IT IS A PLEASURE for me to receive you today, and to accept the Letters whereby President Nyerere appoints you Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Republic of Tanzania. I am most appreciative of the courteous greetings and good wishes of His Excellency, and I would ask you to convey my own cordial greetings to him and likewise to the Government and all the people of your country.

I have noted with great interest your remarks on the Church’s contribution to the good of man. I am also grateful for your kind words about the Holy See’s commitment to the cause of peace and to the building of a better world for everyone. It is particularly gratifying to hear you speak about the "new hope" that this activity has generated among your people and throughout your continent.

For it is indeed under the sign of hope that the Holy See and the entire Church perform their activities at the service of humanity. It is a hope that resists discouragement, copes with obstacles, overcomes setbacks, and resolutely pursues the goal to be achieved. With the vigour and enthusiasm generated by hope, the Church constantly rededicates herself to the advancement of humanity, to the cause of human rights, and to the effective promotion of the dignity of men and women everywhere, under the fatherhood of God.

While respecting every upright conscience and entering into dialogue with all people of good will, the Church makes no secret of the fact that her inner strength and driving forces is "Christ Jesus our hope" (1 Tim. 1, 1),from whose teaching she derives the full measure of her esteem and love for man himself. And it is for the benefit of man, for every human being, that the Church commits herself to initiatives and programmes which – although they span generations and are brought to completion only with time – are diligently put into practice here and now for the good of each person of this generation. While proclaiming man’s transcendent destiny, the Church insists on the urgency of his temporal needs.

And so in this way the Church intends to continue perseveringly the quest for justice and peace. In working in the sphere that is proper to her, she endeavours to lend her support to the efforts that nations are making on behalf of the integral development of their people. In this regard, she is especially eager to see the preservation and fostering of the great spiritual values of the African community.

Your Excellency can thus count on the understanding and collaboration of the Holy See. My own prayer is for the tranquillity of your land and for the spiritual and material well-being of all the beloved citizens of Tanzania.

*AAS 71 (1979), p. 368-369.

Insegnamenti di Giovanni Paolo II, vol.II, 1 pp. 372-373.

L’Attività della Santa Sede 1979 pp. 120-121.

L'Osservatore Romano 11.2.1979 p.1.

L'Osservatore Romano. Weekly Edition in English n.9 p.4.

© Copyright 1979 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana