“To all the Christians of the Central African Republic, I want you not to be afraid. We are called upon to trust in God. We are called upon to turn to the Lord who remains our savior,” the Archbishop of Bangui said and continued, “If the Lord is with us, who can be against us? It is with the weapons of faith that we will have to overcome physical or spiritual attacks and diseases. If we put our trust in the Lord, and turn to Him, we will never be disappointed.”
The Spiritan Prelate invited “Christians to form chains of prayer, to turn to the Lord and to pray to the Virgin Mary.”
“In the history of mankind, there have been times of a plague outbreak, there have been other diseases and believers have turned to God and we have seen that what is impossible for man is not impossible for God. The Lord acts through the things that happen and reflect our fragility and human nature,” the Cardinal said.
He added, “In the Archdiocese of Bangui, we are going to issue a communiqué in connection with the essential message carried by the government to invite everyone to remain in the perspective of the protection of life because we must seek to save life and not to pose a threat or bring death.”
Meanwhile, in Sao Tome, the Minister of Health, Edgar Neves, met Monday, March 16 with Bishop Manuel António Mendes dos Santos of the Diocese of São Tomé and Príncipe, to seek the collaboration of the Catholic Church in the prevention of the spread of COVID-19.
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Both parties discussed issues related to preventive measures with Bishop Manuel António expressing the will of the Catholic Church to support the government.
“This virus does not choose the people and therefore it is a battle we all must fight. We are ready to support the government in sensitizing our people about this disease,” Bishop António said.
He added, “Right now I think we have to forget our political backgrounds, our rivalries and join hands together and fight this epidemic that has brought fear and panic to our people.”
The President of São Tomé and Príncipe, Evaristo Carvalho, decreed on Tuesday, March 17 a state of national emergency to prevent the spread of Covid-19, according to reports. The Prime Minister, Jorge Bom Jesus, also announced a ban on entry into the country of all foreign citizens.
Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.