Fr. Marano's Testimony - Burundi’s Young Peaceworkers
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OTHER NEWS Asia Bibi’s appeal is rejected and her death sentence upheld Her case is now in the hands of the Supreme Court. The news will surely provoke... Coutts: “Asia Bibi’s case is an example of a broken family” The Archbishop of Karachi, who is taking part in the Synod on the Family, says... Scorsese and the Jesuits: Lights, camera, action! After years spent working on an idea for a new film on Cristóvão Ferreira,... “Malala and Kailash’s Nobel Peace Prizes are an opportunity” Churches say Issues such as women’s rights and the right to education are once again at the... ALL NEWS » OTHERS SECTIONS NEWS New universally understandable translation of the Bible now out WORLD NEWS Sri Lanka’s Buddhists turn the heat up a notch INQUIRIES AND INTERVIEWS Fisichella on how to break the deadlock over remarried divorcees THE VATICAN Francis: “Our name is in God’s heart and in God’s bowels” DOCUMENTS Cardinal Parolin’s Address to 69th Session of UN General Assembly REVIEWS “McGivney prepared the Knights of Columbus to help the Popes” LANGUAGE: Italiano English Español www.vaticaninsider.com The Pope’s speeches :: Thursday 16 October 2014 :: Home :: News World News :: Inquiries and Interviews :: The Vatican :: Agenda :: About us :: libri search FR. MARANO SURROUNDED BY HIS BOYS AND GIRLS 10/11/2014 Burundi’s young peaceworkers Tweet Tweet 4 0 The Kamenge Centre brings together 43,000 young people near the convent of the Saverian nuns who were slain in September. Here is the testimony of Fr. Claudio Marano, a priest who has been living in Bujumbura for 25 years DAVIDE DEMICHELIS ROME They are just a few hundred metres away from the convent where three Saverian nuns were massacred between 7 and 8 September. They have been there for 25 years. And there’s quite a few of them: 43,150 new members signed up this year. They are the boys and girls of the Kamenge youth Centre in Bujumbura, the capital of Burundi. The centre is run by 63-year-old Saverian missionary, Fr. Claudio Marano, who has been in Burundi since 1990. “We strive for peace, working with young people of all ethnic backgrounds, religions and nationalities.” White beard, round face, imposing build and colourful oversized African shirts. Fr. Claudio never stops and neither do his many collaborators: “We need to calm people’s hearts, even by playing football or watching a film. On football pitches and volley ball courts, in sewing classes and literacy courses, the Centre aims to help the inhabitants of one of the toughest neighbourhoods in Bujumbura to grow, get to know one another and above all, to live peacefully alongside each other.” And yet not far from the centre grounds, three Saverian missionaries, Lucia, Olga and Benedetta, fell victim to a merciless crime: “This is how it is here, anything can happen, at any moment. Maybe someone was paid to kill them. It is unlikely the nuns would have provoked the attack, even involuntarily. In fact they may have been killed because they hadn’t done anything wrong.” Fr. Claudio knows how things work in that part of the world. He has lost count of the number of threats he has received. He received 25 threats a day during the war: “They would come and start shooting behind the convent and then I was warned by telephone. Once I was captured, interrogated and then by miracle the police came to release me.” Hutus and Tutsis were engaged in a 13-year war - in Burundi and nearby Rwanda - that spanned from 1993 to 2005. The conflict has been put to rest now but divisions remain and are one of the main causes of instability in the country. This was the climate in which the three nuns were killed. And it is in this climate that 43, 000 young people meet here every day to play and grow together at the Kamenge youth centre: “It is important to stress that in Burundi there are people who are working for peace!” Fr. Claudio raises his voice: he will not allow the country he loves to be remembered solely for negative reasons. Nevertheless, he continues to look at the situation with a healthy realism: “We haven’t had any news about the progress of the murder inquiry.” The man accused of massacring the nuns is in prison (the sim from their cell phone was found in his pocket), along with the night wardens who monitored the convent. The case seems to have been closed but certain aspects still remain unclear: why the defendant would have wanted to kill them and above all, it is unlikely he acted alone. In a country that is 62% Catholic, missionaries are well-liked among the locals: “The center grounds are surrounded by a ring of flowers: our doors are always open.” The three deceased nuns who have been buried in Bukavu, near the Burundi border, also involved in peace efforts. Fr. Claudio was present at their funeral: “Every day we show that living together is wonderful, even if we are different.” 39 Like Like (©LaPresse) (©Ansa) LANGUAGE: Italiano English Español HOME NEWS WORLD NEWS INQUIRIES AND INTERVIEWS THE VATICAN AGENDA ABOUT US search © 2011 La Stampa - LaStampa.it All rights reserved. Link | Contact Burundi’s young peaceworkers - Vatican Insider http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/world-news/detail/articolo/bu... 1 von 1 16.10.14 18:22
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Transcript of Fr. Marano's Testimony - Burundi’s Young Peaceworkers
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OTHER NEWS
Asia Bibis appeal is rejected and herdeath sentence upheldHer case is now in the hands of theSupreme Court. The news will surelyprovoke...
