A German monk was imprisoned by Al-Qaeda-linked terrorists for a year in the desert of Mali. He was released on the feast of Christ the King, but only now begins to share his experiences of captivity.
Abduction of a monk
The monk belongs to the Congregation of African Missionaries and has been working in Mali for almost 30 years. The faithful became concerned when he did not show up for the Mass he was supposed to celebrate and his phone went unanswered. For a year, they did not release information about his whereabouts and health status. Details of the release are shrouded in secrecy, except that the German government was involved.
As Fr admits in his testimony. Hans-Joachim Lohre thought that his captivity would last much longer. An employee of a German humanitarian organization kidnapped in April 2018 is still in the hands of Islamists in this country. He sees the restoration of freedom as a miracle. “I firmly believe that God still works miracles today, mostly through other people, but it never occurred to me that He would do this for me,” she wrote in her testimony. He adds: “This year in the desert of Mali, from the feasts of Christ the King 2022 to the feasts of Christ the King 2023, allowed me to feel that God was working miracles for me day by day.” The missionary emphasizes that he had enough water and food and God spared him from illness, even from a toothache. He was not treated badly and was not threatened by snakes and scorpions, which he managed to “neutralize” in time.
“I owe my salvation to prayer”
The monk admits that the biggest miracle for him was surviving these 368 days of prayer, deep inner peace and awareness of God's presence. “I am convinced that this grace is due to the prayers of thousands of people, Christians and Muslims, in Mali and around the world,” he writes, wishing everyone, like him, to experience the “miracle of Christmas” and the presence of God. every day of their lives.
Mali is one of the least favorable countries for Christians. Many abductions of Christian priests took place there. The country has been the scene of attacks by Islamic extremists for years, which began in 2012 and then spread to neighboring Niger and Burkina Faso, destabilizing the entire region.
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