Holy Mass in Abidjan, Ivory Coast (10 May 1980)

On Saturday, 10 May 1980, the Holy Father celebrated Mass in Abidjan (Ivory Coast). In his homily, the Pope spoke on the unity of the Church which originates from the unity of the Holy Trinity.   

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
let us give thanks to God, who has called us to form one single Church, in his Son Jesus Christ!

1. The prophet Ezekiel, already announced this great Mystery, thinking first of the Israelites of his time, scattered among the nations. But, "by means of the Church", the call was extended to the sons of all the nations, who were called pagans. And we have dared, as Saint Paul, the Apostle of the nations, says, “to approach God in all confidence”, “by the way of faith in Christ”, the same faith. Yes, “the one God and Father of all” brings us together, from all sources, with all the riches of our own history, in the family of the Church. He sprinkles us with pure water, “one baptism” and we are then “cleansed from all our filthiness”. He gives us “a new heart”, a heart sensitive to his love, “a heart of flesh”. He places his Spirit within us, “one Spirit”. He enables us “to walk according to his law, and practice their customs. And it is thus that throughout the universe the same Body of Christ is being built, with different members, who have each received their qualities, their share of grace, their functions in the Church.

This profound unity, through the multifaceted variety of peoples and races, is our joy and our strength. It is a gift from God, but we must also make our conscious and generous contribution to it, in order to realize, in maturity, the fullness of Christ.

I therefore invite you, dear Brothers and Sisters, to travel with me through the various concentric circles of this unity: at the level of Christ first, at the level of the universal Church and its Shepherd, at the level of the Church which is in Côte d'Ivoire and in your diocese, at the level of each of your parish communities, with the radiance that arises from it for the unity of the people around us.

2. Yes, our unity is not only nor primarily an external unity, like that of a social body with its organizational structures. It is a mystery, as the Second Vatican Council underlined from the beginning of the Constitution “ Lumen Gentium ” [ 1 ]. We form “a people which draws its unity from the unity of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit”.

The Holy Spirit "dwells in the Church and in the hearts of the faithful", "he introduces the Church into the whole truth" and "assures her of the unity of communion and service", "he equips her and directs it through the diversity of hierarchical and charismatic gifts”; by virtue of the Gospel, he rejuvenates the Church and constantly renews her, leading her to perfect union with her Spouse, Christ [ 2 ]. Thus the Holy Spirit unfolds in the Church "the unfathomable riches of Christ", and turns his aspiration towards Christ and towards his Father [ 3 ].

The Risen Christ , in fact, lives forever and ever, with his Father who made him Lord of the Universe and Head of the Church which is his Mystical Body [4 ] . Through the Holy Spirit, he communicates his life to those who give him their faith, being reborn of water and the Spirit [ 5 ], who are linked to him by prayer, by the sacraments, by a life in conformity to his love. He is the invisible Head of the Church, he is the one who sustains her [ 6 ], he is the good Shepherd who gathers the dispersed children of God and makes them a kingdom of priests for his Father [ 7 ].

You know this well, dear friends, but I remind you to urge you to turn yourselves unceasingly to Christ, to pray to him even better, in community, in family, and also personally, to reread his Word. A Church is only alive, is only strong when its members have an interior life, a spiritual life, that is to say a life linked to the Spirit of God, a life of prayer. This is the heart of the Church. It is there that the most intimate communion is formed, which is the source of all the others. Your life, your unity is first “hidden with Christ, in God” [ 8 ].

3. But this grace of Christ has come to you and is constantly given to you by the visible Church , which is the "Body" of Christ, the "sacrament" of Christ, the sign which makes communion visible and brings about. Unity is manifested around the one who, in each diocese, has been made Pastor, Bishop. And for the Church as a whole, it manifests itself around the Bishop of Rome, the Pope , who is "the perpetual and visible principle, and the foundation of the unity which binds them together, either the bishops or the multitude of the faithful” [ 9 ]. And now it's happening tonight, right before your eyes. What grace for all of us!

