ADDRESS OF POPE JOHN PAUL II
TO H. E. MR LINNAEUS STEPHEN KAUTA MSISKA
NEW AMBASSADOR OF THE REPUBLIC OF MALAWI
TO THE HOLY SEE*

Monday, 4 June 1984

Mr Ambassador,

I am happy to welcome Your Excellency today as I receive from you the Letters accrediting you as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Malawi. I am grateful for the warm greetings which you have conveyed from His Excellency Ngwazi Dr H. Kamuzu Banda and I reciprocate his good wishes, assuring him at the same time of the high regard in which I hold the beloved people of your country.

I particularly appreciate your reference to the Church’s commitment to peace, freedom and justice for every man and woman. The Church seeks to pursue this commitment through various avenues, among which are the important channels of the diplomatic contacts of the Holy See with different countries. On this account, it is a great pleasure for me to reaffirm in this ceremony a spirit of collaboration in achieving the goals to which you have referred.

As you have noted, too often we find that the conditions for human advancement and the attitudes needed for fostering human potential are not universally present in our contemporary society. Despite an abundance of goods and resources in some parts of the world, many people do not even have the basic requirements necessary to survive. Each day finds a large proportion of the world’s population suffering from a shortage of food and medical assistance, from a lack of shelter, education and employment opportunities. This situation presents to governments, individuals and the Church alike the challenge of striving to rectify the unequal distribution of human resources and thereby re-establishing among all the children of God a proper sense of their human dignity.

Prompted by the kind words of your address, I wish to thank you for your observations regarding the Church’s efforts within your country in the various areas of service. These efforts are motivated by a firm belief that each person, in every continent, has been made in the image of God and redeemed by Jesus Christ. Because this faith is sure, I can promise you the unfailing interest and, to the extent that it is possible, the willing assistance of the Church in Malawi.

Mr Ambassador, I pray that your diplomatic mission will bring about a further strengthening of the friendship and cooperation that have characterized relations between your nation and the Holy See. I ask Almighty abundant success to all the endeavours which you undertake.

*AAS 76 (1984), p. 843-844.

Insegnamenti di Giovanni Paolo II, vol. VII, 1 pp. 1613-1614.

L'Attività della Santa Sede 1984 pp. 458-459.

L’Osservatore Romano 5.6.1984 p.6.

L'Osservatore Romano. Weekly Edition in English n.32 p.7.

© Copyright 1984 -  Libreria Editrice Vaticana