George Wirnkar, August 2008

Our HLI missionary travels take a great deal of preparation, especially when making a ground-breaking trip to a country we have never reached before. In parts of Africa, modern means of communication and air transportation are expensive and unreliable. Even a rented car is almost as likely to break down in the middle of nowhere as is a bush taxi. However, prayer and the Holy Spirit keep us going.

RETURN VISIT TO BENIN AND TOGO

I was pleasantly surprised to see that Cotonou International Airport is now Cardinal Bernadin Gantin International Airport. This is in tribute to the first cardinal from Benin, who served in the Roman Curia for many years under John Paul the Great and who recently passed away in his native country. 

On this missionary trip, I first drove to Togo, where in December 2006-almost like a thunderbolt-the National Assembly had passed a law that liberalized abortion in what was supposed to be a budget rubber-stamp session. This was a blatant case of manipulation by a handful of elites exploiting the ignorance of lawmakers with the help of some international NGOs (non-governmental organizations). This law is not only immoral but totally repugnant to traditional Togolese values. Our affiliate in Togo clearly has her work cut out for her.

The visit to Togo was critical at this time because of the recent elevation of three holy priests to the episcopate. Father Denis Amouzou-Dzakpah was promoted from Priest-Secretary General of the Bishop's Conference to Metropolitan Archbishop of Lomé. Mgsr. Nicodème Anani Barrigah-Benissan was called home from the Vatican Diplomatic Service to take charge of the Diocese of Atakpame. Former John Paul II Seminary rector, Fr. Jacques Longa, became Coadjutor Bishop of Kara. We are infinitely grateful to the Almighty for raising these distinguished and faithful sons of His to the episcopate in Togo.

Longtime friend, Bishop Benoit Alowonou, welcomed me to his Diocese of Kpalime. We rely on his support, since he is the bishop responsible for the seminary, priests, and religious in Togo. He graciously welcomed me to his residence and made plenty of time for us to discuss our plans and on-going programs. Togo shall host the next HLI Francophone Seminarian Institute in the summer of 2009, and we have received the blessing for this from the Metropolitan Archbishop, H.E. Amousou-Dzakpa.

The high spirits with which I left Kpalime on August 14-the Feast of St. Maximilian Kolbe-were soon put to the test by an attack of malaria. This terrible disease can quickly reduce even the strongest man to helplessness. I arrived in Cotonou, Benin, with a fever of 101.3º.  My medical doctor, who is also my niece, immediately prescribed medication for me by telephone text message. Nevertheless, the next day I had a heavy head, intermittent nausea, and balance problems due to the powerful anti-malaria drugs. Trusting in the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary on her great feast (August 15, Feast of the Assumption), I grabbed my pilgrim's baton and headed for Porto Novo.

SEMINARIANS FOR LIFE PROGRAM BEARING SPIRITUAL FRUIT

Assumption Day was to mark one of the high points of my visit. It was a great moment of grace for me to be present at the priestly ordination of 18 priests and 23 deacons in one ceremony for the Diocese of Porto Novo, Benin. Over 10,000 people came, including 155 priests and hundreds of religious. The ceremony was held in the huge square outside the national assembly, which could hardly hold all who came. I also felt that sanctifying these grounds around the parliament building was providential in a climate where African governments are under pressure to legalize abortion.

More than half of the ordinands were members of our seminarian groups from the two major seminaries in Benin. Therefore, the joy of the event included the great satisfaction of knowing that we had helped to make these seminarians well-equipped to bring the Gospel of Life to their people. The joy and the effervescence of the rich local traditions and Yoruba color made me forget my malaria attack while I was at this five-hour ordination Mass. Only profuse sweating reminded me to take my eight-hourly medicine and rest some more.

The number of seminarians in Togo and Benin are the largest they've ever been, and those numbers are growing!  This is also a fact in most of Africa. That means increased demands on our time and a need for more publications, materials, and visits to encourage these seminarians who are the hope of the Church. We must continue to follow up and provide printed material, didactic resources, and sometimes equipment like projectors and computers to support their work. Without the generous support of our faithful friends and donors, these, at best, would remain wishes. By the end of 2008, Benin alone will see 80 ordinations. Projections for next year stand at 85.  Togo, in 2008, expects 28 priestly ordinations. And there are 14 more Francophone countries that add to the number of newly ordained priests on this continent.

The end of my visit to Togo and Benin saw a joint planning meeting of our affiliate leaders and staff. It is beautiful to see these two neighbors sharing solid cooperation and joint action for life.

FIRST HLI VOYAGE TO CHAD

Chad's problems have made news headlines in the last five years. It is hemmed in by Sudan in the east, Libya in the North, Niger in the west, Central African Republic in the South, and Cameroon in the Southwest. Chad's landlocked population of just over ten million has an HIV prevalence rate of nearly 5%. Estimates that put its Muslim population at 53% and Christian population at 34% (Catholic 20.1%, Protestant 14.2%) are incorrect, I was told, and are inflated in favor of Islam. 

Chad is a country blessed with huge oil reserves, but this is being turned into a curse upon its people. Greed has fueled war amongst various factions. The people are poorer than in many other African countries with fewer natural resources. The major seminary in Bakara has no electrical service, and it is only 15 miles outside of the capital, N'Djamena! They use a small generator to have lights a few hours at night. Most incredibly for a leading crude oil exporter, diesel costs $6.06 per gallon.

His Excellencey Matthias N'Gateri Mayadi, Archbishop of N'Djamena, opened the doors of Chad's seminaries to us and arranged a meeting for me with the vibrant Family Life Apostolate and the Chastity and Family Life Education teams. I was honored to speak twice during my visit at a meeting of the Charismatic Renewal that gathered 200 leaders from all over Chad.

Chad has two seminaries with a total of about 100 seminarians. It is one of the rare countries of Africa that is not bursting at the seams with priestly vocations. Chad is, in many respects, a place of primary evangelization and has missionaries, mainly from other African countries, in many of their parishes and ministries. We have the arduous task of helping the Church in Chad to strengthen her families, which is the only sustainable way to assure an increase in vocations and authentic evangelization.

Because of political instability and constant rebel incursions, humanitarian organizations are plentiful in Chad. Many organizations friendly to the culture of death, particularly UNFPA, IPPF, and Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) are hard at work in Chad. The Church's limited chastity program is unique there in providing a truly enduring defense for the young against HIV/AIDS. In many cases, the terrain is wide open for contraception to flourish.  Abortion remains illegal but is very easily accessible. I was told of deaths from abortions practiced both in primitive conditions and in medical institutions.

The culture of death is working overtime in Chad. With the economic situation stagnating-despite the oil-the anti-life agenda has many opportunities. Resources available to the Church are extremely limited, but we are blessed to have a Church open and willing to work with us to make things better.

In the years ahead, we shall bring our experience to bear on this land in order to push back abortion and to support chastity and youth education programs. We urgently need to supply films and printed materials to both the Family Life Apostolate in N'Djamena and the Love and Life Education program. We also hope to begin a parish-to-parish-based youth program similar to our Benin affiliate's work. We have already distributed copies of Evangelium vitae, Veritatis splendor, and Humanae vitae to all seminarians in the theological phase of studies at St. Luke Major Seminary in Bakara, Chad. We are preparing a shipment of our well-received The Case Against Condoms book in French as well as other key materials on NFP and the Culture of Life to all of Chad's 100 seminarians. This is the beginning of a great enterprise to equip the Church in Chad with all the information and materials it needs to defend life and the family.