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Sierra Leone: Catholic Church on front line fighting Ebola


The Catholic Church in Sierra Leone remains on the front line in providing food and hygiene necessities to people living with the effects of the deadly Ebola virus. Bishop Henry Aruna, National Director of Missio in Sierra Leone, is grateful for the support of the Catholic community in England and Wales.

Despite widespread help from around the globe, there has been a 66% increase of new cases each day during the last three weeks. Up to 3 December, there have been 6,601 confirmed cases, with 1,601 people dying of Ebola in total.

Sierra Leone relies on the Church as a major provider of health services. Bishop Henry says, ‘The Mission Hospitals are overwhelmed by the sheer volume of sick and dying people arriving every day. It is not only the sick and the dying who need our assistance, but the children who are orphaned and the elderly who have no one to care for them.’

Through support from Missio around the world, Bishop Henry has been able to instigate food deliveries to people in quarantined homes.

Another major issue is that bodies have to be cremated. This is counter-cultural, and Bishop Henry explains that the Church has a major role in reassuring relatives that this process is proper in such circumstances.

‘The major factor of the escalation of the infection is ignorance and denial. We are using our Missio-funded station, Radio Maria, to inform people of the facts about Ebola and how to prevent it. We are also teaching classes via Radio Maria for children whose primary and secondary schools have had to close to avoid the spread of the disease.’

The money raised by the Catholic Community has already provided essential help. ‘We are very grateful to Missio England and Wales for your prayers and support during these difficult times. Your donation has helped us to play a front line role in facing the challenges of the Ebola epidemic. We have been able to provide rice and salt for families who have not received food packages from other agencies, as well as bathing and laundry soap and toothpaste to help with hygiene. The diocese and the country need all the support we can get to continue our work of giving hope and addressing the Ebola crisis. Thank you for your continued support.’

A large part of the funds sent to Bishop Henry came from a collection within the Pan Africa Catholic Community in the London area. Many members of the community have family and friends in Africa who know first-hand the daily struggle against Ebola. At the end of their recent Mass, celebrated by Bishop Pat Lynch SSCC, they had a spontaneous collection to raise funds to support communities in Africa. They raised over £600, which they asked Missio, the Pope’s official charity for overseas mission, to ensure went to those who need it.

Mgr Canon James Cronin, Missio’s National Director, thanked the Pan African Community for their generosity, reassuring them that, ‘your support is helping the Church be with the people suffering with Ebola, providing health care and laboratory centres. It’s enabling the Church to be Church: to be with the people, praying with them, mourning with them, whilst staying for the long-term, even when everyone else has left.’

Missio is continuing to send money directly to Bishop Henry and other dioceses working on the ground in communities affected by Ebola. Donations can be made by calling 020 7821 9755 during office hours, or through: www.missio.org.uk

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