Twenty-six years of twinning between the Church of Mazara del Vallo and that of Tunisia, «a journey of friendship, knowledge, solidarity and fraternal exchange which has already borne some good fruit in sharing our common faith in Christ Jesus», he says the Bishop of Mazara del Vallo, Monsignor Angelo Giurdanella.
The relationship between the two Churches was not episodic, but persevering and marked by reciprocity. At the invitation of the Italian Episcopal Conference, the Sicilian diocesan Caritas have also started a process of accompaniment and exchange with Caritas Tunisi, a tangible sign of a charity that unites and generates communion. To give a renewed relaunch to the twinning between the Churches of Mazara del Vallo and Tunis, the Bishop has established an ad hoc Office led by Don Francesco Fiorino. But the Bishop also proposed some operational paths. Like, for example, the collection to support some symbolic works with the Church in Tunisia which this year will take place on May 19th (Pentecost). This year’s collection will be used for the Menzel Bourguiba School, led by the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians and the after-school activity with needy children in the La Goulette neighborhood (called “Little Sicily”) coordinated by the Sisters of Mother Teresa of Calcutta. The friendship visit to Tunisia will be held from 1st to 8th June, starting from Mazara del Vallo. But the Bishop also suggests welcoming ecclesial groups and Tunisian associations into our Diocese, to encourage greater knowledge and to start new cultural and solidarity paths.
Among the proposals there is also that of celebrating prayer for the sister Church of Tunis every Tuesday of the month and starting a group of “twinning supporters” who commit themselves, with prayer and a monthly donation of 10 euros, for a constant collaboration with the Church in Tunisia. «These are all steps in which the relationship, the synodality, is at the centre: what is important then is listening which becomes mutual knowledge; a ‘giving’ but also a ‘receiving’, especially in sharing the faith; a journey together to understand how “the Lord leads us” and what he asks of us in this change of era”, the Bishop continued.
