While some focused on the couple of days the Pope will be in the Southern Africa country, others went beyond the two-day visit into the future. Living in Maputo, the youth hail from various countries.
“My expectation is that the Pope will bring a message of healing of the spiritual wounds that we have had throughout history,” Shanice Lowek, a Mozambican youth shared and added that the encounter with the Holy Father is expected to inspire young people to “know how to live our faith and put our faith in practice and that we may show others that we are Christians through our love.”
Zimbabwean Irene expects that the message of the Holy Father will “motivate and encourage the youth” to enable them realize that they “are the backbone of the Church and the Church is in our hands.” For Irene, Pope’s encounter with the youth in Mozambique will inspire them to “work together and be united and work towards making the Church grow.”
Irene’s compatriot, Vanessa expects the Holy Father to motivate the youth to engage more in Church and make the faith of young people stronger than it currently is.
Augustine, a Nigerian, is among the youth looking beyond the Holy Father’s two-day visit and that “after his (Pope Francis) coming, there will be a great change mostly in the youths because we are the future of the country and hope for the church.”
In Augustine’s view, “the change is about transformation of faith, having more youths since we are few now.” He is hoping that after the Pontiff’s visit, the youth will be actively involved in evangelization for “there will be an encouragement to go out in search of other souls for Christ.”
Oliveira, a Mozambican youth leader in Maputo hopes that as a result of Pope Francis’ visit around the theme of hope, peace and reconciliation, “the message of reconciliation will be strong in my country.”
Tanzanian-born Irene links her expectations to the theme of the Holy Father’s visit to her host country. “My expectation of the Pope’s visit is that (it) is going to bring us a word of hope, reconciliation for the youth, Church and country as well,” she told ACI Africa in Maputo.
Irene’s compatriot, Mathias, expects the visit to the impact of renewal. “I expect the Pope’s visit to renew my faith and become a good youth who is going to visit in Church activities so that I can be a good Christian and Catholic,” she said.
“My expectation from the Pope’s visit is that I can continue praying hard and continue worshipping in the Catholic Church,” a youth who identified as a Zambian living in Mozambique told ACI Africa.
