Freetown, Sierra Leone, Apr 17, 2018 / 04:23 pm (ACI Prensa).- In Sierra Leone, Salesian missionaries are working to extract girls working as prostitutes from their lifestyle, providing them with shelter and helping them to be reunited with family members or placed in adoptive homes.
In 2016, Salesian missionaries working in Freetown realized there was a large number of girls who were selling their bodies to get food.
“The youngest was 9 years old, and the oldest 17. Then the idea came up of creating a shelter as an alternative environment for them to help them get out of prostitution. They sell their bodies to earn $1.80 to $2.50 a day to pay for school because a lot of them go to school just like any other child,” Fr. Jorge Mario Crisafulli explained.
The Salesian priest is the director of their Don Bosco Fambul Center for the Protection of Minors. He recently visited several European cities to present “Love,” a short Spanish language documentary which shows the suffering of girls forced to prostitute themselves and who are rescued from the streets.
The priest has spent 23 years in Africa, and has been in Sierra Leone for three years.
“We have nine programs to help boys and girls living in difficult or emergency situations. Programs for those who have been abused, for Ebola orphans, and even a telephone hotline to take calls from children in a crisis. We are also present in the main prison in Freetown.” The Salesians also have “a bus used to reach out to children who live on the street and prostitute themselves,” he told ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish language sister agency during his brief visit to Rome.
Thanks to their tireless work they have already succeeded in getting 146 girls out of prostitution, although “to just save one, all the effort would be worth it.”
There are many orphans in Sierra Leone, owing to the country's 1991-2002 civil war as well as a 2014 Ebola outbreak, and many have turned to prostitution as a way to support themselves.
Fr. Crisafulli said that they have already reached out to more than 900 girls who live in this type of slavery.
“I always tell all the the social workers and the Salesians that they mustn't forget that we are a Salesian community, that we are the Church and we are living out the Salesian charism, which is to help the most vulnerable … Sierra Leone is a country that has suffered a lot, and our mission goes beyond what an NGO does; we are convinced that we are a religious community, doing a mission confided by the Holy Spirit to Don Bosco,” he said.
“I also tell the girls to not think they are trash or bad, as many people tell them, but that they are children of God. We absorb the pain, we travel the streets, and give that pain over to Jesus.”
“The love that we offer is that of transforming the pain of the cross into redemption,” he said.
That is what is shown in “Love,” a short documentary that tells the story of Aminata, one of those underage girls who succeeded in getting out of prostitution and has turned her life around.
The documentary seeks to make that reality known and to show how reintegration into society is possible for these minors.
“You don't need prostitute yourself to eat, you don't need to prostitute yourself to get an education, what you need to do is to look for a merciful hand which has no other interest than to do good and help,” Fr. Crisafulli emphasized.
“The social workers do a great job of listening,” he said, “so the girls are able to tell what they have gone through on the streets and why they are prostituting themselves and that is already liberating.”
“Then you have to heal the profound traumas that each one of them has. But it is also a spiritual work. Many of them have told me, 'God had forgotten me' or 'God doesn't love me.' Our work also consists in telling them that that's not true, that God still loves them,” Fr. Crisafulli said.
It is important “to invite them to dream and find something to motivate them to get out of prostitution: going back to school, finishing high school, having a small business, or returning to their families,” he explained.
“It's true these are not all success stories, because six of them have gone back to the streets, but we don't throw in the towel. Our intention is never to give up, until we see them out of prostitution.”
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Warri, Nigeria, Nov 7, 2018 / 03:01 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- A Catholic priest and three other persons were kidnapped in Nigeria’s Delta state Tuesday night, according to local media.
Fr. Emmanuel Obadjere and his companions were taken hostage by unknown gunmen Nov. 6 while on their way to Ekpoma, in neighboring Edo state, Pulse reports.
Fr. Obadjere is a priest of the Diocese of Warri, whose website says he was ordained June 26, 2008. According to Pulse, he is pastor of St. William’s parish in Orerokpe, about 10 miles northeast of Warri. It is at least 100 miles from Orerokpe to Epkoma.
Delta Commissioner of Police Muhammad Mustafa told Pulse Wednesday that a suspect has been arrested.
Last month, five nuns were abducted in Delta.
At least six priests have been kidnapped in the state this year.
Violence against Christians has significantly increased in Nigeria in recent years, with the radical Islamist group Boko Haram threatening safety in the north, and smaller violent gangs threatening security in the south.
Father Francesco Patton, custos of the Holy Land, stops at the Eighth Station of the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem during the Good Friday Via Crucis on March 29, 2024. / Credit: Marinella Bandini
Jerusalem, Jan 28, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).
