SAURIMO, Angola (OSV News) — Pope Leo XIV brought pure joy to some 74 elderly residents of a nursing home whose name surprised the pontiff himself.
“It struck me to learn that you call this place ‘lar,’ which means ‘home.’ I thank God for this, and I hope that all of you are truly able to live here in a family atmosphere as much as possible,” he said during his visit to the home in the northeastern Angolan city of Saurimo.
“Jesus loved to be at the home of his friends,” the pope said. “Therefore, dear friends, I would like to think that Jesus also lives here, in this home. Yes, he dwells among you whenever you try to love one another and help one another as brothers and sisters.”
Georgina Mwandumba headed the nursing home for seven years and her message to the country amid Pope Leo’s visit was clear: “Being elderly is a great blessing. It is wonderful to spend time with grandparents. … Let’s value life.”
Speaking to Vatican News, she said that residents living there have been rejected by their families due to superstitious beliefs, adding that the Holy Father’s visit offers a profound lesson for Angolan society.
“I express my appreciation to the Angolan authorities for the initiatives that benefit the neediest among the elderly, as well as to all staff members and the volunteers,” Pope Leo said April 20 during his mid-day visit prior to celebrating Mass in Saurimo’s esplanade.
“The care of the weakest is a very important sign of the quality of the social life of a nation. Let us not forget that the elderly are not only in need of assistance, but first and foremost need to be listened to, because they preserve the wisdom of a people,” the pope said.
The elderly residents, between ages 60 and 93, sometimes appear much older, the director of the facility told Vatican News, explaining they’re arriving in poor physical condition, often brought by the police who they turn to for protection after experiencing abuse by relatives who abandon them, accusing them of witchcraft.
However, in Mwandumba’s opinion, this is increasingly becoming an excuse to avoid taking responsibility for caring for the elderly. On the occasion of the papal visit, she appealed to society to value the elderly and considers the pope’s visit to these “rejected” people “an immense lesson.”
She told Vatican News that the elderly residents are happy at the nursing home, get along with one another and attend Mass together, even if not all are Catholic, adding they would prefer to be with their families, who do not even visit.
Mwandumba emphasized that the house has “excellent” relations with the Church, which, besides providing spiritual support to the residents, also makes donations to help with daily operations. Financial contributions also come from associations and benefactors, but it is mainly the monthly state contribution, though below what is needed, that keeps the facility running.
She told Vatican News that the elderly practice some agriculture on vacant land as a pastime and as a way to contribute to their sustenance. But everything they need, from food to health care, is provided by the home. In fact, its clinic even serves residents of nearby villages.
Prior to the papal visit, some miracles were already accounted for as services the director had long requested were finally provided, such as connection to Saurimo’s electricity grid — rather than a generator — and piped water.
The residents hoped the visit would bring the creation of a much needed chapel as for now priests who come for Mass on Sundays celebrate it in a small room arranged for this purpose.
Mwandumba told Vatican News Pope Leo’s visit was “a blessing fallen from heaven.”
The pope’s visit the morning of April 20 brought pure joy to the community.
The elderly prepared speeches and songs, and Mwandumba showed her papal rosary with joy when the pontiff himself gave it to her.
However, what Mwandumba hopes for most is ending the practice of witchcraft accusations and their use as a pretext to abandon the elderly.
According to a recent story by Global Sisters Report, witchcraft beliefs in various parts of Africa create “a culture of suspicion, where every misfortune — from infertility to business failures — is blamed on an elder, particularly women, widows, and those living alone.” These accusations cause families to view their elders not as pillars of wisdom, but as dangerous, burdensome, or evil, it said.
“We are believers, we go to Church,” she told Vatican News. “To believe that there is a being, a witch or wizard, capable of overcoming God’s blessing is disbelief, not faith!”
When asked about the connection between this issue and the theme of the pope’s visit to Angola — “Pilgrim of Hope, Reconciliation, and Peace” — Mwandumba recalled that “peace must begin in our families.”
“I will keep in my heart the memory of this encounter with you,” the pope told the elderly residents. “May the Virgin Mary, who filled her home in Nazareth with faith and love, always keep watch over this community.”
