Priest devotes his life to help Acehnese<\/p>\n
Nani Farida, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh, Aceh Nanggroe Darussalam<\/p>\n
Father Ferdinando and four sisters of Paroki Hati Kudus Church in
\nBanda Aceh kneel before the altar at 6 a.m. Father Ferdinando has
\nbeen doing this for almost 12 years.<\/p>\n
The essence of the prayer is largely the same: he prays for
\nthe victims of the prolonged war in the troubled province he is
\nserving, Aceh Nanggroe Darussalam.<\/p>\n
He prays in order for those who have died - whether they be
\nthe personnel of the Indonesian Military (TNI), the Free Aceh
\nMovement or civilians -- so that they may rest in peace.<\/p>\n
"Those people did not have peace in this world. So, we pray in
\norder that they have peace in heaven," Fernando Severi, 69, told
\nThe Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Christians are a minority in Aceh. Of the 4 million people in
\nAceh, 5,916 were Catholics, and 40,226 are Protestants. There are
\n12 Catholic churches in Aceh and 61 Protestant churches.<\/p>\n
Fernando said he had witnessed many events in the troubled
\nprovince. These include when Aceh was declared a military
\noperations area (DOM) in 1993, when military atrocities were
\nrampant in the area.<\/p>\n
Having been in Aceh for 12 years, he acknowledges that he has
\nfaced many challenges in his mission to serve people. He
\nrecounted that many of his congregation fled Banda Aceh for fear
\nof war.<\/p>\n
Before the TNI and GAM were engaged in full-scale war this
\nyear, the members of his church were around 600. But, the war has
\nreduced his congregation to 400.<\/p>\n
He also admitted that he had problems serving poor and
\ndisabled persons in the area.<\/p>\n
"When I enter the kampongs in order to find and help disabled
\nchildren, for example, locals suspect that the effort is aimed at
\nconverting them to Christianity," he recalled.<\/p>\n
However, he said that he understood it and regarded it merely
\nas a misunderstanding. He acknowledged that in Aceh the majority
\nperceived themselves as devout Muslim and Islamic law was even
\napplied here.<\/p>\n
"It takes time to convince them that I am merely trying to
\nlend a hand to those unfortunate people," he said.<\/p>\n
Despite the challenges, he said that he would stick to his
\nmission: to help the people in Aceh. "Those who suffer are Jesus,
\nand I have to help them," he said.<\/p>\n
Despite suspicions, he still wanders around Aceh and lends a
\nhand to the victims of conflict, the disabled and the poor.<\/p>\n
He still visited the penitentiary in Aceh before Christmas and
\nhanded over aid to the inmates. He also set up a foundation that
\ntakes care of disabled persons. For almost 12 years, he has
\nbrought some 1,000 children to Pematang Siantar in North Sumatra
\nfor free surgery. Funding was obtained from various donors.<\/p>\n
Isa, 38, the father of Azis, a child who was helped by
\nFernando, said that he was thankful to the priest for his help.
\n"He approached us when we were in Zainal Abidin Hospital here,
\nand offered help. It was a joyful moment, because I had lodged
\nrequests with the government and non-governmental organizations
\nin Aceh, to ask help to finance the harelip surgery of my son,
\nbut they never responded to my request," said Isa, who is from
\nLingke area in Banda Aceh.<\/p>\n
Isa said that Fernando had financed the harelip surgery for
\nhis son.<\/p>\n
Besides serving people, Ferdinando admitted that he was often
\nasked by the TNI to pray for Christian soldiers killed in battle.<\/p>\n
Although he is living in a conflict area, Ferdinando enjoys
\nbeing here. He has devoted his life to help people in the
\nconflict area.<\/p>\n
"I am badly needed here. I want to do as much as I can to help
\nthe Acehnese, because there is so much suffering here," he said.<\/p>\n
Ferdinando acknowledged that Indonesian Muslims are tolerant
\nand moderate. He acknowledged that he has good relations with
\nMuslims in Aceh. He has never experienced religious conflict in
\nthe area.<\/p>\n
Alyasa' Abubakar, the head of Sharia Office in Aceh province,
\nsaid that he had good relations with the priest.<\/p>\n
"I occasionally meet him at events held by the government. We
\nhave different faiths, but we have no problem with that," he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Ferdinando was born in Rovenna, Central Italy. He has seven
\nbrothers and sisters. His father, who was a supporter of
\nMussolini, was shot dead by a communist group in 1943.<\/p>\n
He goes back to Italy to see his family every five years.
\nSeveral years ago, he had a heart attack and had surgery there.<\/p>\n
The surgery almost failed because he had excessive bleeding.<\/p>\n
"Thank God, I am still alive," he said.<\/p>\n
God indeed has given him a long life so that he could pursue
\nhis dream, to help the Acehnese people.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/priest-devotes-his-life-to-help-acehnese-1447893297",
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