Catholic Church in Eritrea is under harassment !

The Eritrean regime, showing its most brutal face, on 12 June 2019, demanded the delivery of all medical centers and clinics run by the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church in Eritrea over the past 155 years has always supported the Eritrean people in all its spiritual, moral and physical needs, from education to medical care, to supplying food, to caring for orphans, the poor, the elderly, because this is part of his evangelization mandate.

Today it seems that we have returned to 1982 when the regime of terror of Mengistu Hailemariam, confiscated many assets of the Catholic church, including convents, schools, medical centers, with the use of brute force, even the current regime on June 12, he appeared in the convents of nuns where many of these medical centers were located, even in remote areas of the country, he put seals, throwing out staff, patients and terrorizing religious men and women who tried to defend their health service offered to the people.

People who have already been tried by poverty and years of repression, in these centers and medical establishments they found the only point of refreshment and medical care, of moral support, even for extreme cases of survival, because they were given nutritious food, as if they were medicines.
The Catholic Church in Eritrea has been very clear since 1995, that its pastoral service cannot be separated from its service to the Person and his physical, intellectual and spiritual needs. Preaching without the concrete act of charity is incomplete. This closure of medical centers is a limitation to religious freedom, a serious violation of the right to health which is a fundamental right, just as the confiscation of private property of the church is a hostile act and a form of persecution against an active minority for the good of the whole Eritrean people without distinction.
In the structures of the Catholic Church, everyone has always been welcomed, whatever ethnicity they belong to, whatever their beliefs, they have been welcomed, cared for, educated, supported. This all the Eritrean people can testify to, even in the most difficult and remote areas often the only presence is the Catholic Church to bring aid, medical care, food and schools. The regime rages with the church that is at the service of all the Eritrean people, a church that with its last pastoral letter has invited the people to reconciliation and Peace, in Truth and Justice.
We ask ourselves this closing act of medical principals, who benefits? a sure thing is a damage for the Eritrean people who found medical care in the vicinity of their villages and cities, often these centers are better equipped, better equipped with medicines than those run by the regime very lacking in personnel and medicines, not to mention instruments and machinery. So it seems more like a hostile act towards the people than the church, as they say "two birds with one stone" the regime hits two goals an act of unprecedented gravity and violence.
We ask all men and women who are supporters of freedom, religious freedom and the right to health to show your solidarity with the Catholic Church in Eritrea. We ask governments, especially the AU and the EU to intervene using all the appropriate channels for the protection of fundamental rights, the right to health and religious freedom.

P.S. We attach to our press release the original letter of Bishops Eritreans to the authorities of the country.