SAURIMO (OSV News): “We can see today how the hope of many people is frustrated by violence, exploited by the overbearing and defrauded by the rich,” Pope Leo XIV said in his homily during Mass in Saurimo, the heart of Angola’s diamond country some 804 kilometres east of the capital of Luanda on April 20.
“Consequently, when injustice corrupts hearts, the bread of all becomes the possession of a few,” Pope Leo added.
On the eighth day of his journey to Africa, Pope Leo’s urged some 60,000 faithful gathered at the Mass near the Catoca diamond mine—the country’s largest—to trust that “Christ hears the cry of the people” in the face of evil.
Amid exploitation linked to Angola’s diamond industry, the pope delivered a homily in Portuguese addressing the region’s history of resource extraction and inequality.
“In the face of these evils, Christ hears the cry of the people and renews our history by lifting us up from every fall, comforting us in every suffering and encouraging us in our mission,” the pope said.
We can see today how the hope of many people is frustrated by violence, exploited by the overbearing and defrauded by the rich
Pope Leo XIV
The pope told the crowd that in Christ, “the proclamation of our resurrection finds its voice.”
The pope said, “Just as the Eucharist is the living bread that he never ceases to give us, so too his history knows no end. For this reason, the Risen One opens up our lives through the power of his Spirit and removes the end of our history, that is death.”
He added, “We did not come into the world to die. We were not born to become slaves either to the corruption of the flesh or that of the soul: Every form of oppression, violence, exploitation and dishonesty negates the resurrection of Christ, the supreme gift of our freedom.”
The pope warned against replacing genuine faith with “superstitious practices, in which God becomes an idol that is sought only when it is advantageous to us and only for as long as it is” and “even the most beautiful gifts of the Lord, which are always for the care of his people, become a pretext, a prize or a bargaining chip, and are misinterpreted by those who receive them.”
Pope Leo said that there are “erroneous motives for seeking Christ, particularly when he is considered to be a guru or a good luck charm,” but quickly added that the Lord “does not reject this insincere search, but encourages its conversion.”
The pope proclaimed, “Christ calls us to freedom.”
We did not come into the world to die. We were not born to become slaves either to the corruption of the flesh or that of the soul: Every form of oppression, violence, exploitation and dishonesty negates the resurrection of Christ, the supreme gift of our freedom
Pope Leo
Before the Mass, Pope Leo visited a nursing home housing 74 elderly residents aged 60 to 93. Many arrive in poor health, brought by police after relatives abandon them, often accusing them of witchcraft.
Staff at the home noted that such accusations are increasingly used as an excuse to avoid caring for ageing relatives. One caregiver told Vatican News she saw the pope’s visit as “an immense lesson” for a society that must rediscover the value of its elders.
“The care of the weakest is a very important sign of the quality of the social life of a nation,” Pope Leo told staff and residents.
He went on to exhort them: “Let us not forget that the elderly are not only in need of assistance, but first and foremost need to be listened to, because they preserve the wisdom of a people.”
The previous day, on April 19, Pope Leo led around 30,000 people in praying the rosary at the Sanctuary of Mama Muxima [Mother of the Heart], southern Africa’s most visited Catholic shrine, describing the pilgrimage site as a place where “the heart of the Church” is “alive and beating.” He visited the shrine on the Kwanza River after celebrating morning Mass for about 100,000 faithful in Kilamba, near Luanda.
The care of the weakest is a very important sign of the quality of the social life of a nation
Pope Leo
“We are in a sanctuary where, for centuries, many men and women have prayed in times of joy and also in moments of sorrow and great suffering in the history of this country,” the pope said, speaking in Portuguese. “For a long time now, Mama Muxima has quietly worked to keep the heart of the Church alive and beating.”
The church, formally dedicated to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, was founded in 1599 during Portuguese colonial rule. Over a million pilgrims visit the shrine during its main pilgrimage each year, from August 31 to September 1.
Pope Leo reflected on how, over centuries, the faithful renamed the shrine “Mama Muxima,” calling it “a beautiful title, which makes us reflect on the heart of Mary: a pure and wise heart, capable of treasuring and pondering the extraordinary events in the life of the Son of God.”
The pope also spoke one line in Kimbundu, quoting a hymn sung by the crowd: “Mama Muxima, tueza kokué, Mama Muxima, tutambululé,” meaning “Mother of the Heart, we come to you to offer you everything.”
