Mgr Giuseppe Moretti, Missio sui iuris superior, describes how the Catholic Church is becoming more involved in the country.
Kabul (AsiaNews) The Sisters of Mother Teresa and another group of religious women are coming to Afghanistan. They will take care of the poor and the disabled children. Mgr Giuseppe Moretti, Missio sui iuris superior and for years the only Catholic priest in Kabul, told AsiaNews that the country's reconstruction needs "a greater commitment on the part of Catholics".
Whilst the deadline for the ultimatum of the three United Nations aid workers held captive by the 'Army of Muslims' approaches and the Karzai government faces a great security challenge,
Father Moretti cannot hide his enthusiasm for the arrival of the missioners.
"The Sisters of Mother Teresa of Calcutta are certainly going to be loved and respected like the Little Sisters of Jesus who have been discretely working in local hospitals for the past 46 years," Father Moretti said. "An association of religious women is also expected to come to work with mentally disabled children," he added.
Another project set to start around Christmas time is the "Peace school". "For 23 years," Father Moretti explained, "I had this dream of building a school that would give local kids the same quality education that European kids get." The Barnabite priest stressed that "the school was build with money raised from ordinary people who believed in this project. None of it came from any big Catholic or non religious organisation".
School construction work started in August 2003. After a long pause, it restarted last September. It will host 500 boys ad girls who "will finally be able to leave school for a more dignified life. This is my gift, my act of love and solidarity to this suffering people," he said.
Father Moretti does not hide the fact that Afghanistan is experiencing tough times. For him, "it is a time for those who work in embassies, NGOs, and the United Nations to be vigilant. I always thought that the period following the elections would be the most difficult. Attacks expected before the voting did not happen. Now we must wait and see how those who lost the elections will react, what government's opponents, those with a handful of seats in parliament and the Talebans will do."
Every Sunday, Kabul's small Catholic community meets. "We constantly pray for peace," the priest said. "It is what people living here want first and foremost," he added. "When sad things happen, when soldiers or civilians are killed, we meet the following Sunday to commend them to God's goodness and pray for them irrespective of their religion or ethnic background".
Next Sunday, Mgr Moretti, who is 66-year-old, hopes he will thank God for a happy end to the UN hostage crisis.
Although he was the only Catholic priest in the country living in Kabul from 1990 to 1994, he has followed events in Afghanistan since 1977.
Since May 2002, he is Missio sui iuris superior for Afghanistan and performs his duties as priest in the Italian Embassy's chapel in Kabul, which is the only Catholic church in the country. (MA)