Writings

[2993]
The Holy See has just entrusted the Vicariate of Central Africa to my Institute for the Missions of Africa in Verona, and to me, the governance of that great Mission with the title of Pro-Vicar Apostolic.
For the moment I am limiting myself to the following Works in my vast jurisdiction:
1. To ensure the prosperity of the three Institutes for Africans in Cairo which you know.
2. To re-establish the two Stations in Shellal and Khartoum, with the intention subsequently to revive those of the Holy Cross and Gondokoro.
3. Later, to create a new Station in El-Obeid, the capital of Kordofan.

[2994]
Until now, the resources I have received from the Propagation of the Faith, from small Societies in Germany and from collections I have gathered during my long tours of Europe, have barely sufficed for the houses in Egypt, and then only because I myself made long journeys in Hungary and Germany and asked a great deal for the Africans.
[2995]
Since the duties of my ministry as Pro-Vicar Apostolic of the most extensive Mission in the world will not allow me to return to Europe, I shall not be able to acquire from anywhere else except the Propagation of the Faith virtually all the resources for the Institutes in Egypt.
It is to this admirable Association that I once again turn to have the necessary resources for the Vicariate in Central Africa.
This is my current plan of action:

[2996]
In July I leave Verona for Cairo with 12 individuals. In September I shall leave Cairo with more than 30 individuals to go to Shellal, Khartoum and Kordofan. The journey from Cairo to Kordofan with so many people will take at least three months.
[2997]
In Kordofan everything needs to be done. There is nothing there, neither medicines nor doctors, nor the equipment for building, cultivating the land or grinding grain, nor for exercising the skills of the locksmith, mason, or carpenter. Everything must be brought from Europe. It is a lot if the men and women have a rag with which to cover themselves. Wine for the celebration of Mass, transported from Cairo to Kordofan, costs four times as much as in Egypt, since it has to be transported on the back of camels.
[2998]
The tools for building, working, etc., the machines, etc., must be bought in Europe.
In Cairo, it is necessary to rent two boats, one for the men and the other for the Sisters and the girls: we will go as far as Aswan on these boats in 25 days. It is always necessary to feed the sailors. We travel from Aswan to Shellal on camels. From Shellal to Korosko on two boats in 5 days. From Korosko through the desert to Berber in 20 days on at least 50 camels, to transport the individuals and the luggage, etc. From Berber we go to Khartoum on two boats. From Khartoum to Kordofan with camels.

[2999]
During this whole journey everything has to be bought except the Nile water. Expenses are enormous.
In Kordofan we will have to pay for the houses, to rebuild them so that they are habitable and have enough to live on for a year.

[3000]
The trip of my four explorers led by Fr Carcereri from Cairo to Kordofan cost me 10,000 francs. I sent them another 3,000 francs, so that they had enough to live on until my arrival in El-Obeid. They already have many black children.
To properly complete my undertaking of founding and restoring the Vicariate of Central Africa, I shall need at least 100,000 francs of which I must have 6,000 before leaving Europe, to buy the above-mentioned tools and machinery and to make the journey with 12 people to Cairo.

[3001]
Mr President, if you help my Mission, you are giving life to the most abandoned and unfortunate part of the world.
My Vicariate is the most laborious, the most difficult and the largest in the world: it is also the most interesting and the most important, because it must regenerate a world in which, up to the present, the Church has not yet been able to obtain any results. By establishing a Mission in Kordofan with my plan of action, you are founding the Centre of apostolic activity with which to gradually conquer for Jesus Christ more than 60,000,000 infidels of which my Vicariate consists. This Mission will make progress equal to the resources we are able to obtain from your charity from the start.

[3002]
I will account to you for everything, and I will give you all the information concerning this immense Mission. I beg you to plead this Holy cause at the Council of Lyons and in that of Paris. The Report I sent on the exploration of Kordofan will have given you some idea of the undertaking on which I am about to embark.
[3003]
It seems to me that the Apostolate of Central Africa will be blessed by God if you make it known in the Annals and recommend it to the prayers and charity of the two million Members of the Association of the Propagation of the Faith, scattered all over the face of the earth.
[3004]
Please accept in advance my warmest gratitude for the charity you will have had, and will have for Central Africa. The last words of my confreres and my own will always be “Africa or death!”. All this is for the love of the One who shed all his divine Blood on the Cross, for Africa too.
Mr President, please receive the homage of my highest esteem, with which I have the honour to declare myself in the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary

