Republic of Malawi
November 14, 1992
On Saturday, 14 November, H.E. Mr Ronald N. L. Nkomba,
Ambassador of the Republic of Malawi, presented his credentials to the Holy
Father. The following is the text of the Pope's English discourse to the new
ambassador.
Mr Ambassador,
I am pleased to accept the Credential Letters by which
you have been appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the
Republic of Malawi to the Holy See. Please assure His Excellency the President,
Ngwazi Dr H. Kamuzu Banda, that I appreciate his warm greetings. I express the
hope that our shared desire for the strengthening of relations between the Holy
See and the Malawi government will be realized. At the same time I continue to
pray that almighty God will pour out in abundance the blessings of prosperity
and peace upon the people of your nation.
Our meeting today rekindles the memories of my Pastoral
Visit to Malawi in 1989. I came as a herald of the Prince of Peace, and I was
welcomed with warmth and affection. Today, with no less fervour than when I said
it three years ago, I declare myself to be "a friend of Malawi", one who
"believes in the ability of her people to face the problems that beset their
country and to overcome them with courage and hope" (cf. Speeches at Arrival and
Departure, Blantyre, 4 and 6 May 1989). Because of this love and respect for the
people of Malawi, I am particularly distressed that your nation, like many of
her neighbours, is currently facing a serious food shortage. The lack of what is
indispensable for the life and activity of the human person raises the spectre
of immense suffering. It means delay in the further progress and development of
your region. It is my ardent hope and appeal that the efforts of all parties in
the area and cooperation on the international level will bring about a timely
and adequate response to this threat.
The justice and the peace for which all peoples yearn can
only exist when there is harmony and mutual respect among all sectors of
society. Dialogue is the obligatory path to such concord. Dialogue "presupposes
the search for what is true, good and just for every person, for every group and
every society" (Message for the 1983 World Day of Peace, n. 6). As a shared
quest to identify the true foundation upon which to build an enduring social
order, its participants not only renounce violence of every kind but indeed
welcome each other's point of view in an objective light.
The Catholic pastors and faithful in Malawi are seeking
to encourage just such a dialogue on significant issues facing their beloved
nation, including the improvement of the educational system, the promotion of
better health care for everyone, and the encouragement of participation in
public life, all of which are needed in order to satisfy popular aspirations for
greater equality and unity. The members of the Catholic Church intend to
continue as trustworthy partners in this dialogue with believers of other faiths
and with all men and women of good will. And in order to make their own
indispensable contribution to their country, they are resolved to persevere in
works of service such as Your Excellency graciously acknowledged in your
remarks.
To the civic order, the Church offers the contribution of
her teaching and experience, in the awareness that society will flourish only to
the extent that it reflects the moral order established by God. Her expertise is
the truth which she has received from her Lord about man and his transcendent
destiny. It is for this reason that the Holy See speaks so insistently about
respect for human dignity and about the pressing need for all peoples to work
together ever more generously for authentic human development (cf. Encyclical
Letter Sollicitudo rei socialis, n. 41). For the achievement of this
goal, the Holy See holds up as the essential means the virtue of solidarity - "a
firm and persevering determination to commit oneself... to the good of all and
of each individual" (ibid., n. 38).
The Church's specific competence requires her to defend
the whole range of human rights, especially the right to life and to religious
liberty. And because of what she has learned about man, she can with full
confidence say that "it is entirely in accord with human nature that political
and juridical structures be devised which will increasingly and without
discrimination provide all citizens with the genuine opportunity of taking a
free and active share in establishing the juridical foundations of the political
community, in determining the form of government and the functions and purposes
of its various institutions, and in the election of the government" (Gaudium
et spes, n. 75).
The Catholic community wishes to cooperate closely with
civil authorities whenever they propose to achieve that "sum of conditions of
social life which enables individuals, families and associations to reach their
own perfection more completely and more readily" (ibid., n. 74). This is a
weighty challenge, one worthy of everyone's best efforts. Since the time of the
Apostles the Church has taught respect for "every human institution" (1 Pt
2:13), while likewise enjoining that prayers be offered for those who govern
(cf. 1 Tm 2:2), so that they may in justice and truth "direct the energies of
all citizens towards the common good" (ibid.).
I assure you, Mr Ambassador, that the Church will
continue to do all in her power to be of service to the people of Malawi. I
pledge the complete cooperation of the Holy See in the fulfilment of the mission
entrusted to you, and it is my hope that during your term as Malawi's
representative relations between your government and the Holy See will be marked
by ever increasing understanding. Upon Your Excellency and your fellow-citizens
I invoke abundant divine blessings.
Teachings of the
Magisterium on Abortion
