RADAR

Pray For Captives In The Sahel

Italian priest, Fr Pierluigi Maccalli, member of the Society of African Missions, kidnapped in Niger by a Malian jihadist group and released in October 2020 after nearly two years, called for prayers for those living the drama of kidnapping

BY Amedeo Lomonaco | Vatican News

SISTER GLORIA Cecilia Narváez Argoti, a Colombian religious of the Franciscan Sisters of Mary Immaculate, was kidnapped from her mission in Karangasso, southern Mali, on the evening of 7 February 2017. She recently sent a message to her brother via the International Red Cross: “I send my warmest greetings to everyone”. The note, in capital letters, confirmed her confinement, now under a different Jihadist group.

Fr Maccalli said that while in captivity, the biggest challenge he faced was loneliness. “This feeling leads one to think that everyone has forgotten about you”. For hostages, to receive a picture of their loved ones can fill up their hearts and give them courage in their confinement. It is crucial to make hostages feel that they have not been forgotten even when they come back. “When I came back, I found out that many people had prayed and hoped for my liberation”.

“Let us not forget the hostages in the Sahel and in so many parts of the world, but continue to pray, support and ask for their release. Let us not forget their suffering and the suffering of their families,” said Fr Maccalli.