The religious says the anticipation generated explains "the massive participation in all the moments in which the Pope was present, from the reception on Tuesday afternoon, January 31, at the airport and in the city, to the Eucharist the following day, in which estimates speak of about 2 million participants. And then the meeting with young people, who filled the country's largest stadium."
"The Pope's meeting with the consecrated," the missionary continued, "was a joint meeting with the country's priests and seminarians. The Pope encouraged us to go forward with boldness, knowing that the situation in the country is a real challenge. To endure faithfully, he recommended a solid spiritual life and our willingness not to be complacent, but to be at the side of the poorest and to nurture their hope by looking to Jesus Christ." There were thousands of participants on that occasion as well, including bishops, priests, deacons, seminarians, and consecrated men and women. "It is truly a message that deserves to be reread and meditated upon to give life to its proposals for a radically missionary life."
With reference to the current situation in DR Congo, he explained that "we all know that the country has been going through very turbulent times for some time. The Cardinal (Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, Archbishop of Kinshasa, Ed.) kept repeating this to the Pope at the end of Wednesday's Mass. He talked about armed conflicts, economic instability, social tensions, and the reality is that poverty is increasing, both in rural and urban areas. The purchasing power of families is plummeting, and the problem of banditry has become worrisome in many places. In any case, we live in hope that all these painful situations can give way to a more just and inclusive society."
On the possibility of changing society, as a good Son of Don Bosco, Fr. Jiménez appeals to education, stating that "if the new generations of Congolese manage, through well-planned educational processes, to get out of the trend of corruption and racketeering, we can hope for a different Congo. It will be they, the young people, who will break away from the behaviors that are leading our society to destruction, turn the tide, and ensure that values such as fraternity, honesty, and solidarity will once again prevail in our world."
Finally, the ACC Superior stresses the importance of faith in daily life and in his congregation, "Faith is the starting point of everything we live and do. The reason for our mission is the response of faith to God's invitation to collaborate with him. This is the mission. Our Salesian Congregation is evolving with great serenity and optimism, especially in areas like ours, where I live now, because here, thank God, there is very encouraging vocational growth. Every year several young Congolese knock on our doors to commit their energies to this cause, and our communities have several young confreres."