Each bishop of the Catholic Church is a successor of the Apostles. He is linked to the Apostles by an unbroken line of ordinations. I am the successor of the Apostle Peter, at the See of Rome. Now you have heard, in the Gospel, Peter's marvelous profession of faith: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God". And Jesus' answer: “On this Rock I will build my Church...I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven” [ 10 ]. And later, Christ added: “Strengthen your brothers” [ 11 ]; "Shepherd my lambs...shepherd my sheep" [ 12]. Such is also the faith of the Pope, which I solemnly professed when inaugurating my ministry in Rome; and such is also the mission with which the Lord has entrusted me, despite my unworthiness: to strengthen you in faith and in unity.

Any local Church, like the one you form here in Abidjan, must always remain in solidarity with the universal Church, and this, by the visible sign of communion with the Successor of Peter. For there is only one Church of Jesus Christ, which is like a great tree, on which you have been grafted, like the Christians of Rome, like the Christians of my country, of Poland. The branch cannot remain outside the tree, nor the shoot outside the vine. You live by participating in the great vital current which makes the whole tree live. But your graft will allow the Church to know a new blossoming, new fruits. And the Pope is delighted. He rejoices in the springtime of the Church which is in Côte d'Ivoire.

4. I now come to your diocesan communities , of Abidjan, or other dioceses. Here too your bishops know the need to intensify the unity that binds them together, for example at the level of pastoral collaboration for the whole country.

And in each diocese, which can be called the "particular Church", a great unity must be formed around the bishop who is its head in the manner of the Gospel, that is to say the pastor and the father. Unity of faith, of course; unity of prayer; unity of brotherly feelings; unity of pastoral efforts. And this in a wide variety of essential and complementary functions. You have heard Saint Paul speak of "apostles", "prophets", "missionaries of the Gospel", "pastors", "doctors", "saints" [ 13 ]: today, we could develop the list of ministries, services, charisms. May each Christian therefore know, in this Church, that he is responsible at his level, and that the Church will lack what he will not have been able to give.

5. My first thought goes to the priests heralds of the Gospel, dispensers of the mysteries of God, spiritual guides presiding over the unit, in their various roles: parish priests and vicars, teachers, chaplains... How happy I am to concelebrate with the young priests, who have recently received sacred powers through the laying on of hands! How I wish that many Ivorians hear the same call! The harvest is great! Oh, all of you, my Brothers, support priestly vocations, so that your Church no longer lacks priests, holy priests. It is on them that the Church of tomorrow will have to rely. But the missionaries who have come from afar still have a great role in this country, a role that is currently indispensable, for the highly appreciated service they render and as witnesses of the universal Church, they are fully part of your Church. All priests are called to form the same presbyterium around the bishop, in humility and fraternal support. There would also be room for the ministry of deacons alongside priests.

On the other hand, how fortunate also to benefit from the example and help of other consecrated souls, men and women religious , natives or missionaries, who arouse so much confidence in the people, because chastity, poverty and obedience make them peerless witnesses to the love of Christ and his Gospel, fully available to all.

That the catechists , well trained, continue their role of educator of the faith, and that the animators of the small neighborhood communities know that without them, an important relay would be missing. I am still thinking of the responsibility of fathers and mothers of families : isn't each Christian home like a "sanctuary of the Church at home" [ 14 ]? And allow me to emphasize here the particular role of mothers: the woman is the one who has the marvelous mission of giving life, of carrying nascent life, and, in Africa, she continues for a long time to carry her child with so much tenderness, and to nourish him with so much devotion! May she also not forget to open the hearts of her children to the tenderness of God, to the life of Christ: this is an initial education which can only be supplemented with difficulty. There are still many other services in the Christian community: health and social assistance services. And young people also have their part.

6. But how to maintain unity of prayer, unity of charity, pastoral unity among all? This is the privileged role of the parish , with its church and its team of pastors, in conjunction with religious and lay leaders. The parish must be welcoming to everyone: there are no real “strangers” in a Christian family! I am thinking in particular of migrant workers or experts from other countries who must receive and contribute their share of Christian life. One Body, One Spirit, as Saint Paul said.

