Bobo-Dioulasso, 22 May, 2021 / 11:00 pm (ACI Africa).
The just completed renovation of Our Lady of Lourdes Cathedral of Burkina Faso’s Bobo-Dioulasso Archdiocese is a source of “pride” for the Catholic community in the West African nation, the Cardinal who presided over the inauguration of the renovated Cathedral has said.
“We give thanks, gratitude and appreciation to God for the means he has given us to renovate this cathedral, which is the pride of the entire Catholic community,” the Archbishop of Mali’s Bamako Archdiocese, Jean Cardinal Zerbo said during the Sunday, May 16 event.
The Malian Cardinal hailed the “efforts of the faithful who have made it possible for this place to be restored” and expressed the hope that the inauguration of the renovated Cathedral would also be “the renewal of the faith of the Catholic faithful in Christ.”
Known to be the second oldest church building in Burkina Faso, Our Lady of Lourdes Cathedral is listed as a touristic site in the West African nation. It was consecrated and opened to the public in 1960. With the passage of time, the structure weakened, posing a threat to worshippers and local residents.
While the initiative to renovate the 61-year-old Cathedral started in 2016 with fundraising, the actual renovation began in July 2020.