God: priests, men and women religious. Intercede for all and so that the Holy Spirit may enlighten and strengthen all apostolic workers.

O Mary, before these countless young people, the future of the country, we beseech you, watch over these children and these young people, support the courage of parents and educators, that they never become discouraged in their educational task and be for young people the star that shows them the path of God already written in their conscience, that guides them towards Christ, towards a mature faith that invites them to the complete gift of themselves.

Yes, Mary, we entrust to you the whole Church in Cameroon, as a much-loved mother.

We consecrate to you all the good will, all the living forces of this country that asks only to progress in goodness, in peace, in charity, in lived faith, towards the joy of living with God forever.

Amen.

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