“We remember him with his smile, his enthusiasm, the passion for the mission and dedication for his boys”. In the aftermath of the discovery of Father Flavio Paoli, precipitated in a cliff of the Val di Non last August 11 and found yesterday afternoon, father Dario Dalla, superior of the Italian province of religious children of Mary Immaculate, known as Pavoniani (or Artigianelli) He gives us back a very lively portrait of his confrere “who lived his missionary life in many dangerous places such as Eritrea and Burkina Faso and who found death at the gates”.
Sixty -eight years old, Father Flavio had in fact returned for a holiday in the beloved Christmas places, between the valleys and the mountains of Nanno, in Trentino Alto Adige, where he continued to feel part of that community that sought him desperately in the days immediately following the disappearance. «Thousands of people have mobilized and have been close to the family. So many people loved him. And this both in the places of origin and in those of the mission, from which we continue to receive messages of condolence and affection “, says Father from the era.
He was very welcome, Father Flavio, wherever he lived. Inspired by a missionary uncle who had gone to see in Latin America, he had always conceived the Pavonian charisma – focused on the “educational passion” of their founder, Father Lodovico Pavoni – at the service of the last and little ones, in mission land. His first destination was Eritrea, a very poor country and marked by a very hard despotic regime. There, for 17 years, he had taken care especially of street children, but had been expelled in 2010 together with many foreign missionaries and religious. “Even today many remember him – testifies Father from the era -. And also in these days we continue to receive certificates of esteem and gratitude “.
From Eritrea to Burkina Faso, Father Flavio had experienced the difficult years of the continuous military strokes and the aggravation of the jihadist phenomenon, with repeated kidnappings of foreigners (including Italians). «In Saaba, near the capital Ouagadougou, where the safety conditions are quite good – says Father Dario – He had created a school that put together able -bodied and deaf children together. A courageous and beautiful experience of inclusion and integration. All children learned not only to use the language of signs, but playing and studying together have overcome many prejudices. This also helped local communities to look at and to treat children differently with disabilities who were often excluded from the educational system and marginalized ».
In recent months he had been called to start a new presence in Enugu, in the south -east of Nigeria: “When we decided to open this mission, I immediately thought of Father Flavio for his enthusiasm and his ability to adapt -says the provincial road -. I must say that it was not easy for him to fit into a reality so different from that of Burkina Faso, but had agreed to get back into the game. Unfortunately we will no longer be able to count on his presence. However, we are comforted by the fact that the body has been found and that it can have a funeral and a burial. And in these days we are tightening to his whole family ».
The funeral of Father Flavio Paoli will be celebrated on Thursday 2 October at 3 pm in the parish of Nanno.
