Catholic Bishop in Angola Urges Seminarians to Brace up for Life’s Challenges, Work for a Just Society

“There is a need to work for social justice, to fight injustice, to work for a more just society, a society with good customs, a society with good habits, a society where human and Christian virtues can be seen very clearly among its citizens,” Bishop Jaca told the Seminarians.

He said the fight against these evils “must be a commitment not to agree with evil, not to settle for evil, not to be bothered by the mediocrity of life, but to live the radical nature of the Gospel.”

The Local Ordinary of Benguela Diocese, who also serves as the President of the Episcopal Commission for Culture and Social Communications of the Bishops' Conference of Angola and São Tomé and Príncipe (CEAST) cautioned the Seminarians against staying indifferent to injustices in the country, especially those meted against the poor.

 “be attentive to the social situation in our country, not to be indifferent to the social situation, especially in the exploitation of the poorest,” the Angolan member of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD) said

He said, “The Lord invites us, but he also makes us aware of the demands of this vocation. Availability, generosity, and detachment are indispensable.”

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“Anyone who thinks only of themselves, who thinks of accumulating for themselves, who is not willing to give themselves for their brothers and sisters, is certainly not prepared for Priestly life,” Bishop Jaca said.

He continued, “You need good disposition and this energy, to give yourself to the Lord, especially when it comes to problems.”

“Throughout our Priestly life, we will be confronted with situations that require us to live situations of detachment, of hardship, of poverty. We need to prepare ourselves inwardly. We are predisposed to this, we need to give up a lot, to be prepared to follow the Lord,” Bishop Jaca said. 

João Vissesse is an Angolan Journalist with a passion and rich experience in Catholic Church Communication and Media Apostolate.