 |
| Msgr. Giorgio Bertin Bishop of Djibouti and Apostolic Administrator of Mogadishu Somalia |
Bishop Bertin who has lived in Djibouti since May 2001 when he was appointed a Bishop describes the situation in the country as stable. “There is a functioning state government which provides security and the government, the authorities and the people have a good esteem of the Church,” he said.
However, authorities and some members of the community are sensitive to criticism and the church has to strike a middle ground to ensure it continues serving in the country where there are only 6% Christians in a predominantly Muslim County.
The reputation of the Church comes from the eleven schools and several humanitarian projects it runs throughout the country under Caritas Djibouti. “Even the President was in one of our schools and they appreciated our efforts to an extent that the government pays teachers for at least four of our schools,” he said.
The Bishop added that there are no religious vocations in Djibouti, and the country has less than 5000 Catholics served by four priests from USA, Venezuela, New Zealand and Cameroun.
Djibouti is in the Eastern Central Africa. The capital city is Djibouti and the whole country which is 22,980 km² has a population of 466,900 of which the Muslim community constitute 94% and Christian 6%. The languages include French (official), Arabic (official), Somali and Afar.
By Pamela Adinda, AMECEA Social Communications