ASIA/TURKEY - 10 years since the murder of Father Santoro. Bishop Bizzeti: a misssionary and a man of dialogue, he has much to teach us

Trabzon (Agenzia Fides) - Father Andrea Santoro, an Italian priest killed in Turkey on February 5, 2006, will be commemorated with liturgical celebrations in Trabzon - a Turkish city on the Black Sea where he was killed - and in Rome, where he carried out his pastoral ministry before going to the Anatolian peninsula as fidei donum priest. "Next Friday, on the tenth anniversary of the murder of Fr. Andrea, we will celebrate a Mass in the church of Trabzon at 6.30 pm, where he was killed" says to Agenzia Fides Bishop Paul Bizzeti SJ, Apostolic Vicar of Anatolia: "The Mass", adds Bishop Bizzeti" will certainly be attended by the few members of the local Catholic community, who are mostly foreigners, and even by some priests who have come from Italy. Many of the community of Trabzon did not know him, and the important thing is just to emphasize the relevance of his experience and his way of working".
According to Mgr. Bizzeti, "Father Andrea was prophetic in indicating the need for dialogue in order to understand others and authentic cohabitation.
Authentic cohabitation can overcome prejudices and spread the image of authentic Christianity. Around I see so many people ready to trigger Crusades and Holy Wars, and we have to just avoid feeding this spirit. Fr. Andrea, with his approach, helped to understand each other and to disarm the logic of confrontation. So his missionary figure and for having been a man of dialogue is very current".
In Rome, to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the sacrifice of Fr. Andrea Santoro, a prayer vigil will be held tonight, Tuesday, February 2 at 8.45pm in the parish of Saints Fabiano and Venanzio, the last Roman parish in which Fr. Andrea was pastor. The second event is the solemn Eucharistic celebration which will take place on February 5, the day of Fr Andrea’s death, at 7pm at the Basilica of St. John Lateran, which will be presided over by Cardinal Agostino Vallini. (GV) (Agenzia Fides 02/02/2016)

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