Your most devoted servant,

Daniel Comboni
Pro-Vicar Apostolic of Central Africa

[3005]
If I have not written to you for some time, I can nevertheless assure you that I never let a day pass without thinking of you and praying for you. I am perfectly informed of the present crosses which the good Jesus has granted to you and above all about the death and resurrection of two dear members of your family. I am sure you will have offered this little bunch of flowers to Jesus, and for this you will be more intimately united with the Heart of Jesus, where you will have found the way and Heaven.
[3006]
Please write me a long letter about the marvels of the Guard of Honour and about yourself. For the time being I do not have time to write, but I must write to you before I leave for Central Africa. I send you my Postulate to the Council.
Give my sincerest respects to your good father, to your mother and pray for my Work, since His Holiness Pius IX has made me responsible for the most enormous and difficult Mission in the world. As I await a long letter, I declare myself in the Sacred Heart of Jesus
All yours,

Daniel Comboni
Pro-Vicar of Central Africa


Translated from French.

[3007]
From the day when I was told that the Holy See had deigned to entrust the Vicariate of Africa to my Institute in Verona and that I was elected as head of this difficult and laborious Mission, the following idea flashed into my mind. I humbly submit it to Your Eminence’s judgement to be enlightened, and to know how to approach it.
[3008]
There are two Franciscan priests in Khartoum of the Province of the German Tyrol, who, according to the information I have had, are good and zealous.
In Jerusalem there is Fr Bonaventura of Khartoum, a former pupil of my Mission and of the Mazza Institute in Verona, and who is now Under-Curate of the Parish of S. Salvatore and recently declared by the Sacred Congregation an apostolic missionary, who has several times let me know of his desire to consecrate himself to the apostolate of his native land, and also with the intention of winning over to the faith his Muslim parents who live in Khartoum.

[3009]
Finally, in Naples there are three black Franciscan priests, whom Fr Lodovico da Casoria, their Superior, offers me for Central Africa.
[3010]
After carefully pondering over all this, it seems to me, that should the Seraphic Order consent that these members should come to the aid of my Missionaries, it would be useful to form a Franciscan House in some part of the Vicariate, always dependant on the jurisdiction of the Pro-Vicar Apostolic, until the time when, having seen the usefulness of their work and explored the possibilities, they can later be entrusted with a portion of the Vicariate to be erected as a Prefecture, to be assigned exclusively to the Order of Friars Minor.
[3011]
Wherefore I permit myself to ask Your Eminence, if it would be expedient and useful for me to speak to the Most Reverend General of Ara Caeli to invite him, or implore him to grant me the above worthy members of the Franciscan family to help the Vicariate, understood of course that should he accept, I would be responsible for all the expenses of their journey and upkeep on the mission.
[3012]
Although experience has shown that priests and friars find it hard to agree in the work of a single vineyard, nonetheless the unity of the difficult undertaking, the very nature of the apostolate to the Africans and the conditions explained above give me hope that the project in question would be successful and that the presence of the above-mentioned Franciscans in the Vicariate would not prevent the activity and good progress of the missionaries of my Institute.
[3013]
I ardently desire to procure true apostles for the vast mission entrusted to me, even if they belong to other ecclesiastical or religious bodies. But I do not deem it wise to take a step and proceed to any negotiations with regard to the matter without previously consulting the Sacred Congregation, which is why I humbly request Your Eminence’s advice, determined to conform in all things to whatever Your Eminence will deign to suggest to me or order me on such a delicate and important point.
In the meantime I kiss the sacred purple, and declare myself with full respect in the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary.
Your Most Reverend Eminence’s
most humble, obedient and respectful son,


Daniel Comboni
Pro-Vicar Apostolic of Central Africa

[3014]
I promised I would write: but I did not, because of my continuous business and because Fr Pietro always did so on my behalf. However, now that he is at S. Eusebio for the Spiritual Exercises, which will be over tomorrow, I am
writing to you. We are in perfect health, and so we hope are you and your incomparable Superior, Fr Conobio, and the other most worthy fathers of Moncalieri, for whom I profess a special veneration and affection. The Holy See has entrusted me with the governance of the vast mission of Central Africa, which is bigger than all Europe, and includes more than sixty million poor infidels. Be good and pray for me. I hope that I and Fr Pietro will come and see you again, before we leave for Vienna and for Africa.

