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| Abba Kiflom Tesfaghiorghis |
The Eritrean government travel restriction has denied the Catholic Church opportunity of sending Seminarians, Priests and Religious men and women abroad for further studies.
Speaking with AMECEA Online News in Nairobi recently the Secretary General of the Eritrean Bishops Conference Rev. Abba Kiflom Tesfaghiorghis said that to make the matter worse, the law of the country does not allow citizens below the age of 40, whether male or female to leave the country for whatever reasons.
“Even Religious Superiors who are below the age of 40 cannot leave the country because the government would not give them exit permit,” said Abba Kiflom adding that the situation is very frustrating especially in the country like Eritrea where there are no universities.
“Forceful recruitment to serve in the military, lack of development and job opportunities to young Eritreans have continued to force citizens to flee from the country to seek refuge elsewhere,” he said.
According to the Secretary General the restriction has been the cause of many young Eritreans risking their lives through taking dangerous routes especially the Mediterranean Sea, fleeing from the unbearable situation.
“In principle the Bishops have forbidden their clergy and religious to serve in the military. However, if it happens (which is a very rare thing) that one Catholic priest or religious is becoming a victim of the military patrols and taken to the barracks, then my office will liaise with the Religious Affairs Office; (a government office that bridges between the government and the Church) with proper documentation to prove that the said person is indeed a priest or a religious sister, in order to secure for his or her release” Abba Kiflom explained.
He said that according to the law of the country, citizens are expected to serve in the military for a period of two years but in actual sense. “But in principle coming out of the military service is very hard; in most cases it can only happen when you are very sick and unable to perform duties assigned or in case of girls when they get pregnant,” he said adding that “Being released from the military does not allow you to leave the country either; and still it is very frustrating to the youth because there is no work to support their livelihood.”
By Pamela Adinda, AMECEA Online News