Your Grace, Your Excellency, Rev. Fathers, Rev. Sisters,
Dear Brothers and Siters,

At the very beginning of this Opening Plenary Session, I wish to convey to each
one of you the warm greetings, prayerful good wishes, and paternal blessing of
His Holiness Pope Leo XIV. The Holy Father assures you of his closeness, his
esteem for your pastoral service, and his prayers for the Church in Namibia as
you gather to discern together the paths the Lord is opening before you.
Together with Mons. Gicaomo, we extend our heartfelt congratulations to His
Grace, the Most Reverend Archbishop Liborius Ndumbukuti Nashenda,
Archbishop of Windhoek, on his election as President of the Inter-Regional
Meeting of Bishops of Southern Africa (IMBISA). This appointment is a
testament to your outstanding leadership, deep faith, and unwavering
commitment to the mission of the Church in Southern Africa. We pray for
wisdom and strength as you take on this important role in guiding the region’s
bishops and supporting the faithful. May your service continue to be a source of
unity, inspiration, and hope.
I am deeply grateful to God that we are able to meet once again. This is now the
second time that I have the joy of participating in your Conference, and indeed
my second Conference with you since my appointment. One year has passed —
a period which, from one perspective, may seem brief, yet from another has
been rich, intense, and deeply significant.
The year behind us was truly a special one for the life of the Church and for the
world. It was the year in which we bade farewell to Pope Francis, giving thanks
for his prophetic witness and his tireless call to mercy, fraternity, and care for
the poor. And it was also the year in which, by the mysterious and loving design
of Divine Providence, the Church received a new Successor of Peter in Pope
Leo XIV.
At the same time, 2025 was a Jubilee Year — a Year of Hope — which the Holy
Father has recently brought to a close. Yet, as Pope Leo himself reminds us, the
Jubilee does not end with the closing of a door. Our pilgrimage continues. We
remain a pilgrim people, journeying forward in hope, sustained by faith, and
guided by the light of Christ.
In his Message for the World Day of Peace on the first day of this year, Pope
Leo XIV chose as his opening words the greeting of the Risen Lord: “Peace be
with you.” This is not merely a polite wish or an ancient formula. It is a word

that creates what it proclaims. It is the peace of the Risen Christ — a peace that
is unarmed and disarming, humble yet powerful, gentle yet persevering.
Dear Brothers, this message has particular resonance for us as pastors of God’s
people. In a world increasingly marked by conflict, fear, polarization, and a
subtle fatigue of hope, the Church is called to be a living sign that peace is
possible, that goodness is stronger than violence, and that light has not been
overcome by darkness.
The Pope reminds us that peace is not only a goal to be reached someday; it is a
presence to be welcomed and a journey to be lived. Even when peace seems
fragile — like a small flame threatened by strong winds — it must be protected,
nurtured, and passed on. This is especially true in our ministry as bishops, for
we are called not only to speak about peace, but to carry it within ourselves and
to radiate it to others.
Saint Augustine wisely observed that if we wish to draw others to peace, we
must first possess it ourselves. Our people look to us not only for guidance, but
for hope; not only for teaching, but for reassurance that God has not abandoned
his world. When fear and discouragement spread easily, the calm, prayerful, and
steadfast presence of a shepherd becomes a powerful proclamation of the
Gospel.
Pope Leo XIV speaks with clarity and courage about the danger of forgetting
the light. When hope fades, narratives devoid of faith and beauty begin to
appear “realistic.” Yet such realism, stripped of God, becomes distorted and
impoverished. True realism sees the wounds of the world but also recognizes
the quiet, persistent work of grace in human hearts.
Dear Brothers, the Church in Namibia has a precious mission. Your pastoral
creativity, your closeness to the people, your attention to the young, the poor,
and those on the margins, all contribute to making your local Churches true
“houses of peace.” In a society facing both visible and hidden challenges, your
witness can help keep hope alive and prevent discouragement from taking root.
At the same time, this moment in the life of the Church calls us to renew with
conviction our commitment to evangelization and to the promotion of vocations
to the priesthood and the consecrated life. The pilgrimage of hope cannot
continue without new witnesses, new labourers in the Lord’s vineyard, and
hearts ready to respond generously to God’s call.
In a world that often proposes comfort without sacrifice and success without
self-giving, the Church must once again courageously proclaim the beauty of
following Christ totally and joyfully. Evangelization is not an optional task; it is
the very breath of the Church. When the Gospel is announced with clarity, lived
with coherence, and witnessed with joy, vocations are born and nurtured.
As pastors, you have a unique and irreplaceable role in fostering a culture of
vocation within your dioceses. This means encouraging families to become the
first seminaries of faith, accompanying young people with patience and trust,

and ensuring that our communities are places where questions about life,
meaning, and service are welcomed and discerned in the light of prayer.
The promotion of priestly and religious vocations is not merely about numbers
or structures; it is about helping young men and women discover that giving
one’s life to God and to others is not a loss, but a path to profound fulfilment
and lasting joy. A Church that evangelizes with zeal will always be a Church
that gives birth to vocations.
The Holy Father also reminds us that an unarmed peace does not mean passivity
or indifference. It means the courageous rejection of violence as a solution and
the patient commitment to dialogue, justice, mercy, and reconciliation.
Goodness itself is disarming. God chose not the language of force, but the
vulnerability of a child; not domination, but love. The Incarnation teaches us
that true strength is revealed in humility, and that hearts are changed not by fear,
but by compassion.
As we reflect on the fruits of the Jubilee of Hope, may we allow the Lord to
continue the work of disarming our hearts — freeing us from resentment,
impatience, and anxiety — so that we may walk together in the light of the
Lord. The prophet Isaiah’s vision remains our horizon: swords transformed into
ploughshares, fear giving way to fraternity, and nations learning war no more.
Dear Brothers, thank you for your faithful service, your perseverance, and your
fraternal communion. Be assured of my prayers and my closeness as you begin
this Plenary Session. May the peace of the Risen Christ dwell richly in your
hearts, guide your deliberations, and strengthen you in your ministry.
Let us walk forward together — pilgrims of hope, servants of peace, and
witnesses of the Gospel.
Thank you.
Archbishop Henryk Jagodziński,
Apostolic Nuncio