after Bozoum, news from Bangassou

Sunday, February 8, 2026

Long journeys

Da Bangui a Bangassou, passando per Sibut, Bambari, Alindao
De Bangui à Bangassou, en passant par Sibut, Bambari, Alindao
De Bangui a Bangassou, pasando por Sibut, Bambari y Alindao

Long journeys

February 8, 2026

To go from Ndjamena (Chad) to Bangui, it would take an hour by plane. But... it took us 12!

On Monday, February 2nd, around 8:00 a.m., we departed from the capital of Chad. We made a stopover in Abuja, Nigeria, before landing in Lomé, Togo. Here, we waited a couple of hours before taking another flight. This one also made several stops (Cotonou, Benin, and Douala, Cameroon) before finally arriving in Bangui at 8:00 p.m.

Passport, luggage... and when we left, there was a nasty storm.

I stayed in Bangui on Tuesday and Wednesday. I had several meetings, an important one to follow up and try to find a solution for the Zemio area and the eastern part of the diocese in general, which is still under tension.

Then I prepared to leave. This time, I drove to Bangassou. A few weeks ago, the new car finally arrived, a gift from "Aid to the Church in Need," an organization that supports churches in countries like Central Africa. Here, a car isn't a luxury, but a necessity, allowing me to visit the various communities and priests, and provide aid and relief in a diocese almost half the size of Italy.

Thursday morning, at 6:00 a.m., the long journey began. It's "only" 750 km, but I know it will take at least two days, if all goes well.

The first 180 km are paved, or almost (almost, because the last 50 km are full of potholes). At Sibut, we left the asphalt and continued to Bambari, 380 km from Bangui. We arrived there around 1 pm. A short break, and then we continued our journey to Alindao, 220 km further on.

We arrived there at 6 pm, and were welcomed by the diocese.

We left Friday morning at 6 am. We still had 250 km to go, and we knew the road was difficult and dangerous. Luckily, it's the dry season, and the roads are poor, but not terrible! There are many climbs and descents, and the water and trucks have dug out and severely marked the route.

About 60 km in, we found some stalled trucks, then an overturned truck: it was the one carrying our container! I stopped and greeted our workers, who came from Bangassou the day before: they almost finished unloading the entire container, loading part of it onto our truck. Then they straightened the truck and trailer and reloaded the material into the container to get it to Bangassou!

After half an hour, I said goodbye and set off again. We stopped at Gambo, the first parish in our diocese, and finally arrived in Bangassou at 3:30 PM.

Our Lady of the Way has been watching over us!

Alindao

Le cascate di Kembe, sul fiume Kotto
Les chutes de Kembe, sur la rivière Kotto
Cataratas Kembe, en el río Kotto

Sunday, February 1, 2026

Ndjamena, Ciad

Cattedrale di Ndjamena

Ndjamena, Ciad

1 February 2026

We have just concluded the ACERAC Plenary Assembly, which brings together the bishops of Central Africa (Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Central African Republic, Congo, Cameroon and Gabon).

There are about seventy of us bishops who attend this meeting, which takes place every three years in one of the ACERAC countries.

It is a time of communion, exchange, knowledge and fraternity, prayer and reflection on the Church in Central Africa.

Thirty years ago, in 1994, Pope John Paul II convened the Synod for Africa (followed by a second one 15 years later). It was a very difficult time for Africa (the genocide in Rwanda was taking place at that time!), and the bishops spoke with courage and strength to denounce the evils and tragedies of the continent. But they were also able to see everything through the lens of hope, of a Church that is God's family, which loves life and solidarity and celebrates its faith with joy, enthusiasm and creativity (anyone who has experienced a Mass in Africa understands this easily!).

Thirty years later, the Church in Central Africa wanted to come together and start afresh from the final document (the apostolic exhortation "Ecclesia in Africa") in order to reflect and continue on its journey. A journey marked by many tragedies and difficulties, but even more so by hope and life.

On Sunday, 25 January, the bishops were sent to various parishes in the city: there were two or three of us bishops, together with priests and lay people participating in the ACERAC Assembly.

I go to the parish of Saintes Perpetue et Félicité. The church consists of a large canopy, and there are more than 2,500 faithful present. The liturgy is beautiful and lively, incorporating local songs and dances and the various languages of the country.

Here, in a predominantly Muslim country, being Catholic is not so obvious. Faith is lived with joy and even a little pride. In Chadian culture, there is a very strong sense of hospitality, especially towards foreigners. A proverb says that a foreigner is the mirror that God places before you!

After Mass, we move to the nearby school (the only Catholic girls' secondary school), where we share lunch with the pastoral council and various lay people involved in the parish. During the meal, a traditional group performs music and dances from various ethnic groups.

On Monday, there is the official opening ceremony of the Plenary Assembly in the amphitheatre of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We begin a couple of hours late, and ambassadors, ministers, lay people and choirs are present. Cardinal Czerny has arrived from Rome for the occasion, Cardinal Ambongo from Kinshasa, and the Apostolic Nuncio from the Central African Republic. The Prime Minister welcomes everyone and, in his speech, rejoices in the presence and work of the Catholic Church, particularly for the poor, for peace and reconciliation.

In the afternoon, we begin our work. The first few days are devoted to study and reflection, with the help of experts (priests who teach in various faculties in Central Africa). These are intense topics, which provoke debate and discussion, both in the hall and during the various breaks.

On Thursday, we take a break to visit the city and the National Museum, where there are prehistoric finds, including the remains of what could be the first man, dating back 7 million years!

We then continue towards the outskirts, where we visit the National Seminary, which welcomes more than 80 seminarians from across the country.

We conclude the day with a cultural evening of song and dance at the Sacre Coeur parish.

The work continues on Friday and Saturday. The schedule is very busy, but it is wonderful to meet, get to know each other, and share joys and difficulties with our brother bishops from Central Africa. It is a young, beautiful, very African Church, full of hope!

On Sunday, the Plenary Assembly closes with a solemn Mass in the Cathedral of Ndjamena. It is presided over by Mgr Richard Appora, Bishop of Bambari, in the Central African Republic. It is the turn of the Episcopal Conference of the Central African Republic to take over the presidency of ACERAC. The Central African Republic will host the next Plenary Assembly in 2029.