Vatican — Pope Benedict XVI on Friday received the Letters of Credence of eight new ambassadors to the Holy See, four of them from African nations.

The new envoys are Charles Borromee Todjinou of Benin, George Johannes of South Africa, Beyon Luc Adolphe Tiao of Burkina Faso and Neville Melvin Gertze of Namibia.

The others are Danzannorov Boldbaatar of Mongolia, Chitra Narayanan of India, Robert Carey Moore-Jones of New Zealand and Rolf Trolle Andersen of Norway.

The pope began his remarks by assuring the ambassadors that the Catholic communities in their respective nations wish to collaborate fraternally in national development by making the best contribution they can, a contribution rooted in the Gospel.

"A commitment to serving peace and the consolidation of fraternal relations among nations constitutes the core of your diplomatic mission", said the pope. "Today, in the midst of a worldwide social and economic crisis, people must regain an awareness of the need to struggle in order to establish true peace, with the aim of constructing a more just and prosperous world."

The pope drew the envoys' attention to injustices within their nations and which contribute to dividing or marginalising peoples, creating a grave risk of conflict.

Peace, the Holy Father went on, "cannot be built but by intervening firmly to eliminate the inequality engendered by unjust systems, and so allowing everyone a standard of living that enables them to live a dignified and prosperous existence."

Such inequalities have become even more evident because of the current financial and economic crisis which has also had various repercussions on low-income countries". Among these, the Pope mentioned "the tailing off of foreign investment, the fall in demand for raw materials and the tendency for international aid to diminish", as well as "the drop in remittances of emigrants, likewise victims of the recession which also affects their host countries".

The Holy Father then explained how some states, in the face of the crisis, rather than diminishing aid to the most defenceless nations, have suggested increasing it. "Other developed countries should follow this example so that the neediest countries are able to sustain their economies and consolidate social measures designed to protect the most needy sectors of the population".

He also launched an appeal for "greater fraternity and solidarity, and real global generosity", and for "developed countries to rediscover a sense of proportion and sobriety in their economies and lifestyles".