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Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Easter, Prague etc.



Cuneo e le sue montagne
Cuneo, ma ville, et ses montagnes




Easter, Prague etc.
I celebrated Easter Vigil in Cuneo, thinking about Bozoum, with Pope Francis' words in my heart: "If we think that things won't change, we need to remember that Jesus won over death and He's potent, Jesus lives. His resurrection isn't a thing of the past, it carries life force that penetrates the world. Many times it seems as if God doesn't exists: we see injustice, hatred, indifference and cruelty. Every day beauty is born again, resurrects and it's transformed by dramas in history.This is the strength of resurrection. Jesus resurrection gives everywhere new seeds of this new world because it already has entered the hidden fibre of this story, Jesus did not resurrected in vain"

On Tuesday i went to Prague, met with Brothers who work and live there, at the Baby Jesus Sanctuary. I prayed for everyone, friends and (eventually) foes.
I was in Prague to visit and pay my respect to SIRIRI the Organization which is helping us a lot with the Secondary school, the orphans' center, healthcare, disabled people ....this year with SIRIRI we also managed to include the Foreigner Ministry to fund the schools in Bozoum (hence why we are the sole case in the CAR to have open schools in our place)
On Tuesday evening we celebrated SIRIRI's 8th birthday and I spoke of the situation in Bozoum. I met several friends and especially the mother and brother of Vojtech, a volunteer from Pilsen working in bozoum this year.

On Wednesday morning we had a meeting with the Foreigner Ministry where I presented them with our projects results and explain them the current CAR situation. In the afternoon I went to the University of Prague, where i had a presentation for the students, about a hundred of them, they were very much interested in the Bozoum situation.
I spent the evening at Karol and Ludmila Bohm's, close friends (he's the architect of the St. Augustin's school and more buildings, and she is the organiser and translator for these days. There were other friends there, including the auxiliary archibishop of Prague, and I shared what we're going through in Bozoum.

On Thursday i came back to Italy, for a long day. Passing through Rovigo, then Ferrara, to meet with friends and CArmelitan Sisters. On Friday, the 25th I visited Sister Chiara's family. they live in Reggio, and have a wonderful parochial life, born along the building of a creche and developed in 50 years of prayers, friendship and sharing, thanks to their formidable priest, Father Antenore
In the evening I arrived at Deserto, where i met with the Fathers community and more friends.

And we keep on going!



Pasqua a Bozoum
Paques à Bozoum

Domenica delle Palme a Bozoum
Dimanche des Rameaux à Bozoum


Serata con SIRIRI a Praga
Soirèe avec SIRIRI à Prague

Praga
Prague





AL Ministero degli Affari Esteri a Praga
Au Ministère des Affaires Etrangères à Prague








Saturday, April 19, 2014

Passion, death and Resurrection




Buona Pasqua




Sulla tomba del p.Werenfried
Au tombeau du P.Werenfried




Passion, death and Resurrection
These days in Italy I can say my heart and thoughts often go to Bozoum....
I visited a school in San Rocco, close to Cuneo, and I presented them Bozoum and Car. I was received by very interested kids and great teachers. On Saturday, before Palm Sunday I celebrated Mass in San Pio, one of Cuneo's neighborhoods. In the crowd I noticed a guy...and he seemed familiar. Turns out he was in Seminar back in 1992 before I left. He came here on purpose from Genova, with his wife and child!
On Sunday I visited the Carmelitans in Torino, then flew to Frankfurt, Germany. I went there to meet with some friends who translate my blog to German and foremost because they host the Organization "help to suffering church" they're doing a lot for our cause in Car especially via media and more. This organization came from the genius and courage of a Dutch monk, Father Werenfriend, who in 1946 he helped Germany and their terrible situation and begun to ask for help to Belgium....he had the courage to tear down hate and let Resurrection begin. This organization invited me to present Car's situation to the UN. Many thanks go to pCmhristine, Marcela, Eva and everyone who made this possible. On Monday I therefore went to Brussels, I spent two very busy days there. I met several functionaries working at the UN and people and journalists interested in Car and in the mediation work we have been doing in Bozoum.
On Holy Thursday I cam back, just in time for Mass. It's opening the Easter Triduo, in which we honor the Eucharist, priesthood and Foot Washing. During these days I heard from Bozoum. There have been shooting 60 km far from there, and MISCA couldn't go because they said they're were out of petrol... And in Car, the archbishop of Bossangoa and three priests have been captured for few hours by the Selekas.....

