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Tunisia: 54 year old missionary is killed in library fire

A Catholic missionary from the congregation of Missionaries of Africa also known as White Fathers died in a fire tragedy last Tuesday in the capital of Tunisia, Tunis and the cause of the fire is still under investigation by police, reports http://www.cisanewsafrica.orga.

54 year old Fr Gian-Battista Maffi of the Missionaries of Africa died in a fire in the library of the Institut des Belles Lettres Arabes (Institute of Arabic Literature) in Tunis last Tuesday afternoon.

Fr Gerard Chabanon, Superior General of the White Fathers, told MISNA that Fr Maffi's body will be repatriated to Italy in the next few days after post-mortem results.

A letter sent Thursday by the priest's provincial, Fr José Maria Cantal, stated that he arrived on the scene only minutes after the blast and found Fr Maffi already lying dead on the floor amid the flames.

Fr Jose said the tragedy was very hard on Fr Maffi's confreres and especially difficult for his mother who is 87. He praised the emergency services that were very supportive and stayed all night with the community.

The requiem Mass for the late was celebrated on Saturday in the Cathedral of Tunis, presided by Bishop Maroun Lahham, and con-celebrated with local Catholic clergy.

Fr Chabanon said that besides Catholic friends and family present: “The Cathedral was crowded with many Muslims as a sign of their solidarity and friendship.”

“About 60 percent of the library was destroyed by fire and water. For us and the locals the fire in the library, home to thousands of ancient and precious volumes, was a great loss for Arab culture and inter-cultural dialogue,” Fr Chabanon said.

The late priest from Mozzanica (Bergamo) was director of the library for two years. Ordained in 1984, Fr Maffi carried out his first mission in Mali, after training in Italy.

He then worked for seven years as librarian at the Pontifical Institute of Arab and Islamistic Studies (PISAI) in Rome, Italy.

The Library founded in 1926 by the Missionaries of Africa, like the Christian-Islamic research centre is situated in the popular neighborhood of Makal Ezzam, near the Medina.

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TAGS: Tunis Catholic missionary Missionaries of Africa White Fathers library fire Fr Gian-Battista Maffi

[01/14/2010]

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