AFRICA/EGYPT - From Cairo, a daily mission alongside the most vulnerable

Cairo (Agenzia Fides) – “I arrived safely and, in the blink of an eye, I was immersed once again in this beautiful and demanding Arab life.” Two weeks after returning to Cairo, Deacon Anselmo Fabiano, of the Society of African Missions (SMA), shares with Fides News Agency his experience at St Mark’s Parish in Shoubra, a densely populated working-class neighborhood of the Egyptian capital, home to around one million people.

Ordained a deacon in Como on 12 September, after a year of pastoral service in Egypt (see Fides, 4/6/2025), Anselmo returned for a further period of formation and service to the local Church as he prepares for priestly ordination.
“Shoubra is a neighborhood characterized above all by sand, dust, car horns and noise at every hour of the day and night. It is also an extremely poor neighborhood,” he explains.

Those who welcomed him back most warmly were the children and the poorest members of the community, including the street children he had met during his previous year of service.
“They leapt for joy when they saw me again. I believe this is a sign for our Church, which is called always to place itself at the service of the least, the poor and those most in need.”

The majority of the neighborhood’s population is Muslim, alongside Orthodox and Protestant Christian communities. The Catholic community is small in number. “Generally, 20 to 25 people attend Mass. Yet it is a lively community that bears witness to the Gospel in everyday life,” the deacon emphasizes.

Mission, he explains, is also lived out through the ordinary encounters of daily life and by living alongside people of other religions and Christian denominations.
“We are called to share the mission with the brothers and sisters around us. Living alongside one another invites us to remain united with Christ and united in His mission.”

Anselmo collaborates in pastoral activities for children and young people, participates in community life and liturgical celebrations, and continues to study Arabic.
“Little by little, I am learning. I can remember the words I have learnt, and this enables me to communicate with people. It is a wonderful and precious gift.”

His time in Cairo is also a period of preparation for the priesthood and an opportunity to rediscover the universal dimension of the Church’s mission.
“Missionary Days invite us to broaden our horizons and look towards the Church, which is one, yet is engaged throughout the world in living and bearing witness to the Gospel in everyday life.”
The presence of the small Catholic community of Supra is discreet, but this does not make its witness any less significant.
“Here, we do it quietly, and yet we remain a sign of a Church that bears continuous witness to the Risen Lord.”

Finally, from Cairo, the young missionary of the SMA sends a message to Christian communities:
“We pray for you, and we also ask for your prayers for the Church in Egypt, particularly during this Missionary Month. I wish you a fruitful mission, wherever you may be – in your workplace, your parish community or your school. May you be authentic and joyful witnesses to the Risen Jesus, so that all those who encounter you may experience the joy of meeting Him.”
(AP) (Fides News Agency, 20/10/2026)

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