“We must go beyond all barriers”, Bishop Dennis Kofi Agbenyadzi, SMA, of Berberati Diocese, Central African Republic, told Moslems at the Kumbo Central Mosque on Friday, 18 March, 2014. He was in Kumbo to reciprocate the solidarity of the Catholic Church and the people of Kumbo to the Central African Republic during the ongoing crisis.

Coincidentally, he arrived in Kumbo on the day the Moslem community had planned to hand over their support for CAR refugees to the Tertiary Sisters of St. Francis (TSSF). Accompanied by the Bishop of Kumbo, Mgr. George Nkuo, the Canon of Kumbo Cathedral Fr. Joe Lukong, and a host of Tertiary Sisters of St. Francis, he took advantage of the opportunity to commune with the Moslems. The Imam of the Kumbo Central Mosque called for forgiveness, love, peace and religious tolerance.

Mgr. Kofi Agbenyadzi, whose driver is a Moslem, refuted claims that the crisis in CAR is based on religion as presented by the International media. He said those behind the atrocities cannot say why they continue fighting when the rebels had long gone. He said the youth, who are mostly school dropouts, are being manipulated to loot and kill. “If that were the case, I would not have hosted over 4,000 Moslems in my house”, the Bishop declared.

He admonished the Christians of Tobin Parish in the following words, “In the chaos of life, God brings new things. So, never give up, live the present moment, try to go beyond the physical and see the image of God in His creatures. Above all, never allow yourselves to be manipulated because once war begins, it is hard to end.” No doubt he sees the Moslem children born in his compound and named “Monsignor” as a sign of life.

He expressed deep appreciation to the people of Kumbo and elsewhere for their prayers and generosity to the people of the Central African Republic. He added that we never know we need others until we find ourselves in situations like the one currently experienced in the Central African Republic.

Bishop George Nkuo underlined that the gesture was only the beginning of greater collaboration. The Grand Imam simply declared that this collaboration was long overdue and saw the union as a positive outcome of the war. Finally, Bishop Kofi Agbenyadzi thanked and encouraged the media in Kumbo for their hard work and sincerity.

He left Kumbo with fond memories of a hospitable people and, above all, cherished the blessings of Cardinal Tumi’s mother who described him as a “baby bishop.” He went along with part of the second consignment of donated gifts and food items. He invited all to continue praying for the Central African Republic and also to endeavor to visit them in the future.

The young, enthusiastic and dynamic priest, who is barely two years as a Bishop, stands tall in the heart of the crisis in the Central African Republic, CAR. Many have described him as an icon of peace, unity and reconciliation. Mgr. Kofi Agbenyadzi has given the crisis in the CAR a pastoral dimension by looking to the future with ardent hope.