AFRICA/EGYPT - A missionary from Cairo: "The days in the mission pass quickly"

Cairo (Agenzia Fides) - "I have started learning Arabic and two days a week, early in the morning, we go from our neighborhood to the Comboni school with Patrick and Florindo," says Anselmo Fabiano, an Italian missionary from Cairo. "I must say that it is quite an adventure."

The young missionary from the Society of African Missions describes the emotions and feelings that accompany daily life. "Just being able to shop at the market, chat with the children or share with the small Christian community that comes to mass is already a great success," he says. "On the days when I don't go to school, learning Arabic takes up a lot of my free time, which is actually always very limited. But I do it with pleasure and passion because I know how important it is to be able to communicate, to listen and to understand in order to build relationships with the people I meet." "Nevertheless, I am always fascinated by the power of a smile, an attentive look, these simple gestures of kindness that go beyond words," says Father Anselmo. "Like on Wednesdays, when I spend the morning with the disabled children in our school. No big words are needed, just a simple presence, a look and a few signs, and an incredible harmony is established. Or when I offer my service to the poor in the community of the Sisters of Mother Teresa, it is wonderful how we are welcomed, with a smile, a hug and a handshake that overcomes all language barriers and makes us feel part of their lives!” “The first days of school were precious opportunities to make new acquaintances and, thanks to the organized excursions, we also had the pleasure of delving into the discovery of the roots of the Christian faith in Egypt,” the missionary continues. “We went into the desert to learn about the life of the monks, men of prayer, work and fraternal community. Even the desert is now fertile ground where, thanks to the patient care of the monks, trees of all kinds flourish, along with the fruits of the seeds of the Word of God that have sprouted in people’s lives,” he reports. "We also had the opportunity to enter one of the most fundamental places for Islam, the Al-Azhar Mosque: one of the oldest universities in the world and the most prestigious seat of Sunni Islam. Entering this place of worship and walking barefoot on the white floor, I enjoyed a moment of silence surrounded by hundreds of people praying: a small foretaste of fraternity," concluded Father Anselmo. (AP) (Agenzia Fides, 16/10/2024)

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