[3015]
I warmly recommend you to be good and to love prayer deeply, and to be hard-working and obedient to your Superiors, who are watching over you and spending themselves for you. In no other way will you be able to please God, and comfort the tender heart of your mother, to whom you cost so many sighs. Have a great devotion to the Blessed Virgin above all, and always think of and try to put into practice the salutary maxims which are impressed on you by your dear and venerable Superiors during the most hazardous period of your education.
[3016]
Please give my respects to Very Reverend Fr Conobio, to Fr Denza and to all those good fathers whom I hope I shall see again; and when you write to Verona, give your mother and your grandfather so many greetings from me, assuring them that we never forget them.
With these sentiments I embrace you in the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, declaring myself with all affection
Yours most affectionately in the Lord

Daniel Comboni
Pro-Vicar Apostolic of Central Africa

[3017]
Since I have had for a few years in my Institute in Cairo the cleric Rev. Elia Calis from Jerusalem, of the Latin Rite and already in Minor Orders, who is advanced in theological studies and whose vocation, not only to the ecclesiastical state but also to the mission in Central Africa, has been thoroughly tested; since he has reached the canonical age, possessing no more than a good vocation, I humbly beg Your Eminence to deign to allow me to have him promoted to the subdiaconate titulo Missionis, and send me the Form required for this purpose by the Sacred Congregation.
[3018]
Since there will shortly be another two postulant Clerics for the Sacred Orders in the same condition as Cleric Calis, I therefore beg you to grant me the same grace for all three Clerics.
As I kiss the Sacred Purple, I have the honour of signing myself in the Sacred Hearts
Your most Reverend Eminence’s most humble and devoted son

Daniel Comboni
Pro-Vicar Apostolic of Central Africa

[3019]
In the monastery of the Visitation in Pinerolo, which charitably welcomed quite a number of the African girls ransomed by the late, sadly missed Fr Olivieri, there still remain three professed Africans: Sr Maria Benedetta, Sr Maria Fedele and Sr Maria Concetta who, having been welcomed and educated there, have retained the use of their native language among themselves in the hope that one day they might extend the fruits of the religious education they have received to their co-nationals
[3020]
Thus through the inscrutable ways of Providence, that pious and most active Minister of the Lord seems to have prepared one of the most effective elements for the conversion of those peoples. His Excellency the Bishop of this city, with a most respectful letter of the 27th of February, implored Your Holiness in your bounty to allow the aforesaid African girls to join those who, either through belonging to the Institutes for Africa or in some other way, co-operate in the evangelisation of Africa. You, Most Holy Father, first through the late regretted Cardinal Altieri, then through His Eminence the present Cardinal Prefect of Propaganda, with a letter of 16th March of this year, answered that given the circumstances, once the missions of Central Africa were in order, the proposed detachment could take effect.
[3021]
The moment has come, Most Holy Father. Death stalks those poor girls who will not be able to last long in this different climate. On the other hand, were they instead to return to their native land, their lives would be prolonged, and with the education they have received, being of the same language and colour as their co-nationals, they would be of great profit to our missions. These girls who through human barbarity and material greed were snatched from their
homeland would be returning to proclaim the truth. Such miracles are known and can only be worked within the Catholic religion. The excellent Bishop of Pinerolo, together with the one you, O Most Holy Father, have appointed, though unworthy, to represent you in the government of this vast Mission, anxiously await your pronouncement and, prostrate before you, devoutly implore your apostolic blessing.
Humbly kissing your Holy Foot, I remain

Your most humble, obedient and respectful son

Daniel Comboni
Pro-Vicar Apostolic in Central Africa

[3022]
The Bishop of Pinerolo addressed a petition to His Holiness which I gave to Your Excellency at the end of last February. It was a question of obtaining for a number of African nuns of the Visitation in Pinerolo, to save their lives and in response to their desire to dedicate themselves to the salvation of their African sisters, permission to be transferred to the Sisters serving in Central Africa.
In March the Bishop received a favourable letter from His Eminence the Cardinal Prefect.
Now, at the request of the Bishop of Pinerolo, I remind Monsignor the Secretary to deal with the matter.


Daniel Comboni
Pro-Vicar Apostolic

[3023]
We arrived in Rome only this evening. I have not yet finished reading all the letters I found in Rome. However I have read all yours and shall execute the content.
Now I inform you that in four or five days I expect to leave Rome and reach Verona via Florence and Piacenza. Since you told me two months ago to advise you before I left Rome, I await your orders with impatience.

