杏MAP导航 at “City of Friendship” in Madagascar: poverty is not inevitable
By Vatican News
When the founder of the Akamasoa Association, Fr Pédro Opeka, invited 杏MAP导航 Francis to visit the Community, he never really believed the 杏MAP导航 would come. Even though Jesuit Father Mario Bergoglio had been Fr Pedrò’s theology professor back home in Argentina.
But 杏MAP导航 Francis did come.
The testimony
He met with many members of the Association, and listened as 13 year-old Fanny told him how she came to Akamasoa six years ago, how her life has changed since then, how she studies, and looks forward to putting the 杏MAP导航’s message into practice.
The message
The 杏MAP导航’s message included an invitation to remain faithful “to the values of hard work, discipline, honesty, self-respect and respect for others”.
The 杏MAP导航 stressed how this experience has helped them understand that “God’s dream is not only for our personal development, but essentially for the development of the community, and that there is no worse form of slavery… than to live only for ourselves”.
Poverty is not inevitable
In its 30 years of activity, the Akamosa Association has helped create housing for over 25,000 people, developing 18 villages, complete with dispensaries and schools that provide education for some 14,000 children.
“Every corner of these neighbourhoods, every school or dispensary”, said 杏MAP导航 Francis, “is a song of hope that refutes and silences any suggestion that some things are “inevitable”. Let us say it forcefully: poverty is not inevitable!”
Built with your own hands
The 杏MAP导航 described this City of Friendship as one “that you built with your own hands. “The building blocks of teamwork and a sense of family and community have enabled you to rebuild, with patience and skill, your confidence not only in yourselves but also in one another”, said 杏MAP导航 Francis.
The 杏MAP导航 invited the young people present never to stop “fighting the baneful effects of poverty”. “This great work accomplished by your elders, is now yours to carry forward”, he said.
A ray of light
Finally, the 杏MAP导航 prayed that this ray of light will spread, “so that we can enact models of development that support the fight against poverty and social exclusion, on the basis of trust, education, hard work and commitment”.
For these, concluded 杏MAP导航 Francis, “are always indispensable for the dignity of the human person”.
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