Bangui, 11 June, 2024 / 2:38 pm (ACI Africa).
The Archbishop of Bangui Archdiocese in the Central African Republic (CAR) has urged the new Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Bangassou to be a source of hope for the impoverished community he has been called to serve.
In his homily during the Episcopal Ordination of Mons. Aurelio Gazzero as Coadjutor Bishop of the Central African Episcopal See, Dieudonné Cardinal Nzapalainga reminded the new Bishop that the faithful of Bangassou still bear scars of decades of violence are living in deplorable conditions.
Cardinal Nzapalainga encouraged the new Bishop to “remain a man of prayer”, living his faith and fostering hope and charity in the communities that still have rebel territories.
Reflecting on the challenges in Bangassou Diocese, the Cardinal said, “The roads are inaccessible and difficult to drive on. There are only two male and two female religious communities in this diocese. This diocese still bears the scars of the military-political crises. Some localities are still in the hands of rebel groups.”
“Beyond the inaccessible roads, the insecurity, the soaring prices of basic commodities and building materials, there are men and women waiting to receive from you the Word of God that comforts and uplifts, sacraments that increase the life of God within them, peasant populations who want to go about their business in complete safety, to sell their produce from the fields, fishing and hunting, and to be able to live with dignity and decency, people who are afflicted and suffering and who want to benefit from appropriate health care; children who want to receive quality education and training; young people who hope for a better future,” Cardinal Nzapalainga said during the Sunday, June 9 Eucharistic celebration that was held at Our Lady of Immaculate Conception Cathedral of Bagui Archdiocese.
