Discurso al primer Embajador de GUINEA,
Excmo. Sr. Don James Jean DELACROIX CAMARA*

18 de enero de 1990

Mr. Ambassador,

It is with joy that I welcome you to the Vatican on the occasion of the presentation of the Letters that accredit you as the first Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Guinea to the Holy See. I am touched by the friendly message which you convey from His Excellency General Lansana Conté, President of the Republic of Guinea. In return I would ask you kindly to express to him my humble best wishes and to assure him of my prayers for him and for the well-being of the whole people of Guinea.

The fact that you are a diplomat accredited to the Apostolic See witnesses to the concern your country has for respecting in international relations the importance of spiritual and religious values: this gives me great satisfaction and I have no doubt that your mission, officially inaugurated today, will help to promote further the good relationship that exists between Guinea and the Holy See.

I thank you for the very kind remarks you made with regard to the Catholic Church and her institutions, for her role in your country's development. I can assure you, Mr Ambassador, that it is the continuing desire of both pastors and faithful to make their contribution to that long‑range work which is the building of a prosperous nation where each citizen can lead a life in accordance with his or her dignity as a human being. Moved by the dynamism of their Christian faith and love for their country, they will continue, to the best of their ability, to give themselves unsparingly in the fields of education, health care and social work, in cooperation with their compatriots of other religious traditions. Please allow me, Mr. Ambassador, to send a cordial greeting through you to all the Catholics of Guinea.

Your country has made courageous and promising efforts towards attaining a better quality of life. It is my sincere hope that these efforts be crowned with success. May the Republic of Guinea, in cooperation with the nations of the region, become on the African continent a country of harmonious and innovative economic progress, thanks to the use of its resources and the creativity of its citizens! Together with the whole of Africa, may it succeed in encouraging a still more spiritual vision of life within the international community, a life in which the bonds of creatures and of nature itself with the Creator are better recognized.

As your mission begins, allow me, Mr. Ambassador, to offer you best wishes for the happy accomplishment of your task. Be assured that you will find here the understanding reception that you will need.

I am happy to invoke the abundance of divine blessings upon Your Excellency, the President of the Republic, the Government and the People of Guinea.

*L'Osservatore Romano. Weekly Edition in English n.7 p.4.

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