Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Asmara (Agenzia Fides) - "When Solomon became king, he did not ask the Lord for wealth and power, but for wisdom and insight to guide the people of God", said Sister Tsegereda Yonanne of the Comboni Missionary Sisters (CMS) after her election as General Secretary of the Eritrean Bishops' Conference. "I am always fascinated by the wisdom of King Solomon", said the nun. "I ask God for his wisdom to bring the leadership and the staff of the Eritrean Catholic Secretariat (ErCS) together so that we can do our job together well", said Sister Tsegereda. The first religious to be elected head of the ERCS stressed that her priority would be to carry out pastoral, humanitarian and social activities on behalf of the Catholic Church for the entire Eritrean population regardless of ethnicity, religion or age. "The conflict between Eritrea and Ethiopia is unfortunately an endless problem", said the Comboni missionary sister about the serious crisis in the Tigray region (see Fides, 1/6/2021). "The Eritrean bishops had clearly condemned the war and asked the leaders of the two countries to resolve the problem peacefully. We are committed to understanding how people can be reconciled".
The new General Secretary succeeds Father Tesfaghiorghis Kiflom, who has served the Secretariat for almost eight and a half years, since January 2013. "I congratulate Sister Tsegereda and invite her to maintain peaceful relations with government offices and observe the communication protocol with the ErCS partners, as this will help in the process of raising awareness", said the religious and outgoing general secretary. The Comboni Missionary Sister took up office in the Secretariat at the beginning of June 2021. Before that, she worked for almost five years in pastoral care for Catholic university students in Eritrea. She was also a councilor for the Comboni Missionary Sisters in the region. (AP) (Agenzia Fides, 15/6/2021)
