VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXV - # 213
DATE 29-11-2015

Summary:
- Encounter with young Ugandans: the blood of martyrs flows in your veins
- In the Nalukolongo House of Charity: do not close your doors to the cry of
the
poor
- The Pope meets the clergy of Uganda: maintain memory and continue to be
witness
- The Pope arrives in the Central African Republic as a pilgrim of peace and an
apostle of hope

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 Encounter with young Ugandans: the blood of martyrs flows in your veins
 Vatican City, 29 November 2015 (VIS) - Yesterday afternoon the Pope met with
the young people of Uganda at the Kololo airstrip, a former airport near
Kampala
which is currently used for major events, and which is able to hold around a
hundred thousand people. The young people had followed the Mass celebrated by
Pope Francis a few hours previously at the Catholic Namugongo shrine via the
maxi screens installed in the area. The civil authorities responsible for
education and sport were also present in Kololo along with, in a special area,
200 young deaf people, refugees, and chaplains for youth pastoral ministry. On
the stage there were another fifty young people, a couple from each diocese in
the country and a group of orphans.
 The Pope set aside his prepared discourse, which we reproduce below,
preferring
instead to converse informally with those present after listening to the
testimony of two young people, Emmanuel Odokonyero and Winnie Nansumba, who
told
of their difficult experiences, from sickness and depression to recruitment and
witnessing the torture and murder of their friends.
 "As I listened to Winnie and Emmanuel's testimonies, I asked myself a
question:
can a negative experience have a purpose in life? Yes! ... Many of us here
today
have had negative experiences. There is always the possibility of opening up a
horizon, of opening it up with the strength of Jesus. ... Because Jesus is the
Lord. Jesus can do anything. And Jesus suffered the most negative experience in
history: He was insulted, denied and murdered. And Jesus, through the power of
God, rose again. He can do the same for each one of us, with every negative
experience. This is why Jesus is the Lord.
 "I imagine, and together we can all imagine Emmanuel's suffering, when he saw
his companions tortured, when he saw his companions murdered. But Emmanuel was
brave. ... He risked everything, he had faith in Jesus and he escaped. And here
 he
is today, fourteen years later, qualified in management. There is always a way!
Our life is like a seed, that must die in order to live again; and at times
this
means dying physically, like Emmanuel's companions. To die as Charles Lwanga
and
the martyrs of Uganda died. But through this death there is a life, there is
life for all. If I transform a negative into a positive, I am triumphant. But
this can be done only with the grace of Jesus. ... Are you willing to transform
 in
life all those negative things into positive things? Are you willing to
transform war into peace? Be conscious that you are a people of martyrs. The
blood of the martyrs flows in your veins! This is why you have your faith and
life. And this faith and life is so beautiful, that it is called the 'pearl of
Africa'".
 "If you believe that Jesus can change your life, ask Him for His help. This is
prayer. ... Pray to Jesus, because He is the Saviour. Never cease praying.
Prayer
is the most powerful weapon a young person has. Jesus loves you. ... So, open
the
door to your heart and let Him enter. Let Jesus enter into your life. And when
Jesus enters your life, He will help you fight, to fight against all problems.
...
To fight against depression, to fight against AIDS. Ask for help to overcome
these situations, and always to fight. Fight with desire and with prayer".
 "The third thing I would like to say ... We are all in the Church, we all
belong
to the Church. ... And the Church has a mother. Mary! ... Pray to Mary! ...
When a
child falls and hurts himself, he cries and looks for his mother. When we have
a
problem, the best thing we can do is to go to where our Mother is. To pray to
Mary, to pray to our Mother".
 "Three things", he concluded: "The first: overcome difficulties. The second:
transform the negative into positive. And the third: prayer. Pray to Jesus, Who
is capable of everything. Jesus, Who enters into our heart and changes our
life.
Jesus, Who came to save me and who gave His life for me. Let us pray to Jesus,
because He is the only Lord. And since in the Church we are not orphans, we
have
a Mother, let us pray to our Mother".
 The following is the Holy Father's prepared discourse:
 "Dear Young Friends,
 I am happy to be here and to share these moments with you. I greet my brother
bishops and the civil authorities present, and I thank Bishop Paul Ssemogerere
for his words of welcome. The testimonies of Winnie and Emmanuel confirm my
impression that the Church in Uganda is alive with young people who want a
better future. Today, if you will allow me, I want to confirm you in your
faith,
encourage you in your love, and in a special way, strengthen you in your hope.
 Christian hope is not simply optimism; it is much more. It is rooted in the
new
life we have received in Jesus Christ. St. Paul tells us that hope will not
disappoint us, because God's love was poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit
at our baptism. This hope enables us to trust in Christ's promises, to trust in
