AFRICA - “Due to climate changes, our seminarians can no longer grow anything they need to live on.” African priest expresses his concern.

Rome (Agenzia Fides) - "Until the early 90s, our seminarians were able to meet most of the food needs of their communities by cultivating the fields. In recent years, due to climate change, they cannot produce anything, and depend on external aid to survive." Fides learns of these concerns from Fr. Terence Lino Idraku, priest of the "Apostles of Jesus", the first African missionary congregation founded in Uganda in 1968. Father Terence, who is currently in Rome to complete his studies after working in the seminaries of the congregation, emphasizes that the institution's rules provide for the daily prayer, study and work. Thus, through working the fields, seminarians produced maize, sorghum, sweet potatoes, beans ... In recent years the rains arrive late and violently, destroying what was planted late, while in the longer and longer periods of drought because of the high temperatures, the buds dry. The only thing that can still grow is a bit of vegetables, but it must be watered by hand.
The seriousness of the situation is not only in a particular part of Africa, explains Fr. Terence, emphasizing that the congregation has 5 minor seminaries with about 800 pupils (two in Uganda, one in Kenya, one in Tanzania and one in Sudan), a seminary for philosophy, and one for theology, both in Kenya, with about 250 students, and two novitiates, in Kenya and Tanzania, which have about fifty students each. "Thank God vocations are not lacking - the priest said - so much so that we have to reject them for lack of space." The seminaries are also located in conflict areas, where poverty is high, so that parents have difficulty paying for the seminary, and cannot be asked for further contribution to the boarding costs. One must pay teachers, maintain the facilities, purchase gasoline for generators where there is no electric current ...
"The problem of climate change is a serious problem, which has serious consequences on people's lives, especially the poorest - said Father Terence -. Everybody knows that climate change is not entirely natural, but most are caused by man. So, it is better to suspend the production of what leads to changes in the climate rather than place the survival of entire populations on the line." (SL) (Agenzia Fides 14/12/2009)