Niger: Priest held captive by Jihadists for 750 days, says greatest battle was not hating

Father Pier Luigi Maccalli © ACN

Source: Aid to the Church in Need

A Catholic missionary who spent more than two years chained and threatened with death by Islamist extremists said the greatest battle of his captivity was not surviving his kidnappers but resisting the temptation to hate them.

Father Pier Luigi Maccalli told Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) the ordeal transformed his understanding of faith, peace and forgiveness.

The Italian missionary was serving in the remote village of Bomoanga, Niger when armed jihadists seized him during the night of 17th September 2018 and transported him across the border into neighbouring Mali.

He said: "When I realised that my kidnappers were not common criminals, as I initially thought, but jihadists, it was like a punch in the gut. A heavy stone fell on me and crushed me. The weight was too much, and I cried tears of despair."

What followed was a 750-day ordeal marked by isolation, uncertainty and repeated threats to his life but one moment remains etched in his memory.

"It was 23rd May. A jihadist told me: 'At the first opportunity, I'm going to put a bullet in your forehead'. And he was not joking."

Fr Maccalli said captivity forced him to confront one of Christianity's most difficult teachings - loving your enemies.

The priest confessed wrestling with Christ's command while living under the control of men who stripped him of his freedom.

He said: "I asked myself: 'How can I love these people who have taken away my freedom, chained me every day, and threatened me with death?'"

His answer came through prayer and reflection on the words spoken by Jesus during the crucifixion.

"It was only when I was able to say, alongside the man on the cross: 'Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do', that I was able to fully understand the new logic of the Beatitudes."

Prayer became his lifeline throughout the long months of captivity.

He said: "Rather than resistance, it was a dedication to a kingdom of peace. I made a rosary out of cloth and that, together with spontaneous prayers, kept me connected to my family and to the communities for which I interceded. I learned to be a missionary with my heart, not with my feet."

During the lonely days of captivity, prayer also became a weapon against despair: "I discovered that praying is to counter the solitude of feeling abandoned by God."

Today, as jihadist violence continues to destabilise large parts of the Sahel, including Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Nigeria, Fr Maccalli had a message of encouragement for Christians living under the shadow of extremist violence.

He said: "During my imprisonment, I remembered these words of Jesus: 'Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven'.

"I admit that it was difficult for me to rejoice, but it comforted me to know that I was in communion with Jesus."

He thanked everyone who prayed for his release adding: "I am convinced that my freedom is the result of the prayers of many: monasteries, parish communities, and many ordinary believers…

"To all of them, my sincere thanks, and I renew my invitation to everyone to believe and hope, to pray and to work for peace."

With thanks to Paulo Aido

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