As noted in an earlier posting today, the Congolese novitiate was attacked on August 3. Fr. Osnildo Klann, SCJ, novice master, recently wrote with details of the attack. Below is a rough translation of the Italian:
We finished the evening prayer. It was August 3, 2010.
When we left the chapel three well-armed bandits forced their way in and began to steal, primarily mobile phones (only two, because the novices have no phones) as well as some jackets. The novices gathered at the altar; I was at the back of the chapel. No one was allowed to speak. Between them, the bandits spoke Swahili and Kinande. They threatened a novice with a knife, demanding a telephone that he did not have.
Sitting behind the bench, I said the rosary, asking God, the Virgin Mary and Fr. Dehon to protect us. I told the novices to pray and keep calm.
Then the bandits came to me and, through an interpreter, asked me for money. They led me to my room, while they continued to insist “money, money.”
I said: “I do not have any more.” I gave what I had in the drawer: $5 and some Congolese francs. The man in-charge looked at me and pointed a gun at my chest.
Meanwhile, two other bandits searched my room, upsetting everything. They were ignorant. One took my camera, but did not know what it was. He looked curious and before putting it in his bag used a novice as an interpreter to asked how much it was worth. I said that it would be about $300. He was satisfied with this and kept it for himself.
I was ordered to throw myself on the floor, belly down, with my hands behind my back. Then began the torture; physical torture. I screamed in pain and the novices in the chapel heard my cries as the ropes were pulled tighter and tighter against me. Eventually, they stopped and took me by the neck and made me get up while continuing to threaten: “I’m not kidding, I want money!”
I kept saying: “I have no more! I have no more!”
After looting my room, the bandit took me to the front of the chapel where he untied the ropes. What a relief! Meanwhile, they took two or three novices at a time to their rooms where they stole what they could and closed the door. They did this with 26 novices.
After two hours of torment they left. Thank God, they did not try to desecrate the tabernacle. I was determined not to allow the desecration, even with the threat of knives and guns.
According to the novices, the group was very large. The whole house was surrounded by well-armed bandits.
They were not military. When they arrived, they immobilized the night watchman and they immediately asked if there were soldiers at home.
The novices were traumatized. I remained calm the whole time, quietly doing my prayers.
After the assault, I met the novices in the chapel to thank God, the Virgin Mary and Fr. Dehon for the grace to preserve life.
We still had one phone and managed to get in touch with Kisangani [Provincial house]. Kisangani called the authorities in Butembo. The answer from them: “We are already in progress.” But they did not arrive until the following day.
Only two soldiers came to us, at 8:00 the next morning, to get details of the assaults.
Unfortunately, this is our reality. We live here in a cruel war: the poor people without protection against well-armed bandits, and sometimes, against the military themselves.
Later we found out that after they left our house the bandits found a poor man who tried to resist an assault and killed him.
