Sister Alessandra Smerilli visits Burkina Faso

The Secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, Sr. Alessandra Smerilli, is visiting Burkina Faso from 15 to 22 February.  

Among the activities she carried out during these days, Sister Smerilli met with several bishops, including the president of OCADES - CARITAS of Burkina Faso, Msgr. Justin Kientega; with the President of the Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace, Msgr. Alessandre Bazi; and with the president of the Commission for the Pastoral Care of Migrants, Msgr. Joachim Ouedraogo.  

Sister Alessandra also visited the community of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians in Koubri to learn about the pastoral work they do in Burkina Faso.

Sister Smerilli also met with the Board of Directors of the John Paul II Foundation for the Sahel, which covers nine countries in the Sahel region: Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, the Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal and Chad.   

During the trip, Sister Alessandra Smerilli said: "I am here to bring the closeness of Pope Francis to these afflicted populations" and added "I had the opportunity to go to the national museum to learn about the variety of cultures and ethnicities; I also visited some religious communities and the Cathedral. Our Church is alive and dynamic here in Burkina Faso, and that gives us great comfort."

"I came to Ouagadougou to participate in the Board of Directors of the John Paul II Foundation for the Sahel. The work is progressing at a good pace and for me it is very important to know better the challenges of these territories, from the economic and social point of view, but also from the ecclesial point of view," she explained.

In addition, Sister Smerilli indicated that "coming to Africa means encountering a continent and a young faith. As a Salesian sister, who by vocation is at the service of young people, this continent represents a call and a promise."