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| Rt. Rev. Thomas Osman, Bishop of Barentu Eritrea |
Despite a myriad of problems Eritrea is facing as a country, the Catholic Church in the Diocese of Barentu is determined to keep faith alive by focusing majorly on Pastoral Evangelization.
“The reason why Pastoral Ministry is the priority of our diocese is because, our region which is known as Gash-Barka still needs a lot of evangelization,” says Bishop Thomas Osman, O.F.M. Cap. Bishop of the Catholic Eparchy of Barentu, which is located in the West Lowlands of Eritrea.
The Diocese which has a total population of approximately 740,000 out of which 44,000 are Catholics, the rest of the people are either Muslims, Orthodox and Evangelical Protestants. The region is often described as the bread basket of Eritrea owing to its rich fertile land and extensive farming activities.
Established in 1995, the Diocese of Barentu currently has 13 parishes with eight diocesan priests. It has a minor seminary, which according to Bishop Osman currently has 30 seminarians.
“The priests are very few and even myself I have to celebrate two to three Masses every Sunday. The diocese has a total of 60 catechists only but even this number is not consistence because the catechists are not committed for long term,” Bishop Osman said, and emphasized that that this is the biggest challenge to their mission of evangelization.
“The catechists tend to leave the ministry quite often in search of better employment opportunities since the diocese cannot afford to pay them,” Bishop Osman pointed out.
The Bishop is, however, optimistic that the situation will one day change when the country becomes favorable for everyone, especially the young people.
Source: Pamela Adinda, AMECEA Online News
