Brazil: In tears, a bishop thanks ACN

Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) had a stand at the latest meeting of the bishops’ conference of Brazil, the largest Catholic country in the world. The pontifical foundation used this opportunity to spend time with bishops of needy dioceses and to share stories of Christian suffering from other countries, especially Nigeria.

ACN was present at the latest gathering of the National Conference of Brazilian Bishops (CNBB) in the state of São Paulo to listen to the Brazilian bishops, namely those who lead dioceses that already receive ACN’shelp.

Rafael D’Aqui, ACN International’s head of projects for Latin-America, , was also in attendance: “I heard stories about a Church that faces great challenges: first, in terms of distance, with parishes that are sometimes 300 miles from the center of the diocese; then, there are different cultural realities, with a variety of ethnicities living in the same diocese.”.

D’Aqui added, “There are also areas suffering from social conflict, like illegal mining operations, drugs, and violence, which [are] like an open wound that affects pastoral work.”

He also said that he was struck by “the gratitude of the bishops to ACN and its benefactors, for all that they have done for the suffering Church in Brazil, in the Amazon region, in the countryside, from north to south. I had bishops in tears, telling me that they can carry out their pastoral ministry, thanks to the support of the generous men and women who contribute to ACN.”

The CNBB is one of the largest gatherings of Catholic bishops in the world, with more than 300 prelates representing the country’s 279 jurisdictions, as well as 100 retired bishops.

This year’s gathering was an elective assembly, with bishops voting on new chairmen of different departments, as well as the leadership of the CNBB itself, and taking stock of a four-year term which has recently drawn to a close. The outgoing chairman, Archbishop Walmor Oliveira de Azevedo, described the past four years as stormy and one of the most difficult in the history of Brazil, due to increased polarization and the effects of the COVID-19pandemic. “In the midst of the storm, the CNBB was like a boat in the middle of a difficult crossing, but the Lord called on us to seek hope,” he said.

ACN also presented the Brazilian bishops with information about the persecuted Church, asking Monsignor John Bakeni, auxiliary bishop of Maiduguri in Nigeria, to record a video message that was played for the assembly and introduced by Ana Manente, the president of ACN Brazil,.

In his message, Monsignor Bakeni recalled: “Since  2009, the Islamist group Boko Haram has inflicted mass terror on civilians, killing more than 60,000 Nigerians, abducting thousands more, and forcing millions to leave their homes.

In March 2008, Boko Haram swore to wage war on Nigerians, and on Christians in Nigeria, with a spokesman for the militants saying that they would put an end to the country’s Christian presence and install an Islamic state in which Christians would not be able to live.  We need help, and we need you to exert whatever influence you can on our government, to strengthen religious freedom.”

Monsignor Bakeni ended the video with special thanks to ACN, which aided the Nigerian people through prayer, solidarity, and financial support. “Over the years, it has given us hope and a renewed reason to live. Even though the Diocese of Maiduguri was shaken to its core, because of ACN, it is now stronger.”