Ongoing formation for 45 priests and deacons in the Diocese of Bouar
The Central African Republic is one of the poorest and most underdeveloped nations in the world and continues to be plagued by constant unrest and coup attempts. Many areas of the country are being controlled by a variety of armed rebel groups.
The Church continues to proclaim the Good News and to bring the sacraments to the people, but it has also stepped up in areas that are officially under the responsibility of the state. Some examples include providing basic health care, running schools and nurseries, providing development aid, negotiating with the various armed groups, and repeatedly providing shelter to victims of the rebel attacks.
The challenges facing priests and pastoral workers are immense. And so every year the Diocese of Bouar organizes a few days of meetings, covering various topics, for the support and ongoing formation of its current pastoral team of 45 priests and deacons. This year, a psychiatrist will be helping them to understand the crucially important issue of how to respond to those who have been traumatized by the violence they have experienced.
Members of the Church also affected
Sadly, there are many such people in the country who have suffered the trauma of rebel attacks on their homes and villages. Many have witnessed family members and neighbours being attacked or killed, or their own homes burned down. Indeed, the priests themselves have frequently witnessed this kind of violence and have found themselves caring for the victims—or have been victims themselves of attacks or have been threatened with guns or other weapons.
Recently, landmines have also become a growing threat, buried on roads and tracks by the rebels. Many people have been wounded or even killed, and in the first four months of 2023 alone, two missionary priests from the Diocese of Bouar have also been affected. On February 10, Italian Carmelite Father Norberto Pozzi (71) drove over a landmine, which exploded directly under his front wheel. Astonishingly, he survived, but he was seriously injured and has lost his left foot as a result. Then on April 16, another Italian priest, Sacred Heart Father Arialdo Urbani (83) also drove over a landmine. He himself was uninjured, but four of his passengers were killed, including two children. He had already survived an earlier landmine explosion in 2021, which killed his co-driver.
The ongoing formation also includes training in the safeguarding of minors and other questions of parish administration—something for which many priests have little prior training when they are allocated to parishes which require this kind of knowledge.
These formation sessions have proven to be extremely valuable in past years, and so we are keen to support them again this year, with a contribution of $5,796.
