Beginning the journey
July 1, 2026
On Wednesday, June 24,
the Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, I officially
began my ministry as titular bishop of Bangassou: Pope Leo XIV accepted
the resignation of Bishop Aguirre, and I succeeded him as titular
bishop.
After two rich and precious years with Bishop Aguirre, I
am called to serve God in the Church in Bangassou: over 600 km between
parishes in a diocese almost half the size of Italy...
But the Lord is great, and I will try to lend him a hand!
On
Friday, I flew back to Bangassou, to depart the following day for Bema,
105 km away, where I met the candidates and celebrated Confirmations on
Sunday.
On Monday evening, around 7:30 pm, terrible news arrived: Father Crepin Monga was killed in Zemio!
We are extremely saddened, and only with great difficulty are we able to confirm the news!
The priest was alone in the parish, returning home, when he was attacked. A single shot to the head, which killed him instantly!
We don't know who killed him, nor who ordered it.
We
aren't accusing anyone in particular, but Father Crépin was doing
excellent work for peace in the area, and we fear this was an execution
and a warning from those who absolutely do not want peace to return to
this region.
For over a year, Zemio has been at the heart of a
war pitting local rebels (AAKG) against the regular army, supported by
Russian mercenaries.
The parish is the center where people are
finding refuge (there were more than 3,000 a few months ago!). Another
35,000 people have taken refuge in neighboring Congo. In addition to the
reception, Crépin maintained contact with the various rebel groups,
trying to initiate dialogue and mediation.
On Monday evening, we
tried to figure out what we could do... The road to Zemio (300 km) was
blocked 220 km from Bangassou due to a broken ferry.
On Tuesday
morning, we met with the MINUSCA peacekeepers, who wanted to do
something but couldn't organize anything quickly. So we made a different
plan: we sent two motorcycles from Zemio to take the body to Dembia,
where the broken ferry was located. The road was terrible, and they
arrived in Dembia after a seven-hour journey. Here, the car of the
sisters from Rafai picked him up, and after 60 km and three hours, they
found us in Rafai, where I had gone with another car. We proceeded to
prepare the body, in order to try to preserve it, and left for Bangassou
at 9:00 PM.
A few kilometers from Lanome, shortly before midnight, we found the Christian community of a village lined up in front of the chapel, just to see our cars and Father Crépin pass by!
We arrived in Bangassou at 1:00 PM, after a four-hour journey and 150 km.
Here, many people were holding a vigil at the cathedral. We prepared Father Crépin's body and dressed him in the priestly vestments he wore at his ordination on December 12, 2021!
The vigil continued all night, and at 9:30 we celebrated the funeral. All the priests who could come arrived, and they were deeply moved by the killing of their brother.
I celebrated Mass wearing red vestments. By itself, it should be purple, the color of the funeral. But, after consulting with the priests, we believed that Father Crépin was a martyr, a witness killed for his work of peace.
It was one of the hardest moments for me. It was like a father losing a son.
We want and believe that Fr. Crépin is not the end of all dreams of peace, but the seed that dies and bears much fruit (John 12:24).
The cathedral was packed, with many people outside as well.
It is from here that we set off for the nearby cemetery, where we laid him to rest. As I embraced his aunt, I told her that finally, now, Crépin was in the Peace for which he worked so hard!
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| Arrivo dei seminaristi di Bangui a Bangassou Arrivée des séminaristes de Bangui à Bangassou Llegada de seminaristas de Bangui a Bangassou. |
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| Bema |