[3024]
I tried selling a letter of credit for 10,000 francs to Mr Brown and he paid 10,715 Italian lire for it. I would like to know if Grego gives as much. In any case, the letters of credit being blank, let us see if the one for 10,000 is alright. I would think it right to sell them all so as not to lose the interest of a few months.
[3025]
I shall give your regards to the Pope. Our dear Jesus has given us so many consolations, the excellent success of our dealings with the Holy See and Propaganda, 45,000 francs in Lyons, all Vienna’s resources, the House in Kordofan, which on 5th June had 17 individuals (too much!!!), etc., etc. It was only right and proper that as followers of Christ, he should give us some great Cross: I had been expecting it for some time, and prayed for it to Jesus. Here we are now with the affair of Ravignani and Mgr Ciurcia. It is hard, very hard. Oh, beloved crosses! I have certainly been the cause, because I am a good-for-nothing; it is right that I should be the most afflicted by it. I was really not being lazy; I cannot be everywhere. I venerate, respect and love our dear Mgr Ciurcia; but I also venerate the Archbishop of Trani. Mgr Ciurcia would not give Canon Fiore even hens to look after. The Archbishop of Trani gave Fiore a city of 36,000 souls to look after, placing more than 20 Canons and 30 parish clergy in his care. Fr Perinelli and I, who spent two days in the town of Corato, are witnesses of the enthusiasm left there by Fiore and of the reputation he enjoys in the four dioceses of Trani, Barletta, Bisceglie and Bari. I think he can look after both hens and cocks.
[3026]
I have on my desk the letters Ravignani wrote to Fiore. Ravignani writes to Fiore as a master would write to a servant who is misbehaving. He completely lacks the basic elements of Christian asceticism. Fiore hopes to bring him round.
I will send your most precious letters to Ravignani and to Fiore. They seem to me most appropriate. Perhaps Ravignani will take it… badly… Whereas Fiore will certainly take it as the voice of God, and with true humility!… But I will write about the many things done in Naples, Trani, etc.
A thousand respects from the Archbishops of Trani, Bari, Naples, etc.
We spoke at length with Melania di Salette.

Comboni

[3027]
I have been wanting to write to you for a long time; but sluggishness, the heat and a mountain of things to do have prevented me. In addition, there was the long tour I made with my excellent secretary, Fr Perinelli, to Naples and Bari, etc.
The moral of the story is that I now have on my shoulders more than 60,000,000 infidels to convert. Once the Rules were made, and approved by the Bishop of Verona, I came to Rome and worked for a good 4 months; so there was then a grandiose Ponenza and after the Holy See had discussed, dissected everything in the General Congregation of the Eminent Cardinals at the Vatican on 21st May, with the approval of the Supreme Pontiff, the entire Vicariate of Central Africa as far as the 12th degree of Latitude South, etc. was entrusted to the new Institute in Verona for the Missions of Africa and I have been appointed by an Apostolic Decree of 26th May as Head of this mission, which is the hardest and the most difficult in the world, the largest in the Universe, larger than the whole of Europe.

[3028]
As soon as my promotion to Pro-Vicar Apostolic and Ordinary of the Vicariate was known in France and Germany, the Society in Vienna offered me all its revenue, the Cologne Association all its income, small associations gave me cheques and the Propagation of the Faith in Lyons and Paris sent me 45,000 francs immediately with a promise of greater yearly contributions in future, and the above-mentioned sum of forty five thousand francs was given to me as the contribution of 1871.
[3029]
Now I shall be leaving in 5 days’time for Verona, then Vienna and at the end of August for Cairo. Propaganda has ordered me to make a visit immediately to the Vicariate as far as the sources of the Nile. In this period I shall establish a house and a church in El Obeid, capital of Kordofan with 100,000 inhabitants and 17 Catholics, where my 4 explorers have been for the last six months. The Vicariate has therefore been taken away from the Franciscans and given to us with a stupendous Brief of 1st June 1872. So now the Houses of Khartoum, Shellal, Gondokoro and Holy Cross are mine.
[3030]
Busy as I am, I have to stop. We shall meet either in Verona or in Vicenza. Dig me out some excellent young priest to be a missionary.
Many greetings to Fr Primo, Fr Consolaro and everyone. A thousand respects to Monsignor the Bishop. No one in the world, Propaganda tells me, has such ample powers as those granted to me by Pius IX. I am a little pope in Africa.

Tuissimus in D.no

Daniel Comboni
Pro-Vicar Apostolic of Central Africa