Pope brings jubilee message to Central Africa

ROME, ITALY— Pope Francis chose to begin the Jubilee of Mercy not among the gleaming marble columns of St. Peter’s Basilica, but on the dusty streets of an African war zone. In Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic (CAR), Francis pushed open the holy door of the city’s cathedral several days before he opened the holy door of St. Peter’s Basilica on Dec. 8.

For years, the Central African Republic has been torn apart by fighting between Christian and Muslim militia groups. Tens of thousands have been displaced as a result of the sectarian violence. But while the conflict is ostensibly taking place along religious lines, the root cause has more to do with a battle over the country’s valuable natural resources.

The pope’s visit to CAR was the highlight of his November trip to Africa. Francis was so determined to go that he told the pilot of his Alitalia airplane: “I want to go to CAR. If you can’t manage it, give me a parachute.” In the end, the pope’s security was ensured through a secret non-aggression pact between Christians and Muslims. It was brokered by Vatican security personnel and the Community of Sant’Egidio, a Romebased Catholic peace and reconciliation movement with deep ties across the continent.

After opening the holy door in Bangui, Francis said Mass, and during his homily called on the country’s citizens to forgive their enemies and lay down their weapons. Francis clearly wants mercy to be something concrete: a balm to heal the world’s wounds.

One of those moved by the pope’s pleas was Stanislas Redepouzou, 28, who lost his right leg in a grenade blast in Bangui on Christmas Day 2013. His mother and father were killed in the explosion. In a country where prosthetic limbs are hard to come by, Redepouzou is confined to a wheelchair. After Francis stopped his popemobile to greet and bless him, Stanislas told me: “I am ready to forgive those who harmed me.”

The pope is taking the idea of a jubilee year — which has roots in ancient Jewish tradition as a time when debts were forgiven and slaves set free — and updating it. He wants men and women to experience the mercy of God while at the same time applying it to local situations, particularly those caught up in conflict.

Like previous popes, Francis has decentralized mercy to local churches. Cathedrals across the world have installed holy doors, and local bishops have the power to bestow the papal blessing.

Putting mercy, reconciliation and justice into action was a key theme of his Africa visit, which before Central African Republic included Kenya and Uganda, which have their own problems, including corruption, poverty and poor governance. In Nairobi, Francis visited one of the many slums where the majority of people live. As archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Francis spent many of his weekends in the barrios of that city, and he believes that while slums are places of terrible poverty they also demonstrate a wisdom from which the rest of the world can learn.

The people of such places live the values of solidarity and mutual support, even if they “are not quoted in the stock exchange,” the pope explained while in the Kangemi slum in Nairobi. They have been forgotten by an “opulent society, anaesthetized by unbridled consumption,” he said. Francis highlighted the plight of the world’s excluded a day afterhe visited Nairobi’s U.N. office to appeal to world leaders in Paris to come to an agreement to tackle climate change (a historic deal was reached on Dec. 11).

The pope is always careful to link care for the natural world with protecting the marginalized and excluded. This can be seen clearly in Africa, a continent whose natural resources have for so long been plundered by elites who pay little attention to the needs of ordinary people. For Francis to call on world leaders to tackle climate change while he was visiting Africa was in itself significant. It was from the periphery that he chose to deliver his message of justice to the powerful.

Francis got a chance to speak to the power players of central Africa when he visited Uganda. The president of the country, Yoweri Museveni, invited the neighboring president of South Sudan, Salvator Kiir, to the welcoming ceremony for the pope at State House in Entebbe, the Ugandan capital. South Sudan, a country that is not yet five years old, is suffering from internal conflict, and the pope held a 15-min. unscheduled meeting with Kiir to help further the cause of peace.

Following that meeting, journalists glimpsed Kiir leaving Entebbe airport. Flanked by an entourage numbering close to 40, he walked onto a specially chartered Kenyan Airways plane after being given a military salute by the Ugandans — a stark contrast to Francis’ arrivals and departures. Throughout the pope’s time in Africa, he was often greeted with dancing, singing and enthusiasm. Security was notably more relaxed than was the case during his U.S. trip in September.

During his customary in-flight press conference on the trip back to Rome, the pope steered clear of the question of condoms in combatting HIV, although he was asked about whether the church should shift its stance. Francis said that the question in itself was too narrow and that the more important issues are saving those dying through malnourishment or lack of water. To illustrate his point, he referred to the gospel story of Jesus being asked whether it was possible to heal on the Sabbath. That question was designed to trap Christ (perhaps the pope felt the same way about the question he had been asked).

“I would say not to think about whether it’s lawful or not to heal on the Sabbath,” Francis said. “I would say to humanity: ‘make justice,’ and when all are cured, when there is no more injustice, we can talk about the Sabbath.’”

Time and again, Francis has shown a keen ability to navigate difficult questions posed by journalists. Sometimes that means not answering them directly. While Francis emphasizes mercy, he is no pushover. Take, for example, his determination to reform Vatican finances, which he is pushing to be more transparent and focused on serving the church’s needy.

To this end, Pricewaterhouse-Coopers, one of the world’s leading accounting firms, has been commissioned to audit the Holy See’s financial statements. This is the first time an outside firm has done the job. They will be required to look at every aspect of the Vatican’s financial activity and sign off on a consolidated book of accounts. To the surprise of many observers, the firm’s work will include valuations of all assets — including St. Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel. As this Jubilee of Mercy unfolds, you can bet that won’t be the only surprise.

Lamb is the Vatican correspondent for the Tablet of London. He will appear monthly in the Catholic New World.