I went to Libya at the invitation of His Excellency Mgr.Giovanni Martinelli. Bishop of Tripoli and the surroundings. The Catholic Church in this area has only one place of worship and that is the St Francis Catholic Parish in Tripoli. Its faithful are international and multi cultural people All Catholics in the area rely on it for religious services as there are no other public worshiping places

But there are a number of religious Sisters working in a few public sector hospitals, schools, home visit to the elderly, orphanages, handicap children etc..
In these places Mass and other religious activities are regularly carried out. And it is this type of presence that impressed me in a completely Muslim social context and environment. So too there are many professional nurses, doctors and other technicians in hospitals and health centers wherein the Catholic presence is very visible. Here too priests have access to bring pastoral and worship services to these people coming mainly from the Philippines Islands, India and other countries as well.
There is also a very active Caritas service especially with the poor and refugees coming from a few sub-Saharan countries, and it is with these people where the Christ-like works of the Church in Libya Jamhirya is so visible and touching. I was able to visit many, many prisons and jails with the Caritas people where the poor refugees and other people illegally present in Libya are detained and tortured. Their only hope and consolation is the Caritas service of the Church for all aspects of assistance.

In the Catholic Church of Libya, we Vincentians too are present. There are four Daughters of Charity working tirelessly with the local Church: two of them come from the Province of Pamplona (Spain) and two from the Philippine Islands. The latter are involved in hospital work and in a school for English speaking people. The other two are fully engaged in the service of the poor with Caritas. As the bishop of Tripoli said: they are teaching us how to serve the poor. Their life is a daily giving up of themselves to the poor and with the poor, above all with Eritrean refugees, many prisoners and those illegally present in the country coming from Sub-Saharan areas. For all these people, whether in prisons or jails and outside, their only hope is Daughters of Charity together with other Sisters from FMM, Mother Teresa Sisters, Maltese, Charles de Foucaud Little Sisters etc They are supported by the presence of Franciscan priests from a number of countries and one secular priest from Malta. All work under the inspiring leadership of His Excellency, the Bishop.

It is through the presence of these people that the Catholic Church is becoming dough of the Word of God. May God help and sustain them.

My first impact with this reality is how we Vincentians too can give our support tothe local Church of Tripoli, which is at the avant-garde of a new way of evangelization.
Abba Weldemariam Z/J, CM