Tripoli Prelate Lauds Filipino Nurses in Libya

MANILA, April 18, 2011―Filipino health personnel may have varied reasons in opting to stay in war torn Libya, but a Tripoli prelate lauded their presence there as a shining witness of Christian commitment in serving the needy.

Msgr. Giovanni Innocenzo Martinelli, apostolic vicar of Tripoli, said the presence of Filipino nurses in war-torn Libya providing health care assistance to the wounded gives an example of Christian witness to the Catholic community and the rest of the population, according to a news report from AsiaNews.

“Nurses and doctors continue to provide their services with passion and conscientiousness,” the vicar said, “giving their all to the Christian community in Libya”.

The same news report noted that Filipino nurses are employed in almost all of Libyan health facilities and many are working in Benghazi, Misratah and Brega, areas where hostilities between government forces and the rebels are ongoing.

The prelate also lauded the steadfast faith of the Catholic community in Tripoli, composed mostly of Filipinos and sub-Saharan African migrants.

On weekends, at least 200 people take part in Masses and pray together, he said, bearing witness on the importance of the Christian community despite the uncertainties that war bring.

Although Philippine media have reported that some Filipino nurses were taken hostage and being used as human shields by Gaddafi’s forces, Msgr. Martinelli said he does not have sufficient information to verify the news citing difficult situation in the war zones. (CBCPNews)