"Peace and justice go hand in hand, and this must be reflected in the respect of the law. Without justice, without the fight against corruption, without respect for the rules of law, it is impossible to build a true peace, and of course the population will have problems trusting its leaders". This was said by Benedict XVI who today gave audience to Firmin Mboutsou, ambassador of Gabon, for the presentation of his credentials. "Without respect for the freedom of every individual, there can be no peace", added the Pope who pointed out, once again, the commitment of the Church in this sphere: "according to its tradition, the Church is willing to cooperate and support all those people whose main responsibility is to build a society that respects the most fundamental human rights and wants to build a society for man". In his speech, Benedict XVI highlighted that it is urgent "for the population of the country to be the first one to benefit from the assets of the nation" and that more efforts need to be done "for a better protection of the planet". Then the Pope did not forget to mention the contribution made by the Church to the building of Gabon, partly under the framework agreement which was signed between Gabon and the Holy See over 10 ears ago and the 2001 agreement for education, which laid the foundations for a fruitful cooperation in the areas of health care, education and training.
