A bishop on tour
I am writing today from Mbaiki, 110 km from Bangui.
I
am here with all the bishops of Central Africa. There are 10 of us, and
with us are the 9 dioceses of the country: Bangui, Mbaiki, Berberati,
Bouar, Bossangoa, Kaga Bandoro, Bambari, Alindao, Bangassou.
Twice
a year the Bishops meet in Assembly, in January and in June. We are
here all week, and this allows us to share what we experience in our
dioceses, and reflect together and make proposals to the people of God
entrusted to us.
But it was a long road to get here to Mbaiki…
On
Wednesday morning, June 12th, I left with some of my friends who came
from Italy. We are in 2 cars, and we stop in Bossemptele, where we
celebrate Mass with the Carmelite nuns.
In the evening we arrived in Baoro. Here I met the brothers of the community and the Carmelite sisters.
Thursday morning, there was a great Mass in Baoro: the church was full, and even the walls vibrated and danced!
After
lunch with the parish community, we left for Bouar, where we had dinner
with the Indian nuns of the Congregation of the Mother of Carmel.
Friday morning, at 6.30, I celebrated Mass with the Poor Clare nuns. It was a beautiful moment of brotherhood and prayer.
Then
we left for Bozoum. The road was increasingly bad, and it took more
than 3 hours for the first 90 km. Once we reached 14 km, the scouts
were waiting for us, together with Father Marco Poggi, the parish priest
of Bozoum.
With them we set off towards the city, which we
crossed, among the many people running and shouting. I was impressed and
excited, because I was amazed by the affection and joy that "my" people
showed me!
Saturday morning Mass was scheduled for 6! It was a little early, but the church was more than full!
The
celebration was intense, with songs, dances, and many faces, which
remind me of many moments of the 17 years of living and working in
Bozoum. There were gifts, poems, songs, everything for this occasion,
which for Bozoum was a moment of joy, but also a bit of sadness, because
it was a bit of a farewell! But the Lord is great!
We left in
the early afternoon, under torrential rain. The road was terrible, and I
had to travel the first 60 km over the double bridge.
On Sunday
morning I celebrated in the Cathedral of Bouar: it was the diocese in
which I lived and worked for 33 years! Here too, the church was full,
and there were also many priests from the diocese, and many people:
known and unknown faces, all of whom are dear to me.
On Monday morning I left early for Bangui, where I met the Carmel community.
Here I greeted my sister and the friends who have come for the consecration, and on Tuesday morning, at 5, I left for Mbaiki, 110 km away, where I participated for the first time in the Assembly of the Episcopal Conference. I noted with pleasure that the environment was very serene, and the exchanges and reflections are profound and very rich.
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| Al Carmel, a Bangui Au Carmel, à Bangui |
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| Baoro |
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| Accoglienza a Bozoum L'Accueil à Bozoum |
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| Cathédrale de Bouar |
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