Passion, death and ( we hope an Believe) Resurrection

here 2 interviews:
http://www.euractiv.com/sections/development-policy/peace-priest-car-aid-mission-victory-money-never-arrives-301657

http://www.euractiv.com/sections/development-policy/humanitarian-priest-it-easy-divide-world-armed-mobs-301658


Pirmavera tra pianura e montagna (la Bisalta)
Printemps

Torino
Turin

Alla sede della COMECE (Commmissione delle Conferenze Episcopali Europee)
à la COMECE


la Grand Place à Bruxelles


Bruxelles

Giovedì Santo
Jeudi Saint

Saturday, April 5, 2014

Ready, set, go!




Aeroporto di Bangui: il campo dei rifugiati... sul bordo della pista
Aéroport de Bangui: le camp des déplacés, out juste à coté de la piste







On Sumday morning I said goodbye to Bozoum's people and after the 8.30 Mass I set off to Bangui.
During the last 150 km we came across about a dozen bars, hold by the Antibalakas. I wasn't stopped at any of them.
Still, it's worrying that no MISCA nor French militaries are patrolling around, and this is the only road to Cameroon, therefore to supplies.
Once we got to the KM 12 (Bangui's entrance) we saw French corps and very little people on the street: here the previous day some Chadian militaries (here to evacuate the last Muslims) shot on them and killed between 30 and 40 civilians!
On Monday and Tuesday I had several meetings with ONGs and UN agencies: I hadn't been here since November. On Tuesday i stopped at my brothers of Carmel: since December they host about 10000 refugees, providing shelter and safety. With the ONG help their life conditions are not too bad: big tents, showers and lavatories. However, their presence here as the presence of 200.000 more refugees across the city parishes and airport are clearly a tangible sign that the situation here is still very tense.
On Tuesday afternoon i got on the plane. from my window seat I could see the refugees camp, there's at least 120.000 people living in  awful conditions.
I arrived in Genova on Wednesday, happy to see my brothers in Sant'Anna and Arenzano.
On Thursday I went to Savona, and surprised the family of Emanuela, Mara and Alessandra who are hosting Hyppolite, i said hello in Sango: he jumped on his seat and was very pleased of my presence there! We hung out and I'm happy to say he's doing much better, he's   recovering rather well from his surgery (and enjoying the family's and people's attention) He's from Bozoum, he came here in February to get medical attention, as he's paralized.

I finally arrived in Cuneo at 1.30 pm, and here another story begins.
Con Hyppolite a Savona
Avec Hyppolite, Alessandra, Marta et Emmanuela à Savona


 

Il campo dei rifugiati al Carmel a Bangui
Le camp des déplacés au Carmel à Bangui


P.Federico
le père Fréderic



Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Ciao Bozoum



Un albero della savana  con dei fiori strani....
Un abrbre de la brousse avec des fleurs étranges
Ciao Bozoum
Despite the situation in Bangui (capital) remains quite tense (about 20 dead in these past days), here in Bozoum we keep up the good work towards peace. We also have a contingent of 80-100 MISCA soldiers, who will remain here and be monitoring the situation.
On the 28th of March and we officially opened the Jurisdictional Year. With no court, nor judges we ourselves nominated and set up our own Committee of the Wise Men. They will gather 3 days per week and organize justice on small matters here. This will ensure our citizen a small jsutice system reference.
On Friday i went to Bocaranga, there was Tatale village here once, with 650 Peuls. Now there's no one here! LAst week some Antibalakas came anf threatened to kill them all, they wunded 2 men and killed a pregnant woman.
In Kake, 95 km from Bozoum, about 70 Peuls women and children remain, I brought them some rice and oil and tried to reassure these poor women, so beautiful in their painful dignity. On Saturday the 29th there was the anniversayr of the firt CAR president, 
Barthelemy Boganda. 
Such a man, with a great personality who left rich ideas and many values. In the morning we gathered at the Protestant Church to pray together, to celebrate once more the Unity who must be the civil way of living in our country. In the afternoon we partecipated to the Peace Walk followed by a lovely concert.
And tonight i'm packing...tomorrow I'll be on my way to Bangui and on Tuesday, 1st of April (no fools here eh!) im going to italy for a while. 
But my heart and my head will stay here in Bozoum!



Il primo carico di porte per Herba
le premioer voyage des portes pour  Herba


Le donne e i bambini Peul di Kake
Les femmes et enfants Peuls de Kake

L'inaugurazione del "Tribunale"
L'installation du "Comité des Sages"

La Marcia per la Pace
La marche pour la Paix

La preghiera ecumenica per la Pace
La prière écumenique pour la Paix