We had just finished praying the night prayer. 20h30m. August 3, 2010. When we were leaving the chapel, three bandits and armed, forced us to come again and began to take first, cell phones (only two, because the novices have no cell phone) and even some jackets. Gathered together all the novices at the altar. Me left on the bench behind. Nobody could speak. They spoke kinande and Swahili. To a novice some units that had threatened with a knife demanded the phone, which he did not. Sitting in the back seat, praying the rosary asking God, the Virgin Mary and that Dehon protect us. Advised novices to remain calm and pray. Turned to me, and through an interpreter, demanded money. Led me to my
room. I had to open it. Insisted: "Money, Money ..’I said:' I have no more. » I gave them what was still in the drawer: $ 5 and some Congolese francs. The chief, looked, was furious, threw the money in my face, and with the rifle on my chest saying: "A priest has died because I did not deliver the money." I say: "I have no more nothing. "Meanwhile, two other bandits searched my room. Rolled over everything. Were ignorant. One grabbed my camera, but did not know what it was. Looked curious, he put it in your bag and later asked a novice who was often their interpreter: the value. I replied that about $ 300. He was pleased. And kept led to another. Without the accessories of course. Meanwhile, the boss ordered me to lie on her back up and put his arms behind. Ali began the torture, the physical torture. With the rope he drew a curtain of the room, tied me strongly. I screamed in pain. The novices who were arrested in the chapel listening to my screams. And every time he squeezed over the ropes. I screamed. The novices were thinking: they are killing the father master, then they will kill us too. Finally finished tightening, took me by the collar and lifted me up. Always with the threat. "I'm not kidding. Want money '. He repeated the same thing: 'I have no more, no more'. After loot the room, took me to the front of the chapel. Ali loosened the strings a bit. That relief! Meanwhile, they picked two or three novices and led them to their rooms, where they stole everything they could. Then they locked in their rooms. So to pass the 26 novices. Cleaned up what they could. After two hours of torment, they asked the altar wine. He had half a bottle.
They took. They left the chapel and told me: go to sleep. Thank God they did not attempt to desecrate the shrine. Was firmly resolved not to allow such desecration, even suffering the threat of knife and gun. According to the novice group were numerous. Our house was surrounded by thugs and armed. There were military. When they arrived, immobilized the night watchman and asked immediately if there were military men in the house. The novices were traumatized. I stayed calm the whole time, making my prayers silently. After the assault, the novices gathered in the chapel to thank God, the Virgin Mary and P Dehon's grace preserve us alive. With only one phone can contact Kisangani. Kisangani called the Authorities Butembo. The answer: we are headed. Not arrive until the next day. Only two soldiers, a motorcycle, came here at 8 o'clock in the morning the next day, for statistics of assaults. Unfortunately, this is our reality: Butembo is in the hands of bandits! You live here a cruel war: the poor people without protection against outlaws, bandits and armed
and sometimes even against their own military. The time: when they left our house at night, the burglars found a poor man. It withstood the assault. They killed him.
Butembo, August 4, 2010
P. Osnildo Carlos Klann, SCJ
Novice maste
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