Burkina Faso’s Catholic Bishops Decry Global Silence as Insecurity Forces Early Christmas Eucharistic Celebrations

Bishop Naré  says the faithful, scouts, ‘Volunteers for the Defence of the Fatherland’ and security forces have been collaborating on big religious festivals, such as Christmas.

According to the ACN report, areas served by the Catholic Diocese of Dori are also continuously facing security, humanitarian, and pastoral challenges which international community seems to ignore.

“Either it knows, and it doesn’t react, or it doesn’t act because it doesn’t know,” Bishop Naré says, deploring the lack of media attention given to the terrorist crisis Christians in Burkina Faso suffering, with displaced people facing enormous needs and Christian communities showing great resilience.

The Dioceses, he says, lack the means to document the attacks, reminding people of the urgency of international aid or pass on testimonies. He says media did not even cover the historic anniversary event at Yagma.

According to the report, northern Burkina Faso remains one of the country’s most affected regions, even though there are signs of improvement.

“To my knowledge, there have been no recent kidnappings in the two dioceses under my responsibility, but several attacks have caused dozens of deaths. It is, however, difficult to get reliable statistics,” Bishop Naré says.

In the Diocese of Dori, only two Parishes—Dori and Gorom—remain operational, and the Bishop can reach them only under military escort or by helicopter. 

In Ouahigouya, the Parish of Thiou, near the Malian border, has been closed.

“Overall, violence is not on the rise, but the situation remains difficult in the villages, where the Christian communities have largely been displaced to the towns where there is more security,” Bishop Naré says.

As a result, population pressures have intensified. In Kougoussi, a town of his Diocese, and in Kaya, the population tripled in ten years. The population has tripled over the past decade due to the influx of displaced families.

Bishop Naré outlines some of the things the church is doing in taking care of the people during difficulties, such as provisions of necessities, “food, shelter, medical care.”

“It’s a question of survival,” he says, adding that the needs are immense. 

The camps are full, and there is no room for new families. The displaced people often come with physical injuries, illnesses, and trauma, and turn to the hospitals, the missions, the Priests, or directly to the Bishop.

According to the ACN report, many Christians have had to flee their homes and now live in camps for the displaced. Getting displaced children into school, helping Catechists and Seminarians, and providing psychological support are likewise crucial. 

ACN says that despite continuous insecurities in the region, the people of the West African nation continue to keep their faith alive for the tenth consecutive year, celebrating Christmas Masses before nightfall.

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The Catholic Bishop commended the persistence of the people, quoting Tertullian, saying, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.” 

“The keyword is resilience: persevering in prayer, hope, and doing good,” he added.

The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Kaya remembered the 125th anniversary of the evangelization of the country, celebrated in March at the Marian sanctuary of Yagma, with two million faithful taking part.

On February 16 the Catholic Church in Burkina Faso celebrated the culmination of its 125th anniversary of evangelization with a national pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Yagma in the country’s Ouagadougou Archdiocese.

“If the enemy was thinking of snuffing out Christianity, it’s wasting its time: Christianity in Africa is spreading,” he emphasized.

Also indicating the growth of the faith in the region, Bishop Kientega tells ACN that he celebrates Mass at the chaplaincy of the civil prison in Ouahigouya regularly.

He said that the Mass celebrated at the prison brings together people of different denominations, both Catholics, Muslims, and Protestants.

Bishop Kientega also expressed happiness in the approval of a new project to develop the chaplaincy by ACN, saying, “This pastoral presence nourishes many conversions.”

The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Ouahigouya congratulated the efforts of ACN and its benefactors for their support, saying, “ACN takes into account all the dimensions of the human person. We can only congratulate the benefactors and encourage them to continue.”