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Monday, December 2, 2013

Stardust







Stardust
On Sunday 24th we celebrated the end of faith year. After a week  of preparation (with catechesis on Creed along with 300 people) we gathered in the morning into town, where the people arrived from the 4 different sectors of Bozoum. We went up to the church together around 8 am. So many people and joy for this year which enabled us to rediscover or Faith and remind us that " who follows Jesus, the perfect man, becomes himself more perfect" as the Vatican council II said (GS41)
On Monday they told me the Italian embassy in Yaounde (Cameron) is ready to give Hyppolite his visa. He's the kid who has been paralyzed after a bad fall in class. So on Tuesday I went personally to tell him, here's the video we made https://www.dropbox.com/s/hk891lxgtkeiur8/Hyppolite.MP4
On Tuesday some ONU representatives dropped by, so I arranged a meeting with local victims tortured by the Seleka rebels....
On Wednesday I went on the road again (700 km of almost-road, with huge holes, stones and endless dust) 
Wednesday :  Bozoum – Bocaranga – Ndim – Ngaundaye
Thursday : Ngaundaye – Bocaranga – Bohong – Bouar
Friday: Bouar – Baoro – Bossemptele – Bozoum
This tour's main goal was to meet with local parishes and to assess the situation, better understand people's needs and arrange the Caritas plan for 2014
Everywhere the situation is still tense. Seleka rebels are everywhere, they still have barriers in every village, still looting, using violence, torturing and arresting random people....
In these days ONU are making decisions, France and African Union are preparing a military action....hopefully that will help our situation. In the meantime tough, there's anxiety and fear!
In my tour I had meetings at the weirdest times, like 7.30 am or lunch time or 5 pm. But it is wonderful to see the so many monks, nuns, laic volunteers that worry and take care of anyone who needs help, makes no difference if they are Christians, Muslims, Car people or foreigners...this too, is a lesson, in a moment as this one. Where the country is sinking in tensions. Finally, on Friday night, after 700km, tons of dust and holes, one punctured wheel, I came home to "see the stars again" as Dante said....Domenica 24 novembre abbiamo celebrato la chiusura dell'Anno della Fede. Dopo una settimana di preparazione (con catechesi sul Credo, seguite da circa 300 persone), domenica mattina ci siamo ritrovati in città, dove erano convenuti in processione i fedeli dei 4 settori di Bozoum. E alle 8h00 siamo saliti insieme verso la Chiesa. Tanta gente e tanta gioia per questo Anno che ci ha permesso di riscoprire la Bellezza della Fede, e di ricordarci ancora una volta che "chi segue Gesù Cristo, l'uomo perfetto, diventa anch'egli più uomo", come dice il Concilio Vaticano II (GS 41).
Lunedì sera ricevo la notizia che l'Ambasciata d'Italia a Yaounde (Cameroun) è pronta per rilasciare il visto a Hyppolite, il ragazzo di Bozoum che è rimasto paralizzato per una caduta in classe. Martedì mattina passo a scuola per dirglielo... ed è felice! qui il video dell'annuncio!  https://www.dropbox.com/s/hk891lxgtkeiur8/Hyppolite.MP4
Martedì è passata una missione delle Nazioni Unite, che si occupa dei diritti dell'uomo, e li ho fatti incontrare con alcune delle vittime delle torture della Seleka…
Mercoledì invece mi sono messo in pista (ed è il termine esatto! 700 km di semi-strade, con buche, pietre e polvere a non finire!).
Mercoledì:  Bozoum – Bocaranga – Ndim – Ngaundaye
Giovedì: Ngaundaye – Bocaranga – Bohong – Bouar
Venerdì: Bouar – Baoro – Bossemptele – Bozoum
Scopo della tournée era di incontrare le varie parrocchie per avere un'idea della situazione e capire quali sono i bisogni della gente, per  preparare un programma con la Caritas per il 2014.
Dappertutto la situazione è molto tesa. I ribelli Seleka sono dappertutto, e ci sono barriere in ogni villaggio un po' grosso. Un po' dappertutto continuano i saccheggi, le violenze, le torture e la detenzione arbitraria delle persone.
In questi giorni l'ONU sta prendendo delle decisioni importanti, e la Francia e l'Unione Africana stanno preparando un intervento militare… e speriamo che possano risolvere la situazione. Ma nel frattempo, c'è molta tensione e paura!
Durante la tournée ho fatto delle riunione (alle ore più impossibili, tipo le 7.30 di mattina, o le 13, o alle 17) ma è bello vedere la preoccupazione di tanti Padri, di tante Suore, e di tanti laici che si prendono cura di tutti quanti sono in difficoltà, senza curarsi se siano cristiani o musulmani, centrafricani o stranieri…
È anche questa una lezione, nel momento in cui il paese sembra affondare nella tensione.
E venerdì sera, dopo 700 km, dopo un sacco di polvere e buche, e una bucatura, rientro a Bozoum, "a riveder le stelle", come diceva Dante…






















On Sunday 24th we celebrated the end of faith year. After a week  of preparation (with catechesis on Creed along with 300 people) we gathered in the morning into town, where the people arrived from the 4 different sectors of Bozoum. We went up to the church together around 8 am. So many people and joy for this year which enabled us to rediscover or Faith and remind us that " who follows Jesus, the perfect man, becomes himself more perfect" as the Vatican council II said (GS41)
On Monday they told me the Italian embassy in Yaounde (Cameron) is ready to give Hyppolite his visa. He's the kid who has been paralyzed after a bad fall in class. So on Tuesday I went personally to tell him, here's the video we made https://www.dropbox.com/s/hk891lxgtkeiur8/Hyppolite.MP4
On Tuesday some ONU representatives dropped by, so I arranged a meeting with local victims tortured by the Seleka rebels....
On Wednesday I went on the road again (700 km of almost-road, with huge holes, stones and endless dust) 
Wednesday :  Bozoum – Bocaranga – Ndim – Ngaundaye
Thursday : Ngaundaye – Bocaranga – Bohong – Bouar
Friday: Bouar – Baoro – Bossemptele – Bozoum
This tour's main goal was to meet with local parishes and to assess the situation, better understand people's needs and arrange the Caritas plan for 2014
Everywhere the situation is still tense. Seleka rebels are everywhere, they still have barriers in every village, still looting, using violence, torturing and arresting random people....
In these days ONU are making decisions, France and African Union are preparing a military action....hopefully that will help our situation. In the meantime tough, there's anxiety and fear!
In my tour I had meetings at the weirdest times, like 7.30 am or lunch time or 5 pm. But it is wonderful to see the so many monks, nuns, laic volunteers that worry and take care of anyone who needs help, makes no difference if they are Christians, Muslims, Car people or foreigners...this too, is a lesson, in a moment as this one. Where the country is sinking in tensions. Finally, on Friday night, after 700km, tons of dust and holes, one punctured wheel, I came home to "see the stars again" as Dante said....













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