AFRICA/ANGOLA - Solidarity from Ozieri diocese in Italy builds a new church and school in one of Luanda’s poorest outer districts

Tuesday, 21 February 2006

Luanda (Fides Service)- “We have come to share the joy of our Angolan brothers and sisters for their new church” said Bishop Sebastiano Sanguinetti of Ozieri diocese in Sardinia Italy in Luanda on Sunday 19 February on the occasion of the consecration of a new church dedicated to Christ the King in one of the capital’s poorest suburbs Mulevos, a vast slum area which came into being during the civil war 1975-2002 when rural people fled en masse to the capital to escape violence in other parts of the country.
“The new church was built thanks to the generosity of Ozieri diocese which responded to my call two years ago to help meet the needs of the Church in Angola. Besides the church we have also built a school which is almost finished” said Papal Nuncio in Angola Archbishop Angelo Becciu. “We willingly responded to the call because the Church in this area has many human, spiritual and material needs, and in particular concrete works to promote evangelisation” Bishop Sanguinetti replied.
Thousands of local people gathered for the event offered a warm welcome to the delegation from Italy, the Bishop, three priests and a lay man. Also present, bedsides the papal nuncio, a deputy government minister and the Italian ambassador to Angola.
The new church is situated in an area without infrastructures where about 400,000 people live in extreme poverty. The people were very grateful for the church and for the school which will take up to 500 children.
“Our commitment to help the Church in Angola will continue” said the Bishop of Ozieri. “We are concretising the idea of sending one of our fidei donum priests to strengthen our ties with our Angolan brothers and sisters” the Bishop concluded. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 21/2/2006 righe 29 parole 325)


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