A Catholic Bishop in Liberia says his people are being treated like “scum” in a world gripped by the Ebola crisis.
Bishop Anthony Borwah, 48, of the GBarnga diocese in central Liberia, has been unable to travel to Rome for the extraordinary synod on the family because of the crisis in Liberia, where his diocese is among those areas worst affected.
The issues facing Liberian families are not just Ebola, but include polygamy, migration, unemployment, lack of father figures, domestic violence, child trafficking and sexual tourism, he says.
In an interview in the latest Time magazine, he reveals that the dead include his spiritual director, Father Miguel from Spain, his mentor and medical doctor Abraham Borbor, and his prayer partner Tidi Dogba. Other relatives and friends have also succumbed to the virus. “As Bishop of my people I carry within my heart their wounds and pains every moment of life here,” he tells Time.
Although he is not at the synod, Borwah has submitted a paper which will form part of the final record. It reads: “Existential questions from the poor, prevalently during the Civil war, are been asked again: Where is God? What wrong have we (Liberians) done again? How come we have once again become the abandoned and scum of the earth?” More than eight in ten people in Liberia live below the poverty line.
Even when a person survives the virus they are pursued by other demons. “Recently one of the survivors — my kinsman — committed suicide when people avoided him and he felt that he was unworthy of love anymore,” Borwah tells Time. He appeals for more help from the West. “We need more support to feed the thousand whom are hungry and angry and to care and counsel the Ebola survivors who carry the stigma.”
He was speaking as divisions deepened in Rome between conservatives and liberals over the direction the synod is taking. The mid-way report released a few days ago shows moves towards more liberal attitudes on homosexuality, cohabitation, contraception and civil marriage after divorce…Read More
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