Tiziana Campisi – Envoy to Saurimo
Crowded on the streets, in the sun and in patches of shade. In groups or individually, standing or on hills. And joyful. They were waiting for the Pope.
Great joy erupts when they spot the white silhouette, first on a jeep, then on an open popemobile.
Poverty in a Diamond Mining Area
Saurimo, 945 kilometers from Luanda, at an altitude of 1081 meters above sea level, is a sun-drenched area with low-rise buildings and small trees that sometimes offer a moment of respite from the heat reaching 30 degrees.
Diamonds circulating worldwide are mined in this region, but the population lives in extreme poverty, also due to the plundering of lands that are no longer cultivated because of expanding mines.
Everyone on the Streets
On April 20, Saurimo joyfully welcomed Leo XIV, who arrived by plane from the Angolan capital at 9:16 AM. Cheering children and adults greeted him, waving white handkerchiefs and raising their hands.
Behind them, one can see poor houses, shacks, shops, and unpaved, dusty roads where signs reading “Engevia Polo diamantifero” can be spotted, as well as trucks passing by with soldiers holding Kalashnikovs.
Everyone smiles on this day unlike any other, though there are also those who, with their dark, piercing eyes, cast questioning glances at groups of foreigners and journalists accompanying the Pope, taking photos from buses.
At the “Lar” Care Home
The residents of Saurimo crowd as much as they can to see the Pope, held back by human chains of scouts who, holding hands, form a cordon.
The first stop of Leo’s visit to Lunda Sul province was a care home for the elderly. “Lar” – the word in the home’s name literally means a hearth, a friendly place of residence where a family is formed.
Leo XIV spends just under an hour there, greeting everyone present, listening to their testimonies, and participating in songs and dances. Then, leaving this peaceful home on the outskirts of the city, he begins his popemobile journey to the square prepared for Holy Mass, with a brief stop at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption for a moment of prayer and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
From the sidewalks, meanwhile, people can be seen running and walking towards the chosen place of celebration. Some remain outside, standing on walls or roofs, and participate in the liturgy from there. Others look on with curiosity, and street vendors calmly continue their activities.
Celebration of Holy Mass
As soon as the Pope arrived at the vast square, songs and applause erupted, growing even louder as the Pope’s vehicle moved among the gathered faithful sheltering under umbrellas. About forty thousand people celebrated and then focused on experiencing Holy Mass.
When the Pope finishes his homily, delivered in Portuguese, the prayer of the faithful is raised to God in the same language. Almighty God is invoked “that Christians may proclaim their faith in Jesus Christ by word, deed, and life,” for those who “suffer persecution and violence,” for those “who seek the Lord Jesus, that they may find Him in the Word and the living Bread and bear witness to Him through humility of heart,” and also for those who “hunger and thirst for justice,” that they may “find in public institutions those who will receive and nourish them as brothers.”
A Few Significant Hours
“Seja bem-vindo a Lunda-Sul” – “Welcome to Lunda-Sul” – this inscription appears on the white and yellow stage, in the colors of the Vatican City State, decorated with a red carpet, a statue of Our Lady, and a wooden altar; a large crucifix behind the Pope is also made of wood. He, who is presented as a messenger of “hope, reconciliation, and peace,” according to the motto of the journey, receives his personal “welcome” from the province of Lunda-Sul. A few hours that are enough to write a chapter of history on this land.
