In 2019, invited by the Apostolic Prefect, Father Angelo Antolini, we founded a community in Robe, located 400 kilometers from the capital, Addis Ababa
The Apostolic Prefecture extends over a territory of 102,769 square kilometers, with a total population of 3,295,278 inhabitants, of which 0.03% are Catholics. Muslims represent 97% of the population.
The missionaries are fully committed to evangelization and human promotion in the region of Robe and other smaller centers located in the Bale province, in the state of Oromia, known for its beautiful landscape and vast fertile lands. Although land is the region’s primary resource, the local population does not benefit from it. Most of them are daily laborers who depend on the land being exploited by its owners or those who control the capital.
The start of pastoral and social activities of the Robe Community, although slowed down and hindered by the global COVID-19 pandemic, has achieved good results in the four localities where the community has deployed its social activities: Robe, Goba (9 km away), Dinsho (25 km away), and Alem Gena (30 km away).
The social situation is not easy at all. In the region, there is unequal and insufficient economic development, clearly highlighted by the economic development index recorded in 2019, which stands at 0.470, ranking Ethiopia 173rd out of 189 countries worldwide.
Father Emanuele Ciccia, one of the first missionaries of the Community in Ethiopian land, shared this reflection after the first few months of their presence:
“We want to make the presence of the Community a quality presence and bear witness to the Gospel through our presence. Indeed, more than mere words, our desire is to embody, as a Community, through our presence in the territory of Robe, the Word and the love of God, especially in the inhabited centers entrusted to us.
I believe that the proclamation of the Word of God begins with offering our friendship, allowing encounters through our presence in public transportation or simply by shopping at the market. That’s why we set aside time in our daily lives to be among the people as much as possible. It means leaving behind comfort, taking the first step of sympathy towards others, even in a somewhat audacious manner, and “setting out”… when we move, when we are in the street, it is inevitable that something happens, that something new occurs.
In the Acts of the Apostles, Christians, before being called that, were identified as “those of the Way”… for this reason, we try to be on the street as much as possible, where we have already achieved some small good results: there have been many visits to families that have arisen from the curiosity aroused in people when Elisabetta, Teresa, Mari Carmen, and I were simply on the street.”
