Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Tunis (Fides Service) - A missionary in Tunis sent Fides this touching report: “There is a lot of coming and going in the Catholic cathedral in Tunis. Perhaps it is the cold weather which brings many more young people to visit a Christian place of worship.
It cannot be denied, these days visitors to the cathedral are more numerous and many are young people who instead of walking slowly along avenue Habib Bourguiba the main street in the capital on which there is also the cathedral, are curious to take a look inside and see what we are doing here in this mainly Muslim land. Our exhibitions on nativity scenes at Christmas and on Saint Augustine in January certainly led people in Tunis to look at the Church in a different way.
This could be interest for art and history seeing that the cathedral is not only a symbol of the French colonial presence in Tunisia but it is also a gem of late 19th century architecture. Interest certainly increased with the Gulf war in 1991 which changed the way most Tunisians see the West. Today many people here recall that the Pope was against that war and has always condemned the use of arms. Like a “voice crying in the desert” (Is 40,3; Jn 1,23) the Pope went against the current and this certainly earned him the admiration of non Christians. The fact remains that John Paul II is one of the people Tunisians admire most and I think I can say that among the Muslims he is the person most respected. This is not only because he is a champion of peace but because they see the Pope has the charisma of a person who draws people, young people in particular, something which is lacking in the majority religion in Tunisia. This makes the Pope, especially for young people here, a spokesman for the deepest longings, freedom of conscience first of all.
This is why so many young Tunisians come to visit our cathedral. In its solemnity they find a peace not found elsewhere, they find people who listen someone, people who care. “You (Christians) have the Pope, you are lucky” they tells us. Hidden behind these words pronounced by our Tunisian friends is not envy, it is probably an expression of their aspiration: to have a “grandfather” who listens to them and understands them as the Pope does. Now that he is ill, restricted by illness we hear them say “How people love him!”. Yes I think that during his pontificate Pope John Paul II has gone to the heart of the matter and his present physical condition has certainly not affected his impact on people, young people particularly. In Tunisia he will always be the man of peace and friendship among peoples.
Over the past days also here in Tunisia the media have given ample space to the Pope’s illness and many people, people I know and strangers too, stop to ask me how he is and this makes me a little embarrassed but like them I know only what I read and hear. But it also makes me happy because I see once again that Pope John Paul II is associated with all of us who are Christians, he is almost like our patron saint or our visiting card. What is certain is that whether in health or in sickness the Pope still touches people and he is esteemed as only a man of dialogue and openness can be. The Pope’s illness is a talking point for everyone, supporters or non all see him as a man who is consistent with his ideas, perhaps somewhat stubborn in wanting to stay on the job, as Muslim friends say, but an authentic witness of the faith”. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 20/2/2005 righe 50 parole 724)
