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| Strade! Routes! |
Bishops, pilgrims of hope
Every year, the bishops of Central Africa meet twice in General Assembly, in January and June. In January, the meeting is in Bangui, while in June it is in one of the country's dioceses, in turn.
This year, the week-long meeting takes place in Alindao, the diocese close to Bangassou.
We are just over 220 km from Bangassou, but the roads are the worst in the diocese. In theory, it is one of the most important roads in the country, connecting the capital, Bangui, to South Sudan, crossing the entire east of the country.
In theory. Because the road is so bad that it takes weeks to go from Bangui to Bangassou, and it is only 750 km!
Knowing the situation, I leave Friday afternoon for Gambo, a parish 75 km from Bangassou. Here I spend the night, and Saturday morning we leave around 7am.
The first kilometres make us realise that the journey will be hard. A dozen kilometres in we find two trucks stuck, stuck in the mud. But they manage to get out and we continue on, getting bogged down in our turn. Shovel, jack, etc. and after half an hour we set off again.
Further on we find five more trucks stuck in the mud. We manage, with great difficulty, to get through, but we get stuck in a huge hole, deeper than the car! We manage to get out, however, and continue on, passing through the villages of Pombolo, Kembe, Dimbi and Kongbo. We cross the bridge over the magnificent waterfalls of the Kotto river, a few hundred metres from a group of armed rebels, whom we greet politely at a safe distance!
We arrive at 5.30 p.m. in Alindao: 10 hours for 145 km!
I am the first to arrive. The other bishops left Bangui on Saturday. After spending the night in Bambari, they arrive on Sunday afternoon.
We are 10 bishops, and there is much fraternity and good humour, despite the country's many problems. We pray together, meet at a brisk pace, and share the joys, hopes and sorrows of the country, still shaken by war and violence. Right in front of Alindao Cathedral, there are still 3 or 4,000 refugees, who moved here in 2017!
The theme of the meeting is: Pilgrims of Hope for our people in these difficult times!
The work will keep us busy throughout the week, until the celebration on Sunday, 22 June, at Alindao Cathedral.
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| Piccoli muratori! Les petits maçons |
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| La cascate del fiume Kotto Les chutes de la Kotto |
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| Alindao |
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| La scuola di Lanome L?école de Lanomé |
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