7. Dear friends, the unity does not stop there yet. We also wish to promote it with all those who, without fully professing our Catholic faith or without keeping communion under the successor of Peter, have been baptized and bear the beautiful name of Christian: the Holy Spirit stirs up in all the disciples of Christ the desire and action which tend towards unity as Christ willed it, in truth and charity [ 15 ]. And the plan of salvation envelops with us also those who adore the one God or those who, without knowing him well in shadows and under images, seek God with a sincere heart [ 16 ] . Also, while witnessing to our own faith, we are animated towards all by feelings of esteem and fraternal dialogue.

8. Finally, the disciples of Christ, the Christian communities must be ferments of unity, artisans of fraternal rapprochement, for all the inhabitants of this country., African or non-African. Côte d'Ivoire and its capital are experiencing rapid social change, where urban concentration, family uprooting, the search for shelter and work, but also, for some, the unsuspected possibilities of technical success, rapid enrichment, with the temptations of personal profit and sometimes invested elsewhere, of exploitation of the man, of the little one, of the Ivorian or migrant worker, yes, all this risks, as alas in other so-called "advanced" countries, to put tests solidarity, justice, the hope of the humble, peace and also religious feeling. We must avoid at all costs, I say this out of love for you, out of love for this country and its leaders, that the chance offered today to Côte d'Ivoire and its development workers is missed, that the gap between rich and poor does not widen dangerously, as the gap between rich and poor countries widens, that civilization does not materialize. Under these conditions, concern for the poor, the marginalized, the sense of the common good of all and of equity must especially dwell in the hearts of Christians. Happy Christians, happy Christian communities, if other men of good will find in them an example of unity and a source of fraternity. The recent happy Christian communities, if other men of good will find in them an example of unity and a source of fraternity. The recent happy Christian communities, if other men of good will find in them an example of unity and a source of fraternity. The recent Council did not hesitate to say: “The Catholic unity of the people of God prefigures and promotes universal peace” [ 17 ].

Here, dear Brothers and Sisters, at all levels, from Rome to your village or your neighborhood, the dynamism of unity of our Church. As Vicar of Christ, I am happy to be among you to strengthen this hope. The project is splendid. The path will be long and difficult; it presupposes sacrifices: Jesus warned us in the Gospel. But his grace is at work among you, his Spirit is in you. And as the Virgin Mary lent herself marvelously to it, she who conceived Christ of the Holy Spirit and who is also Mother of the Church, we will ask her especially to dispose our hearts to it. Now, this Eucharist will make present the Sacrifice of Christ, which has broken down the barriers of separation [ 18 ], to unite all the children of God and give them access, together, to the God of love.

Lord, strengthen the unity of your Church.

Amen. Alleluia!

[ 1 ] Cfr. Lumen Gentium , 4.

[ 2 ] Cfr. ibid .

[ 3 ] Cfr. Apoc . 22, 17.

[ 4 ] Cfr. Phil . 2, 11; Collar . 1, 18.

[ 5 ] Cfr. Io . 3, 5.

[ 6 ] Cfr. Lumen Gentium , 8.

[ 7 ] Apoc . 1, 6.

[ 8 ] Cfr. Collar . 3, 3.

[ 9 ] Lumen Gentium , 23.

[ 10 ] Io . 16, 16-19.

[ 11 ] Luke . 22, 33.

[ 12 ] Io . 21, 15-17.

[ 13 ] Eph . 4, 11-12.

[ 14 ] Apostolicam Actuositatem , 11.

[ 15 ] Cfr. Lumen Gentium , 15.

[ 16 ] Cfr. ibid . 16.

[ 17 ] Ibid . 13.

[ 18 ] Cfr. Eph . 2, 14.

© Copyright 1980 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana

 Copyright © Dicastero per la Comunicazione - Libreria Editrice Vaticana