Franciscan Father Francesco Patton’s nine-year tenure as custos of the Holy Land began unexpectedly in 2016 when he found himself “redirected” — as he put it — to a largely unfamiliar land while preparing to take on a different assignment in Italy.
“I had only visited the Holy Land a couple of times as a pilgrim,” he admitted. “At first, I was apprehensive about accepting this responsibility because I felt I lacked the necessary knowledge to fulfill it properly.”
As the friar approaches the conclusion of his second term as custos of the Holy Land, he spoke with CNA about his experiences, challenges, and key moments in the role.
Father Francesco Patton, OFM, custos of the Holy Land, holding the replica of the jubilee cross during the opening ceremony of the holy year on Nov. 29, 2024, in Nazareth. Credit: Marinella Bandini
Patton emphasized that listening and studying were crucial to immersing himself in his new reality when he arrived. He credited the support of friars and collaborators, including Shibli, his driver. “He taught me to celebrate Mass in Arabic. While traveling, I would practice reading, and he would correct me. We developed a truly fraternal relationship.”
The custos serves as a unique provincial minister within the Franciscan order, leading a community of friars while also being the Holy See’s official guardian of the Christian holy sites. This responsibility was entrusted to the Franciscans by Pope Clement VI through the papal bull Gratias Agimus on Nov. 21, 1342.
Over its 700-year history, the Custody of the Holy Land has also become a point of reference for politicians, diplomats, and local authorities due to its deep roots in the region.
This distinctive role is reflected in the process of electing the custos. Unlike other provincials, who are directly elected by their friars, the custos is selected by the “General Definitorium” (the order’s governing council) and approved by the Holy See. The process is currently underway and will culminate between March and April with the appointment of the 169th custos of the Holy Land.
Father Francesco Patton, OFM, custos of the Holy Land, takes a group photo with 16 friars who have just made their solemn profession. Looking ahead, Patton envisions the custody’s mission continuing amid complexity. Internally, he foresees a more international community with less European influence. “This will be both a challenge and a source of enrichment,” he observed. “We will need to work much harder on formation.” Credit: Marinella Bandini
Patton described his service as deeply centered on the friars’ growth and community life. “I have personally interpreted my role as more focused on accompanying and supporting the friars,” he said.
“Intensity, spirituality, and fraternity” are the three words Patton used to summarize his experience in the Holy Land.
These nine years, he noted, have been “a profound spiritual journey, beginning with the connection to the holy sites. I have moved from theoretical knowledge to tangible reality.”
“I am even more convinced that as Christians, we must be anchored to the historical dimension of the mystery of the Incarnation,” he added.
Father Francesco Patton, custos of the Holy Land, in prayer during the celebrations of St. Francis of Assisi, founder of the Franciscan order. According to St. Francis, the custos explained to CNA, “fraternity means approaching others with trust and seeing them as brothers, never enemies. “Trust is always worth it.” Credit: Marinella Bandini
Among the custos’ favorite sites are the basilicas of the Annunciation, the Nativity, and the Holy Sepulcher, as well as the sanctuaries around the Sea of Galilee. “These are places where Jesus shared the life of ordinary people, performed acts of fraternity, and had profound conversations, such as with Peter,” he reflected.
Franciscan fraternity, he explained, means approaching others with trust and seeing them as brothers, never enemies. “Trust is always worth it,” he emphasized.
This is precisely what took place in the paradigmatic encounter between St. Francis and Sultan Malik al-Kamil in 1219, an event that marked the beginning of the Franciscan presence in the Holy Land.
“War and evil produce only destruction and ugliness, while fraternity and peace create beauty,” he said. “I believe this is God’s dream, and we should nurture it more.”
Father Francesco Patton, custos of the Holy Land, at a moment of rest. On the left, the general minister of the Order of Friars Minor, Father Massimo Fusarelli; on the right, the vicar of the Custody of the Holy Land and the custos’ primary collaborator, Father Ibrahim Faltas. Credit: Marinella Bandini
Fraternity is also a style of governance, one that he has sought to follow throughout these nine years.
“My approach has been to lead by sharing,” he explained. “Today, people often speak of synodality; I personally prefer the term participation. While some decisions must be made individually, the more the friars are involved, the more fruitful those decisions will be, because those who are included also feel responsible.”
This participatory leadership reflects the Franciscan tradition, which at all its levels operates through a communal decision-making body — the chapter. “The fundamental idea,” Patton noted, “is that leadership is a service. It’s not always easy or successful, but it’s essential.”