Coutts: Asia Bibis case is an exampleof a broken familyThe Archbishop of Karachi, who is takingpart in the Synod on the Family, says...
Scorsese and the Jesuits: Lights,camera, action!After years spent working on an idea for anew film on Cristvo Ferreira,...
Malala and Kailashs Nobel PeacePrizes are an opportunity Churches sayIssues such as womens rights and the rightto education are once again at the...ALL NEWS
OTHERS SECTIONS
NEWSNew universally understandable translation of theBible now out
WORLD NEWSSri Lankas Buddhists turn the heat up a notch
INQUIRIES AND INTERVIEWSFisichella on how to break the deadlock overremarried divorcees
THE VATICANFrancis: Our name is in Gods heart and in Godsbowels
DOCUMENTSCardinal Parolins Address to 69th Session of UNGeneral Assembly
REVIEWSMcGivney prepared the Knights of Columbus tohelp the Popes
LANGUAGE: Italiano English Espaol www.vaticaninsider.com The Popes speeches
:: Thursday 16 October 2014
:: Home :: News World News :: Inquiries and Interviews :: The Vatican :: Agenda :: About us :: libri search
FR. MARANO SURROUNDED BY HIS BOYS AND
GIRLS
10/11/2014
Burundis young peaceworkersTweetTweet 4 0
The Kamenge Centre brings together 43,000 young peoplenear the convent of the Saverian nuns who were slain inSeptember. Here is the testimony of Fr. Claudio Marano, apriest who has been living in Bujumbura for 25 yearsDAVIDE DEMICHELISROME
They are just a few hundred metres away from the convent where threeSaverian nuns were massacred between 7 and 8 September. They have beenthere for 25 years. And theres quite a few of them: 43,150 new memberssigned up this year. They are the boys and girls of the Kamenge youth Centrein Bujumbura, the capital of Burundi. The centre is run by 63-year-oldSaverian missionary, Fr. Claudio Marano, who has been in Burundi since1990. We strive for peace, working with young people of all ethnic backgrounds,religions and nationalities. White beard, round face, imposing build and
colourful oversized African shirts. Fr. Claudio never stops and neither do his many collaborators: We need to calm peopleshearts, even by playing football or watching a film. On football pitches and volley ball courts, in sewing classes and literacycourses, the Centre aims to help the inhabitants of one of the toughest neighbourhoods in Bujumbura to grow, get to know oneanother and above all, to live peacefully alongside each other. And yet not far from the centre grounds, three Saverian missionaries, Lucia, Olga and Benedetta, fell victim to a mercilesscrime: This is how it is here, anything can happen, at any moment. Maybe someone was paid to kill them. It is unlikely thenuns would have provoked the attack, even involuntarily. In fact they may have been killed because they hadnt done anythingwrong. Fr. Claudio knows how things work in that part of the world. He has lost count of the number of threats he has received. Hereceived 25 threats a day during the war: They would come and start shooting behind the convent and then I was warned bytelephone. Once I was captured, interrogated and then by miracle the police came to release me. Hutus and Tutsis wereengaged in a 13-year war - in Burundi and nearby Rwanda - that spanned from 1993 to 2005. The conflict has been put to restnow but divisions remain and are one of the main causes of instability in the country. This was the climate in which the three nuns were killed. And it is in this climate that 43, 000 young people meet here everyday to play and grow together at the Kamenge youth centre: It is important to stress that in Burundi there are people who areworking for peace! Fr. Claudio raises his voice: he will not allow the country he loves to be remembered solely for negativereasons. Nevertheless, he continues to look at the situation with a healthy realism: We havent had any news about theprogress of the murder inquiry. The man accused of massacring the nuns is in prison (the sim from their cell phone was foundin his pocket), along with the night wardens who monitored the convent. The case seems to have been closed but certainaspects still remain unclear: why the defendant would have wanted to kill them and above all, it is unlikely he acted alone. In a country that is 62% Catholic, missionaries are well-liked among the locals: The center grounds are surrounded by a ring offlowers: our doors are always open. The three deceased nuns who have been buried in Bukavu, near the Burundi border, alsoinvolved in peace efforts. Fr. Claudio was present at their funeral: Every day we show that living together is wonderful, even ifwe are different.
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2011 La Stampa - LaStampa.it All rights reserved. Link | Contact
Burundis young peaceworkers - Vatican Insider http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/world-news/detail/articolo/bu...
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