He added, “There are armed gangs in the streets, which seriously obstruct traffic and can be dangerous, but I trust in the Baraka (Arabic for “heavenly blessing”) and up until now, it has not left me in a lurch.”
“And on my travels again and again, I see abandoned village communities. These people feel that nobody cares about them. They die like animals, without even a health center. They must be reminded that they are children of God. Therefore, I take off my cardinal’s robe, make myself small, travel through the land, and say to them, ‘Even if people have forgotten you, God has not forgotten you,’” he said.
The Archbishop of Bangui noted that the government of CAR is doing everything to restore calm in the country, saying, “In defense of the government, it must be said that our country is as big as France, and it is difficult to control such an area. Apart from that, there are still areas that are controlled by the rebels.”
He said that despite their hardships, the people of God in CAR are friendly and go on with their affairs with joy.
“I recently visited Ouadda, a small town in the country’s northeast. People gave me a very friendly welcome and even organized a party for me. They were happy because they realized that they hadn’t been abandoned, and because while I was there, they didn’t have to observe the curfew imposed by the rebels,” the member of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit under the protection of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (CSSp.) also known as the Spiritans or Holy Ghost Fathers said.
Cardinal Nzapalainga narrated that he encountered one of the leaders of a rebel group in the country who tried to block his way, and added, “The same evening, the parishioners prayed for us; the mayor, the pastors, and the Imams came to stand up for me.”
“The next day, when I told the local rebel leader that I wanted to go, he at first blocked my way. But then, ten minutes later, he said I could go. I was relieved, but I rebuked him: I reminded him that he was a leader, that his word counted, and that therefore, he couldn’t just say anything. I was taken to his superior, and there he suddenly became like a small child that has been caught doing something,” the Cardinal said, and added, “There are many people like that here. They have no formation, so they make up for it with muscles.”
The Spiritan Cardinal said that insecurity in CAR has rendered some parts of the country inaccessible even for teachers who have left some schools unattended.
“In Central Africa, we have such a young population! So many young people. However, during the unstable years since 2013, they have not been going to school, and even now, education is very patchy. Teachers often do not want to go into remote districts, because they are afraid of the rebels,” he said.
According to the Cardinal, teachers in the country are also badly paid. He noted that the only people who get paid in the country are the military because “you don’t want to be on bad terms with them.”