Father Francesco Patton, custos of the Holy Land, in front of the Edicule of the Holy Sepulchre at the end of the Good Friday Via Crucis on March 19, 2024. Credit: Marinella Bandini
“I have always seen my role as temporary,” he said. “My suitcase is always ready. Sometimes people joke about how I travel with just a small backpack, but Jesus himself, in the Gospel (Luke 10:4), tells us not to carry a bag. So, even the backpack might be too much!”
Patton pointed to the Gospel account of Christ washing his disciples’ feet as the ultimate example of servant leadership — a lesson that continues to shape his vision of fraternity in action.
The Franciscan acknowledged the challenges of his tenure, including war, the COVID-19 pandemic, and political tensions.
Father Francesco Patton, custos of the Holy Land, in prayer at the chapel of the Seventh Station on the Via Dolorosa, in Jerusalem, during the Good Friday Via Crucis, March 29, 2024. Credit: Marinella Bandini
“I have lived through difficult moments,” Patton shared. “I was especially apprehensive for the friars serving in dangerous areas, such as Syria. However, I have not faced major misunderstandings, as I do not expect everyone to fully grasp what I am trying to accomplish, and I consider it legitimate for some to have differing opinions.”
When he arrived in 2016, the war in Syria was at its peak. “I asked Fra Hanna Jallouf, now Latin vicar of Aleppo, if he wanted to leave. He told me he would rather stay with his people, even if it meant dying, not abandon them like a mercenary. His faith helped me approach difficult decisions with greater serenity.”
Nine years later, with the new situation in the country, that decision now seems almost providential. “The friars were the only Christian presence in the Idlib region for many years. Now, they can play a role in facilitating dialogue with the new leadership,” he said, adding: “When I arrived, I prayed to the Heavenly Father that I might at least witness the end of one war during my term. Perhaps that prayer has been heard.”
Father Francesco Patton, custos of the Holy Land, walks together with the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, during the Palm Sunday procession in Jerusalem in 2024. Credit: Marinella Bandini
Reflecting on the war in Gaza, Patton emphasized the need for true peace, not just temporary truces. “We need to adopt a long-term perspective, even if the path to peace is arduous.”
During the pandemic, the custody faced severe economic challenges, also taking out loans to support employees. “We faced these difficulties with faith and a willingness to take personal risks,” he said.
Patton also noted growing political tensions and pressures, including attacks on Christian sites and increased challenges from the Israeli political climate.
“In 2018, we closed the Holy Sepulcher, in agreement with all the churches, in order to oppose a legislative initiative that we believed would unfairly tax us and introduce mechanisms that could ultimately lead to the expropriation of Church properties.”
Father Francesco Patton, custos of the Holy Land, presides over the Eucharistic celebration in Tabgha, on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, on the occasion of the feast of the Primacy of Peter in May 2024. Among the custos’ favorite sites are the sanctuaries around the Sea of Galilee: “These are places where Jesus shared the life of ordinary people, performed acts of fraternity, and had profound conversations, such as with Peter,” he told CNA. Credit: Marinella Bandini
Over the years, the custos explained, “I have witnessed a progressive shift in Israeli politics, steering the country toward a right-wing alignment that combines nationalist and religious fundamentalism. Pressure has increased on the West Bank, and the war in Gaza would have been fought differently with another government, with more attention given to the issue of hostages. We ourselves have faced growing pressure, such as on the issue of taxes, as well as an increase in attacks, both in the holy sites and personally, with insults and even spitting.”
In these circumstances, Patton expressed confidence in the custody’s contribution to a different future: “I am convinced that the custody is already making a contribution, starting with the schools where we educate everyone to have a fraternal perspective toward others.”
Father Francesco Patton, custos of the Holy Land, greets a group of children from the Terra Sancta School of Bethlehem in Manger Square during the Advent entrance in 2023. “I am convinced that the custody is already making a contribution to a different future starting with the schools where we educate everyone to have a fraternal perspective toward others,” he told CNA. Credit: Marinella Bandini
Looking ahead, Patton envisions the custody’s mission continuing amid complexity. Internally, he foresees a more international community with less European influence. “This will be both a challenge and a source of enrichment,” he observed. “We will need to work much harder on formation.”
When it comes to his own future, amid speculation about a possible episcopal appointment, he said: “Nine years ago, I thought I would be a parish priest in Turin, but I came to the Holy Land instead. Since then, I have resolved not to make plans but to trust in God.”
Washington D.C., Mar 11, 2020 / 02:00 pm (CNA).- As Christians in the country face a campaign of escalating violence, one Nigerian priest spoke to CNA about the suffering of the Church, and why he has hope of a final victory.
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