Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
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Mangaf (Agenzia Fides) - "We will hold on to our faith, despite all the daily difficulties and hardships. We will never give up even in difficult moments. Our Catholic faith will be an instrument that will strengthen us against all adversities", affirms Father Johny Lonis (OFM Cap), parish priest of the parish of St. Daniele Comboni in Abbasiya (see Fides, 30/5/2024), to Fides, after a serious fire broke out in a residential building in the southern district of Mangaf. According to local authorities, about fifty people died from the smoke emitted by the flames and several were injured. "The victims are all migrant workers who lived in the burned building", continues Father Lonis. The authorities took immediate action and carried out strict checks on fire safety and building regulations, so that our parish of Saint Daniele Comboni had to be temporarily closed. "Until the fire broke out, we were able to hold our services and meetings in the basements under some residential buildings, made available to us thanks to the generosity of the local authorities. Now we have had to close and the owner has asked us to remove all sacred objects from the building for safety reasons. At the moment we no longer have a place to celebrate Holy Mass, but we are confident, also thanks to the proximity of our Bishop Aldo Berardi (O.SS.T), Apostolic Vicar of Northern Arabia, with whom we prayed when he came to us to seek solutions together," said the religious. "While we wait for the reopening, we continue to visit families and pray together with them wherever we can," concludes the parish priest of the parish of St. Daniele Comboni. "Our parishioners have to do without worship services and unfortunately we have experienced this even after the Coronavirus pandemic, but we do not give up because we have full confidence in the resources that the Lord will make available to us." To facilitate the resumption of meetings, the owner of the basement has reached an agreement with Bishop Berardi, establishing some new safety conditions. "A meeting with the local authorities is planned shortly to find a long-term solution for the many Christians in the area," the Apostolic Vicar of Northern Arabia, which includes the parish of St. Daniele Comboni, told Fides. (AP) (Agenzia Fides, 2/7/2024)
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