Easter Hope Should “spur us on to show compassion, solidarity” to the Needy: Catholic Bishop in Mauritius

“We Mauritians are rich in cultural and religious diversity, and our respective seasons of Lent and fasting have enabled us to purify ourselves and take the time to re-examine our lives in the light of our faith,” he says.

During the Lenten Season, Bishop Durhône recalls, “we have been more assiduous in listening to the Word of God, which calls us to service, sharing and forgiveness.”

“With our Mauritian brothers and sisters of other denominations, we experienced a Lent marked by sadness, with the deaths of six young Indian pilgrims,” he says, recalling the March 3 event that affected pilgrims to Grand-Bassin for the Maha Shivaratri pilgrimage, when a statue of the Trikaal Sena group, in Triolet, Arsenal struck a high-voltage power line.

The 50-year-old Mauritian Catholic Bishop also recalls, as unfortunate, the challenges the people of God are going through, including violent conflicts, persecution, “family members are sometimes separated by deportation, and others see their loved ones die.”

“It's hard not to think of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, where children, young people and adults are the victims of so much violence,” Bishop Durhône laments.

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Sometimes, he continues, “natural disasters put many families in a situation of great insecurity and suffering.”

 In the face of such suffering, the Catholic Church leader says, “We are called, beyond religious denomination, to compassion, solidarity and generosity with our suffering human brothers and sisters.”

“Through his son Jesus Christ, who died on a cross out of love for us and rose again, God shows us a path of hope, proving that good triumphs over evil, light over darkness, and that love is stronger than hate and life stronger than death,” Bishop Durhône says.

Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.