the power of His love, His forgiveness, His friendship. That love opens the
door
to new life. Whenever you experience a problem, a setback, a failure, you must
anchor your heart in that love, for it has the power to turn death into life
and
to banish every evil.
 So this afternoon I would invite you, first of all, to pray for this gift to
grow within you, and for the grace to become messengers of hope. There are so
many people around us who experience deep anxiety and even despair. Jesus lifts
these clouds, if we allow Him to.
 I would also like to share with you a few thoughts about some of the obstacles
which you may encounter on our journey of hope. All of you want a better
future,
employment, health and prosperity. This is good. You want to share your gifts,
your aspirations and your enthusiasm with others, for the good of the nation
and
of the Church. This too is very good. But when you see poverty, when you
experience lack of opportunity, when you experience failure in your lives,
sometimes a feeling of despair can grow. You can be tempted to lose hope.
 Have you ever seen a little child who stops in front of a dirty puddle on the
path ahead of him? A puddle he cannot leap over or go around? He may try but
then he stumbles and gets soaked. Then, after many attempts, he calls out to
his
father, who takes his hand and swings him over to the other side. We are like
that child. Life presents us with many dirty puddles. But we don't have to
overcome all those problems and hurdles on our own. God is there to take our
hand, if only we call on him.
 What I am saying is that all of us have to be like that little child, even the
Pope! For it is only when we are small and humble that we are not afraid to
call
out to our Father. If you have experienced his help, you know what I am
speaking
about. We need to learn to put our hope in him, knowing that he is always there
for us. He gives us confidence and courage. But - and this is important - it
would be wrong not to share this beautiful experience with others. It would be
wrong for us not to become messengers of hope for others.
 There is one particular puddle which can be frightening to young people who
want to grow in their friendship with Christ. It is the fear of failing in our
commitment to love, and above all, failing in that great and lofty ideal which
is Christian marriage. You may be afraid of failing to be a good wife and
mother, failing to be a good husband and father. If you are looking at that
puddle, you may even see your weaknesses and fears reflected back to you.
Please, don't give in to them! Sometimes these fears come from the devil who
does not want you to be happy. No! Call out to God, extend your hearts to him
and he will lift you in his arms and show you how to love. I ask young couples
in particular to trust that God wants to bless their love and their lives with
his grace in the sacrament of marriage. God's gift of love is at the heart of
Christian marriage, not the costly parties which often obscure the deep
spiritual meaning of this day of joyful celebration with family and friends.
 Finally, one puddle that we all have to face is the fear of being different,
of
going against the grain in a society which puts increasing pressure on us to
embrace models of gratification and consumption alien to the deepest values of
African culture. Think about it! What would the Uganda martyrs say about the
misuse of our modern means of communication, where young people are exposed to
images and distorted views of sexuality that degrade human dignity, leading to
sadness and emptiness? What would be the Uganda martyrs' reaction to the growth
of greed and corruption in our midst? Surely they would appeal to you to be
model Christians, confident that your love of Christ, your fidelity to the
Gospel, and your wise use of your God-given gifts can only enrich, purify and
elevate the life of this country. They continue to show you the way. Do not be
afraid to let the light of your faith shine in your families, your schools and
your places of work. Do not be afraid to enter into dialogue humbly with others
who may see things differently.
 Dear young friends, when I look at your faces I am filled with hope: hope for
you, hope for your country, and hope for the Church. I ask you to pray that the
hope which you have received from the Holy Spirit will continue to inspire your
efforts to grow in wisdom, generosity and goodness. Don't forget to be
messengers of that hope! And don't forget that God will help you to cross
whatever puddles you meet along the way!
 Hope in Christ and he will enable you to find true happiness. And if you find
it hard to pray, if you find it hard to hope, do not be afraid to turn to Mary,
for she is our Mother, the Mother of Hope. Finally, please, do not forget to
pray for me! God bless you all!".

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 In the Nalukolongo House of Charity: do not close your doors to the cry of the
poor
 Vatican City, 29 November 2015 (VIS) - Yesterday, following his encounter with
the young people of Uganda, the Pope transferred to the Nalukolongo House of
Charity, founded in 1978 by Cardinal Emmanuel Kikwanuka Nsubunga (1914-1990)
and
entrusted to the Good Samaritan Sisters, the congregation he founded, which
currently cares for around one hundred poor people of any religion or age, from
infancy to extreme old age.

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