Niamey, 14 October, 2020 / 9:40 pm (ACI Africa).
Fr. Pier Luigi Maccalli, a member of Society of African Missions (SMA) who was recently freed after two years of captivity has been hailed as a “man of faith, forgiveness and fraternity.”
Fr. Maccalli was released on October 8. The Italian-born missionary had been kidnapped by unknown people the night of 17 September 2018 in his mission at Bomoanga in Niger, near the Burkina Faso border.
In a Wednesday, October 14 report seen by ACI Africa, SMA Superior General, Fr. Antonio Porcellato recounts his encounter with Fr. Maccalli in Rome soon after his October 8 release by jihadists saying he cannot forget his confrere's “deep faith, despite the doubts” he had in captivity.
“I was struck by his call for forgiveness, fraternity, the hope that we can reach an understanding with the jihadists,” Fr. Antonio says.
He recalls Fr. Maccalli saying, “There are other hostages left in the hands of terrorists. We must have the ideal of fraternity within us, and try to resolve our conflicts and our misunderstandings with non-violence.”