When everyone was escaping Libya last February, Maltese Bishop Sylvester Magro and the Catholic community in Benghazi decided to stay and face the impending war.
“We had a meeting between the clergy and nuns. We assessed the situation, which was grave and getting worse, as war had started. But we concluded we should remain loyal to the Christians and the people of Libya,” Mgr Magro, in Malta on a short break, said.
“We are not alone there. We have around 30 nuns who are serving as nurses in the hospital and their presence is needed in a time where there are a lot of wounded people. It was not on to leave when the need increased. It is necessary for the Libyans to see us being a witness,” Mgr Magro.
He said the Deputy Foreign Minister of the Benghazi Transitional National Council and himself had met and he was promised full support in the Church’s mission in Libya, which includes service in the hospital.
“The council recognises the value of the Church and they know first-hand that the Church’s contribution in Libya is practical. They respect our religion and we hope that when things work out we can continue working and keeping our presence there as before,” Mgr Magro said.
He would not enter into the merits of whether the revolution was justified or not, saying the matter was a complicated one in which it wasn’t his business to interfere.
While the bishop was not in the midst of the action, he still suffered the uncertainty and terror of war. “We saw a plane crash on March 19. When the night bombing started, we could not sleep, we were terrified,” he admitted.
“We did not know where the bombing was coming from as we were locked inside. To find solace and refuge, we got together and prayed, as we feared it might be our turn next. But we stayed on to carry out our vocation and, even though the future looks dark, we’ll let God’s providence lead us.”
The bishop said the Church had helped refugees from Misurata and, after being treated in hospital, the Catholic Nigerian community welcomed their counterparts from Misurata and provided food and support.
As people evacuated the country – including the staunchly Catholic Filipinos – numbers in the Benghazi Catholic community went down. “But some remained and we spent days locked inside because of fear. We went out and saw each other as all the priests and nuns had stayed. We rejoiced and some cried tears of joy. No one knew if the others had remained,” Mgr Magro said.
As the Church went back to a semblance of normality, the annual Easter liturgy took on a deeper meaning for Catholics in Libya. “We felt more united by sharing in the Passion of Christ, as now we were living that terror and fear He too went through. This was very present in our minds, along with the hope in resurrection, the hope in God’s power that overcomes death itself,” he said.
“So apart from a spiritual effect, it also had a psychological effect on us. It allowed us to share in the passion, hope, in the resurrection and trust in His providence,” the bishop said.
Mgr Magro, who will be returning to the North African country on July 7, arrived on a UN plane on Thursday night.