AFRICA/ETHIOPIA - Simple gestures of silent and providential charity towards the poor

Wednesday, 30 November 2022

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Robe (Agenzia Fides) - Adaba and then Dodola, Kofale, Robe, Addis Ababa, Gode, it is among these missions that Fr. Angelo Antolini, ofm cap., Apostolic Prefect of Robe, spends his journey of evangelization always close to the people. "It is a journey that God knows where it will take us", said the missionary, who is preparing for the inauguration of the hospital under construction in Robe. "I would have preferred to have a few more months before inaugurating, because some works are still behind schedule, such as septic tanks, which are still submerged in water due to the rains. Likewise, medical equipment and a part of the furniture, which come from abroad, may not arrive in time for the inauguration day. It will be inaugurated as it is".
"Like everyone - writes Fr. Angelo - I am very concerned about the way things are going in our time, with the pandemic, with the civil war here in Ethiopia, which seems to find a slow and uncertain solution in dialogue between the parties involved, and throughout the world, with the infamous war in Ukraine: a drama never seen in Europe by our last generations. In such cases, the first to suffer, after those directly involved, are the weak links of chain. It's like a train whose tired locomotive slows down its journey, it begins by detaching the tail carriages".
For the rest, the Prefecture is living a time of serenity and intense pastoral work. Since the Apostolic Prefecture of Robe took its first steps in evangelizing the Somali people, the small community of Gode has progressed, albeit very slowly.
"All the communities, in different ways, with their respective missionaries and religious sisters, do their best to reach through works of charity the last and the rejected of society. I could relate the heroic acts of charity that so many faithful, priests and religious exercise humbly, silently and providentially in favor of the poor. Better is the silence that pleases God".
"We are also seriously and professionally involved in schools and famine relief activities in lowland areas where extreme drought has caused severe livestock losses and now a dramatic food crisis for the population. In this context, we are collaborating intensively with the government and with many international organizations involved in this humanitarian crisis". (AP) (Agenzia Fides, 30/11/2022)


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