In the Democratic Republic, despite the conflicts, the Missionaries of Africa (White Fathers) run a community for 250 girls who are victims of various forms of abuse and a carpentry school
Every morning he stops for 45 minutes in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament to draw “the love and courage to continue the mission in such a traumatic environment”. Bernard Ugeux is the person in charge of the ongoing formation of the Missionaries of Africa (the White Fathers) and is committed, in the Bukavu headquarters, to the reception and reintegration of victims of gender-based violence. Just fifty years ago he began his service in the Democratic Republic of Congo with a missionary experience also in Tanzania. Today he lives in the eastern part of the country, in an area marked by a climate of terror perpetrated by 118 armed groups.
The closeness of the Church to the population is concrete because, as he says, “it is a matter of being present among people, of listening to them, of being in solidarity with them, of giving them the support of the Gospel, not only through the sacraments and prayer, but also with material obligations in the service of compassion and justice “that cannot be separated. “The temptation is to limit ourselves to taking care of the victims without addressing the roots of the violence that arises from injustice and corruption. There are days, when despair takes over, because you no longer have the means and strength, when the confrontation is so painful and desperate to bear. It is here that being rooted in prayer is essential to be able to offer the compassionate face of Jesus to people ”. The context in which it operates is complex. «I have seen – he continues – the ambivalence of the consequences of the experience of great poverty, which at times is misery, in the cities. This encourages many people to experience great solidarity in discomfort, mutual help and mutual acceptance. But poverty also generates violence, when there is no future for young people, not even for graduates, when there is no state and anarchy reigns, sometimes voluntarily maintained, to encourage all types of trafficking. In the end, only the law of the strongest prevails. There is an abyss between the ostentatious wealth of the rich, often acquired illegally, and the extreme poverty of the overwhelming majority of the population ”.
Along his journey he discovered closely “the strength of family solidarity, love for life, courage in difficulties, the resilience of women especially at the center of the violence and traumas that mark the region, their great faith in the Lord. and their attachment to the Church ”.
Since he returned to the Democratic Republic of Congo 11 years ago, alongside the ongoing formation work for consecrated persons, he has dedicated himself to welcoming and reintegrating victims of gender-based violence and poverty. With a network of friends, and without any support (neither from the state nor from the diocese) she carries out projects for the most vulnerable: an asylum for 250 girls who are victims of various forms of abuse who are welcomed from three to five years for rebuild and acquire a profession to become independent; a carpentry school in the gold mining region to allow young people to leave the mining slavery and acquire a trade and receive the basic tools to achieve autonomy.
The list of needs is long even if the missionaries do not feel alone because “the Lord is among us and sustains us with his Spirit”. The Church is committed to the animation of Christians in their spheres of life and in the social and health fields. «The great poverty makes it difficult to self-finance all activities; we must recognize the generosity, even if it is not sufficient, of the Christians of rich countries ». And then there is the great unsolved theme of fear. “In our area, the population needs peace (with the end of armed groups), justice and to rediscover the sense of the common good with politicians who take action for an economy truly at the service of all”.
There are those who, like Father Bernard, have personally put themselves on the line, and those who even thousands of kilometers away can offer their contribution. “We need – he concludes – the prayer, the solidarity of the Christians of the northern hemisphere, who show interest in our struggle, and of course their financial support to guarantee the management costs, salaries and equipment of the various works at the service of poorer”.
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