By Mónica Zorita de la Morena
“Even if work has to
be done silently, it is better to be here than not be here.” These are the
words of Bishop Giorgio Bertin, the apostolic administrator of Mogadishu,
Somalia. The prelate, who has been in the region for almost 40 years and also
has responsibility for all of Djibouti, was hinting at the grave risks
Christians face in the Horn of Africa.
There is only a single
church in Somalia, the Church of St. Anthony of Padua in the town of Hargeisa,
in Somaliland, a semi-autonomous region. Saying Mass has been and continues to
be “very dangerous,” the bishop told international Catholic charity Aid to the
Church in Need (ACN).
Just last January,
after the church had been boarded up for some 20 years, the bishop was able to
re-consecrate the church, which now also serves as a base for humanitarian
activities sponsored by Caritas.
“Not many people come
to Mass—10 at most—but, nonetheless, it is important,” the bishop said. The
church is a silent witness in a country where “there are more and more mosques,
thanks to financial aid from Saudi Arabia,” he added.
For Catholics,
however, he continued, “there is no possible way of having a presence in
Mogadishu, since it is very dangerous.”
“There are a few
Catholics, but if they engage in any activities, for example with Caritas, they
will be risking their lives. We can only be present there through the
intermediary of other Somali associations.”
It was 27 years ago,
after the assassination of Bishop Salvatore Colombo, that the Holy See asked Bishop Bertin to become apostolic
administrator of Mogadishu, after rebels had destroyed almost the whole of the
Somali capital and the Church’s entire infrastructure.
“They deliberately
targeted us, though not only us; in fact, they destroyed everything, including
embassies, and all public institutions,” the bishop recalled.
To this day, Somalia
has remained a completely dysfunctional state, with a host of unrecognized,
self-proclaimed independent regions—such as Somaliland—and the constant threat
of the jihadist militia of Al-Shabab.
Fortunately, in
neighboring Djibouti, the former French colony where Bishop Bertin resides, the
Church has freedom. He said: “We are left in peace there; there is no danger
and the Church is respected.”
The local Church is
comprised of 5,000 Catholics, the majority of them expatriate, with only very
few native faithful.
Providing education
and humanitarian work are the primary tasks of the Church, which, the bishop
stresses, is not out to make converts. The Catholic schools almost exclusively
serve Muslim students, however.
Still, the prelate
said, “we are sowing the seed of the Gospel among the people.”
There are 30
missionaries in the country, serving two churches and four mission stations.
The bishop stressed that “a priest or a religious Sister is not there for the
Catholics only; they are there as a presence in society, in contact with the
people and open to them.”
“We cannot remain
closed up within our structures.”
With picture of the Church of St. Anthony of Padua (© ACN)
Editor’s Notes:
Directly under the
Holy Father, Aid to the Church in Need supports
the faithful wherever they are persecuted, oppressed or in pastoral need.
ACN is a Catholic charity - helping to bring Christ to the world through
prayer, information and action.
Founded in 1947 by Father Werenfried van Straaten, whom Pope John Paul
II named “An Outstanding Apostle of Charity,” the organization is now at work
in over 145 countries throughout the world.
The charity undertakes thousands of projects every year including
providing transport for clergy and lay Church workers, construction of church
buildings, funding for priests and nuns and help to train seminarians. Since
the initiative’s launch in 1979, 43 million Aid to the Church in Need Child’s Bibles have been distributed
worldwide.
For more information contact Michael Varenne at
michael@churchinneed.org or call
718-609-0939 or fax718-609-0938. Aid to the Church in Need, 725 Leonard Street,
PO Box 220384, Brooklyn, NY 11222-0384. www.churchinneed.org
