a simple priest
A letter from Father Martin Lasarte, Salesian, from Angola, Africa.
More noise a falling tree that grows a forest.
not intend to make an apology or the Church or priests.
The priest is neither a hero nor a neurotic.
is a simple man, whose humanity is seeking to follow Jesus and serve his brothers.
I'm just a Catholic priest 20 years ago Uruguayan living in Angola.
I am happy and proud of my vocation.
gives me great pain by the profound evil that priests should be signs of God's love, to be a dagger in the lives of innocents.
No word as to justify such acts.
I see in many media, the expansion of a morbid topic, investigating in detail the life of a pedophile priest.
Thus it appears one of a U.S. city in the 70's, one in Australia in the 80's and well in front, other recent cases ...
is a curious little story and disregard for thousands and thousands of priests who are consumed by millions of children, adolescents and disadvantaged in the four corners of the world!
I think that the media do not care that I had to be carried by mined roads in 2002, many children malnourished from Cangumbe to Lwena (Angola), since neither the government was available and NGOs were not allowed.
There was news that had to bury dozens of small deaths among displaced by war and those who have returned; you have saved the lives of thousands of people in Moxico by one medical station at 90,000 km2, as well as distributing food and seeds;
we have given the opportunity of education in these 10 years more than 110,000 school children ...
interest is not with other priests have had to relieve the humanitarian crisis of nearly 15,000 people in the barracks of the guerrilla, after his surrender, because the food came from the Government and the UN.
's not news that 75 years a priest, Fr Roberto, by night tour the city of Luanda healing the street children, taking them to a shelter, so that gas detox; literate that hundreds of prisoners, that other priests, and P. Stefano, are temporary homes for children who are beaten, abused and even raped and seek shelter.
not that Fray Maiato its 80 years, go from house to house comforting the sick and desperate.
's not news that more than 60,000 of the 400,000 priests and religious have left their land and their families to serve their brothers in a leper colony, hospital, golf refugees, orphanages for children accused of sorcerers and orphans of parents who died with AIDS in the poorest schools, training centers, care centers ... positive zero or parishes and missions giving reasons people to live and love.
's not news that my friend, Fr Marcos Aurelio, to save some young people during the war in Angola, already shipped Kalule to Dondo and returning to his mission has been gunned down in the road
that Brother Francis, with five women catechists, to go to help rural areas innermost have died in an assault on the street, dozens of missionaries in Angola have died from lack of health relief, by a simple malaria others have blown up due to a mine, visiting people.
Kalula In the cemetery are the graves of the first priests who came to the region ... passes None 40. It's not news
accompany the life of a priest "normal" in their day to day, eating difficulties and joys of his life quietly for the community it serves.
The truth is that we do not seek headlines, but simply to bring good news, the news that started quietly in the night of Passover.
More noise a falling tree that grows a forest.
do not intend to make an apology or the Church or priests.
The priest is neither a hero nor a neurotic.
is a simple man, whose humanity is seeking to follow Jesus and serve his brothers.
P. Martin Lasarte, Salesian, in Angola, Africa.
