Here I am at home!

 

 

 

Bawi

Here I am at home!

I will be resuming blogging more regularly: in these two months spent in Italy I have "unplugged" a bit, but from today I will resume my regular pace.

I returned to Central Africa on Friday, April 14th: from Turin to Paris, and then from Paris to Bangui.

Travel brought me back to "normal" mode. It was nice to spend these weeks with so many friends, family and confreres. I am always moved by the affection and sympathy, and attention towards a world as different and demanding as Central Africa.

I'm sorry that I couldn't do everything I had wanted, and above all for the short time, and for the missed meetings. But thank you for so much affection, prayer and communion, with so many.

I had left Bangui on February 14, with the terrible news of the mine that had destroyed Fr. Norberto's car, who lost a foot in the accident. I arrived in Bangui, and a couple of days later another mine exploded as Fr. Arialdo passed, in the Niem area, about 190 km from Baoro. Father Arialdo (83 years old, in Central Africa since 1986) survived, but there were 4 dead and 6 wounded!

The country is still very unstable. In addition to security, there is a shortage of fuel, there are many strikes, and life becomes complicated.

It's Easter here too: the rainy season has just begun, and everything is green!

On Saturday morning, after the meeting on the construction site, I left Bangui at around 12. I had hoped that in these two months they had fixed the roads: in February 2 companies (ONEM and LA SEMENCE) had started the works between Bossembele and Bossemptele. Unfortunately the work continued slowly (for ONEM), while the other company (whose name I won't mention) limited itself to filling one hole out of a hundred, and albeit badly!

Here in Baoro I met the confreres, Fr Michael and Bro Wilfried, and the Carmelite nuns, as well as my people.

On Sunday I went to celebrate Mass in Bawi, 35km away.

Now I'm picking up on the backlog of work: from schools, to villages, the mechanical school, pastoral care, and Caritas.

Full speed ahead!

 

Cuneo