Echoes of the Plenary Council – 25th November 2019 (2)

After a day of relaxation in Jinja, a Eucharistic celebration at the first phase centre where we were received as elders, where we planted two trees, one in memory of the 150th and the other in memory of our young confrere Maurice Aduol Onyambo who studied philosophy there, an excursion to the Nile River and then to the Nile spring, we continued our thoughts and sharing on Monday November 25th. This time, it was our confrere Stéphane Joulain who led us in the reflection on the theme of the protection of minors and vulnerable adults. What attention should we give to the victim of abuse if we want to put into practice what the Pope invites us to do in his letter Vos estis lux mundi? How should the provincial and his team deal with the confrere who is accused of such a crime and how can they help him to deal with this very delicate situation?

It was a busy day as we looked at what we were doing in the provinces and what could be done better today. We are aware that there have been advances since the chapter, but that we must not stop there, that there is still room for improvement, especially with regard to support for victims. The rain, as it happens almost every day, came to help us during the afternoon nap to regain our strength to undertake the second part of our exchanges, always on the same subject. And in the evening, to feed our dreams, what better way to watch a short film together about the work of our confreres in Gao, Mali! Especially since tomorrow, we will not fail to celebrate in the evening the birth of the Cardinal in heaven….

Réal Doucet