In land of diamonds, Pope Leo denounces exploitation

After visiting a shelter for disadvantaged elderly people, Pope Leo XIV met with 40,000 people for Mass on a large esplanade. In his homily, the Pontiff spoke out against the injustice that "corrupts hearts." He lamented the fact that "the bread of all becomes the possession of a few."

He defended the people, noting how "the hope of many people is frustrated by violence, exploited by the overbearing and defrauded by the rich." He highlighted this reality without explicitly naming the mining industry in the Lundas region, which has been at the center of scandals involving extortion, abuse, and embezzlement by elites in recent decades.

Pope Leo XIV argued that Christ, on the other hand, "calls us to freedom."

"We did not come into the world to die," he noted. He urged the crowd not to become "slaves either to the corruption of the flesh or that of the soul," and to reject "every form of oppression, violence, exploitation and dishonesty."

The head of the Catholic Church also warned the faithful that there are "erroneous motives for seeking Christ." He called on them to ask themselves whether they seek God "out of gratitude or for our own self-interest, with calculation or with love." Authentic faith is not a series of "superstitious practices, in which God becomes an idol that is sought only when it is advantageous to us and only for as long as it is," he explained.

When it comes to religious practice, the 267th pope urged the crowd not to reduce the Lord's gifts to "a pretext, a prize, or a bargaining chip." Jesus is not "a guru or a good luck charm," nor is he "a provider of services," he emphasized, adding that the Lord "does not want servants or clients."

The Pope urged the faithful not only to "hear Jesus speak" but to "imitate him." In this regard, he added, Catholics are called to serve their people "with a dedication that lifts up all who have fallen” and “rebuilds whenever violence destroys" their communities.

Concluding the liturgy, the Successor of Peter urged Angola — one of the first African countries to be evangelized — to "remain faithful to your Christian roots." By doing so, he explained, the nation can continue contributing "to the building up of justice and peace in Africa and throughout the world."

Following this event, the Pope returned to Luanda, where he met with representatives of the country's priests and religious at the parish of Our Lady of Fatima. That was the final official appointment and his last night in the country. Pope Leo XIV left for Equatorial Guinea on Tuesday morning.