2015-10-17 12:10:00

Bishop thanks Pope Francis for being close during the Ebola crisis


The Church in Sierra Leone has thanked Pope Francis for being close to them during the Ebola Virus Disease outbreak of last year.

Sierra Leone’s Bishop of Bo Diocese,  Charles Allieu Matthew Campbell is attending the Synod of Bishops on the Family, currently taking place at the Vatican. This week, Bishop Campbell had the opportunity to publicly thank Pope Francis for the prayers, support and for financial assistance to his country.  The Bishop used part of his presentation, at the Synod, to thank Pope Francis.

Bishop Campbell said the Church in Sierra Leone is grateful that Pope Francis expressed solidarity with the people of his country at a very difficult time. The Pope went a mile further and provided “some generous donation” that the Church in Sierra Leone used for the pastoral care and support of devastated families and communities.

“In my intervention (this week at the Synod of Bishops on the Family), I thanked the Holy Father because we did get some assistance. In addition to the prayers that he offered, he also sent us some generous donation to help us help families. We are very grateful. We also had a lot of support from other people (and organisations),” Bishop Campbell told the Africa Service of Vatican Radio.

According to the Bishop, in its wake the Ebola virus outbreak left a toll of destruction. In some cases entire families and even whole villages were wiped out. The Bishop spoke of families that remain traumatised to this day. Many children have been orphaned and families have been left stranded because heads of households are dead.

Nevertheless, the Bishop is hopeful that slowly things will pick-up though he says it will take a long time especially to rebuild the economic and agricultural livelihoods of people. At the peak of the disease, agricultural fields were abandoned. Many people who depend on the land need help in order for them to re-start their farms.

“It is well over 200 days now and our country may be declared Ebola-free on the 8 November, this year –please God, if things continue the way they are going,” Bishop Campbell said.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), as of 11 October 2015, there were no new confirmed cases of Ebola in the whole of West Africa. This is the second consecutive week with zero confirmed cases. Nevertheless, 150 registered contacts remain under follow-up in Guinea. WHO continues to warn countries and communities to exercise caution as the disease could easily recur.

(Fr. Paul Samasumo)

e-mail: engafrica@vatiradio.va

Listen to an extract of Bishop Campbell's interview here:

 

 








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