EUROPE/GERMANY - Towards World Mission Day: "in times of coronavirus, solidarity is more important than ever"

Thursday, 24 September 2020 world mission day   missionary animation   pontifical mission societies  

Monaco (Agenzia Fides) - The largest solidarity campaign of Catholics in the world - Missionary Month - in October 2020 takes place with the coronavirus pandemic underway. "Especially in these times of global pandemic, it is more important than ever to focus on developing countries, not forgetting the people who live there and showing solidarity with them", underlines Msgr. Wolfgang Huber, Director of Missio München, National Direction of the Pontifical Mission Societies.
Even before the coronavirus pandemic, the countries that this year are at the center of the Missio campaign on the occasion of the Missionary Month - Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso - were already among the poorest regions in the world. The severe lockdown caused by the pandemic has hit them with all its might. "This year's motto 'Solidarity for Peace and Cohesion' reaffirms our mutual responsibility, especially in times of the Coronavirus, especially as Christians!", underlines the National Director.
The initiatives of Missio in the Missionary Month this year will partially take place virtually. Due to the particular global health situation, guests from Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso will take part in four virtual conferences organized by Missio in online mode (detailed information on the website www.missio.com). However, a special guest will be present in Bavaria: H.E. Msgr. Jonas Dembelé, Bishop of Bamako in Mali, will arrive in Munich at the beginning of October and will take part in various events and conferences, after the mandatory quarantine.
"Our partners for projects in West Africa are doing everything they can to promote peace. During a trip of our delegation to Senegal, we saw that solidarity and interreligious dialogue are not just empty words. There is close exchange between Christians and Muslims that takes place in everyday life", underlines Msgr. Wolfgang Huber.
World Mission Day was announced by Pope Pius XI in 1926. Since then, the collection of offers to support the work of the Catholic Church in the 1,100 poorest dioceses of the world takes place every year, in over 100 countries around the world. (MS) (Agenzia Fides, 24/9/2020)


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