Yesterday Fr John Lynch's body was cremated and today after a requiem Mass in the community chapel of the Missionaries of Africa, his ashes were buried in St Petersburg, Florida.
John worked for many years in Chicago and Washington at the Missionaries of Africa Development Office where he raise millions of dollars for small projects (up to $10,000) for clean water, transport, medical and educational projects for the neediest people in Africa.
Over the years Sierra Leone has suffered from so many disasters. Some were man-made like the Civil War which cost so many lives and resulted in the mutilation of so many innocent people. Some were from "natural causes" like the Ebola epidemic, which also took so many people's lives. Now, more than 400 people have been drowned in a sea of mud in Freetown, many whilst they slept. It is claimed that 600 are still missing.
On 21/06/2017 Cardinal Peter Turkson, head of the office for Integral Human Development, gave details of humanitarian projects, in South Sudan. He also outlined numerous initiatives that the Holy See has taken to stop the war in South Sudan. Despite postponing his trip there until 2018, Pope Francis is determined to raise awareness about the needs of those suffering from conflict and starvation there.
After more than 50 years of conflict in Sudan between the North (mainly Arabic speaking and Muslim) and the South (mainly traditional religions and Christian) Omar al-Bashir and John Garang in 2005 signed a peace agreement. More than 2 million lives had been lost. The Southerners voted for Independence and in 2011 South Sudan was born.
On 2 June a local fisherman found the body ofJean-Marie Benoit Bala, Bishop of Bafia, floating down the Sanaga River in the West African country of Cameroon. He had disappeared on the night of 31st May. He had disappeared on the night of 31st May. Further upriver his Landcruiser was found abandoned on a bridge and a note with the message “I am in the river” (written in French) on the passenger seat, leading to media speculation that the 58 year-old bishop had committed suicide. However after police investigations it was discovered that the bishop had been tortured and brutally killed before his body was put into the river.
In October 2016, the Catholic Archbishop of Juba, the (Anglican) Archbishop of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan and Sudan, and the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of South Sudan, travelled to Rome. The Christian leaders asked the Pope to “please, come to South Sudan, even for a day, but don’t come alone, come with Justin Welby. (Archbishop of Canterbury).”
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