Pastoral visit of Bishop Camillo

Tricia and I attended a meal at Sacred Heart Church in honour of the Pastoral visit of Bishop Camillo.The Lebanese Charge’ d’Affaires, who is in Bahrain for only two months and has been regularly attending our Friday morning service, was also there with a contingent of other ambassadors (Italy, France, The Philippines, Palestine).  It was a good opportunity to get to know him a little. He said on Easter Day at a working meeting, the Palestinian Ambassador had greeted him “Christ has risen” and before he had a chance to respond the Syrian Charge´ d’ Affaires said: “He is risen indeed!” Neither were Christians! It is hard to imagine any such exchange among westerners!

He also shared an experience of being kidnapped by militia in Lebanon when he was only seventeen, because he was Christian, how he was told that he would not leave the house alive, the experience of torture, his own integrity as a Christian and  miraculous release. I suggested that it was a story he should share with the wider St Christopher’s community.

It was good to see one of the police band members, who has recently returned Calcutta to get married and whose name was one of a few that I arrived in Bahrain with. I was given his contact details through my step aunt, who is very much involved in the Oxford Mission to Calcutta, where he attended school.