In a recent interview, Sister Gloria Cecilia Narvaez, a former hostage released in October 2021, told some of her sufferings
Newsroom (January 18, 2022, 9:15 AM, Gaudium Press) In a recent interview with “Aid to the Church in Need”, the Colombian religious, Sister Gloria Cecilia Narvaez, told a little of the sufferings she experienced during the 4 years of her captivity in Mali.
On February 7, 2017, a group of Muslim guerrillas affiliated with Al-Qaeda kidnapped Sister Gloria in the city of Carangasso, 400 km from the capital Bamako. She was released in October 2021.
Currently in her homeland since last November, she is recuperating in the convent of her congregation, the Franciscans of Mary Immaculate.
Serenity amidst suffering
In an interview with Aid to the Church in Need, Sister Gloria said she had experienced her kidnapping as “a form of exodus. An opportunity that God gave me to examine my life”.
In spite of all the pain, Sister Gloria was inspired by the example of St. Francis, and could affirm: “How could I not praise you, bless you, and thank you, my God, because you have filled me with peace in the face of insults and mistreatment?
She confided that during her captivity she remembered the teachings of her founder, Blessed Caridad Brader, who said: “Be tranquil so that God will protect you,” and also the advice from her late mother: “Always be serene, Gloria, always be serene”.
Example of sturdy faith
One of the hardest moments was when the kidnappers beat her. She suffered with resignation but, she did not wish evil on the bandits.
The religious tells that one day, one of the leaders of the group started insulting and beating her and said in a very rude way that he was going to put Sister Gloria’s God to the test: “Let’s see if God will get you out of here”. Sister Gloria recounts that she approached him and spoke very seriously: “Please listen, boss! Show more respect to our God. He is the Creator, and it hurts me that you talk about Him like that.”
The kidnappers looked at each other and agreed that she should not talk to God that way.
They also asked her to wear Islamic clothing and to repeat passages and prayers from the Koran, but Sister Gloria did not hesitate to affirm her Catholic faith even if it cost her her life.
Divine protection
The religious describes that she especially felt the protection of God and Our Lady when one of the kidnappers almost cut her veins, but another stopped him. Or when a snake passed several times over the place where the nun was.
The Franciscan Sisters of Mary Immaculate have been present in Mali for 25 years. The religious are particularly concerned with the literacy and education of women in the country. (FM)
Compiled by Zephania Gangl
