Passage through France

 

Notre Dame - Paris

 

Passage through France

 

After the meeting with the bishops of Central Africa on Monday, 12 January, I will leave for France the following day to visit the priests of the Diocese of Bangassou who are there to study or work in various dioceses (Fidei Donum).

I will arrive in Paris on Wednesday morning and immediately have an appointment with the auxiliary bishop who looks after the various foreign priests attending the universities of Paris. In the afternoon, I have another appointment with the bishop who looks after the priests working in the diocese as Fidei Donum.

It is a beautiful experience of Church: Churches that help and support each other. For our priests, it is an important grace, which allows them to receive a good formation, but also to engage with a different culture and very demanding pastoral needs.

In the evening, I meet the first of the priests, who is studying law. His study schedule is demanding, and we carve out some time in the evening.

On Thursday, I go to a parish where another priest, Abbé Guy Florentin, lives. I celebrate Mass in the parish. Then I move on to Versailles, where Abbé Heritier lives, and meet with the bishop and the vicar general.

On Friday, I travel to Soumoulou, a village in the south of France, where Abbé Bienfait works. We have a nice time talking, and in the afternoon we go to Lourdes, about twenty kilometres away. Here we stop for the rosary, in front of the grotto where the Virgin Mary appeared to Bernadette. And we pray for the diocese of Bangassou, and for all the people who are dear to us in one way or another.

I leave in the evening for Paris, and on Saturday I leave for Rennes, in Brittany, two hours away by train.

There are three of our priests in this diocese: Junior, Ludovic and Fabrice. I meet up with Abbé Ludovic in Retiers, where I celebrate Mass with the lovely parish community on Sunday morning. We have lunch with a family from the village, and then I continue on to Rennes, where I meet the bishop (who came to Bangassou in August).

I spend the night in Gevezè, where Abbé Junior works, and the next day I continue on to Fougères, further north, where I meet Abbé Fabrice, who arrived a few months ago. 

On Tuesday, I am in Paris to take the train to Strasbourg. Here I am to meet a priest, and the next day the vicar general of the diocese. It is a magnificent city with a beautiful cathedral.

I return to Paris on Wednesday evening, and on Thursday morning I go to Saint Louis d'Antin, where Abbé Jean Noel works.

It is a very special parish, because seven Masses are celebrated every day, and every day there are two priests hearing confessions from 7.30am to 9pm! It is an area of offices and thoroughfares, and they offer a very special and generous ministry.

In the afternoon, I stop by the bookshop to buy some books for seminarians and priests, and then I head to the airport.

Yesterday morning, 23 January, I left Paris for Ndjamena (Chad), where the ACERAC (Conference of Bishops of Central Africa) meeting will be held in the coming days. We will meet with all the bishops of Chad, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Central Africa, Congo and Gabon.

 

 

 

Lourdes

 

 

 

Notre Dame du Travail - Paris

 

Strasbourg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bishops in Meeting

 

 

 

Bishops in Meeting

January 11, 2026

Like every year, the first week of January is dedicated to the Assembly of Bishops of Central Africa.

On Saturday, January 3rd, we were all in Bangui, because it was the day dedicated to Caritas.

On Sunday the 4th, the bishops celebrated Mass in the various parishes of the city.

I was in St. François Yapele, a parish in the center. It's a beautiful church, with many people, and beautiful songs welcome you in Eastern languages, typical of Bangassou.

On Monday, the Assembly itself began. The Vicars General of all the dioceses were also present. Each day we began with prayer and the celebration of the Eucharist at 8:00 a.m., and from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. we worked (with some breaks!).

The first day was dedicated to presenting the situation of each diocese.

We are all deeply concerned about what is happening in Zemio, 300 km from Bangassou, where clashes have flared up again, and where people have returned to take refuge in the Catholic Mission.

Elections were held on December 28th, with an almost foregone conclusion: the reelection of the current president. We met with him on Thursday afternoon. During the lengthy meeting, each bishop presented the situation of their diocese, highlighting the many problems that require intervention and solutions.

January is a time to take stock of the various realities of the Church in Central Africa, with the annual reports of the Commissions and Movements.

On Sunday, January 11th, we all celebrated in the Cathedral.

At the end of Mass, the traditional Message from the Bishops is read. This year, the theme is Peace, in a very tense election context, and with areas of the country falling back into war…

 

Niakary

 

 

 

St François Yapele

 

Happy New Year!

 

 

Happy New Year!

 

I write this with the New Year's Concert playing in the background, along with Strauss's waltzes!

Today, January 1st, is World Peace Day. While much of the world is arming itself, it seems to me that the only sensible voice remains that of Pope Leo, who wrote in his Message: "When we treat peace as a distant ideal, we finally cease to find it scandalous that it can be denied and even that war can be resorted to to achieve it." Peace seems increasingly threatened, and we often feel as if we can do nothing to make it come. The Pope reminds us, with St. Augustine, that "If you wish others to be at peace, be yourself, remain yourself. To enkindle others, let the peace of your charity burn brightly within you."

Having returned from Bakouma on Friday, January 26th, the following day, Saturday the 27th, the Cathedral is full, because today marks the conclusion of the Jubilee of Hope. Opened on December 29, 2025, we have experienced it in all the parishes in the diocese (all of which have become Jubilee churches) and on many occasions with various groups: readers, the sick, women, prisoners, seminarians, ecclesial movements, couples and families, consecrated persons, charismatics, choirs, and catechists. Sunday, December 28th, is the eagerly awaited day of the political elections. This year, they are all held on the same day. Voting is for the President of the Republic, for members of parliament, for regional councilors, and for mayors. The 10 days of election campaigning have been very noisy and colorful. Candidates who could visit neighborhoods and villages, handing out T-shirts, money, and promises… Many candidates, especially from the opposition, were banned from flying or even driving…

Voting is a beautiful moment for a community. Unfortunately, voter turnout is low: a bad sign, one that speaks of resignation and distrust of change. I observed the voters, serious and composed, as I walked up to the "Maman Tongolo" orphanage.

Today, the feast of the Holy Family, but also of the Holy Innocents, we prayed for Viviane, who left us a few days ago! She hadn't been well for a few weeks and hadn't been eating. Almost as if she wanted to say "Enough!" to life. And she wanted to see her grandmother. Viviane was born 10 years ago in Selim, a village 110 km from Bangassou. A Franciscan priest had seen her and saved her, taking her to Bangassou, where she was welcomed into the orphanage, where she lived very peacefully for 6 years. With her difference (Down syndrome), her sweetness, and her temperament, she quickly became one of the hearts of the Orphanage. Affectionate, tender, but also capable of a little tantrum, and always a delightful centerpiece of the small "Maman Tongolo" community. Now she is certainly at peace, and will race to heaven, cheering everyone up, as she always did throughout her short life. Goodbye Viviane. The Lord welcomes you with infinite love and so much tenderness!

 

Elezioni a Bangassou
Elections à Bangassou
Elecciones en Bangassou

Sr Yolande con Aurélie
Sr Yolande avec la petite Aurélie
Sor Yolande con la pequeña Aurélie