Non-stop praying for Clementina Cantoni
Kabul (AsiaNews) "The ex-pat community is constantly praying for Clementina's release," says Fr Giuseppe Moretti, priest of the only Catholic church in Afghanistan, which the young Italian aid worker used to attend before she was abducted on May 16 by armed men.
The Barnabite priest, who is also missio sui iuris Superior for Afghanistan, is reassuring: "We are not indifferent to the fate of the young woman; we are praying to Our Lady for her".
In the meantime, in Italy and Kabul hope is still alive that the incident will have a happy ending, even after the release of a videotape that showed the Italian aid worker between to Kalashnikov-wielding men.
Tolo TV, an Afghan private TV station, broadcast the videotape in which Clementina repeats her name and those of her father, mother and brother. Despite her predicament, the 32-year-old woman, who is an aid worker with Care International, looks calm and in good conditions.
Only uncertainty comes when she says "Today, May 28 . . . and then Sunday", an error since the 28 was Saturday.
"The video is credible and reassuring; it shows Ms Cantoni in good health," said a spokesperson for the Italian Foreign Ministry.
Tolo TV is the same broadcaster Timur Shah, Cantoni's kidnapper, uses to release his ultimatums or threaten the life of the hostage.
Afghan authorities have however condemned the video. "The video with Clementina, a woman who came to Afghanistan to help the needy, is against the fatwa that guarantees protection to foreigners and violates Afghan culture's notions of hospitality," said a spokesperson for the Afghan Interior Minister.
On Friday, Afghanistan's Ulema Council published a fatwa (religious edict) in favour of the woman's release. In it, the Council stressed that "Islam, like all the heavenly religions, promotes good behaviour, which includes protecting foreigners who have legally entered Afghanistan".
Since September 2003, Ms Cantoni is in charge of a food aid programme and has developed micro-trade projects for widows under the auspices of Care International. She has thus been able to help 11,000 Kabul widows and their children.
And it is Afghan widows who are pursuing a campaign for Clementina's liberation.
"The mobilisation of these women is impressive and at the same time praise-worthy," Father Moretti said.
These women have launched a petition campaign that includes posters marked by illiterate women using their fingertips, handing out pamphlets, holding demonstrations and taking part in radio and TV programmes.
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17/05/2005
05/06/2005
