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With his community of Akamasoa, in Madagascar, Father Pedro Opeka is one of those discreet and efficient peacemakers, working daily in the service of the poorest and most destitute. As the war in Ukraine rages on, he addresses an open letter to "his brother Vladimir Putin."
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A Lazarist missionary in Madagascar, born in Argentina to a Slovenian family, Fr. Pedro Opeka has been nominated five times for the Nobel Peace Prize. Having worked for nearly 50 years for the poorest in Madagascar, this priest of edifying determination has built Akamasoa, a city of the poor, on the heights of Antananarivo, the country's capital. This extraordinary place dedicated to the excluded and the disenfranchised is now home to 25,000 inhabitants. Akamasoa, the association that bears its name, has already helped 500,000 Malagasy.
Dismayed by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, he spontaneously wrote and shared with friends and family an open letter to Vladimir Putin, addressing him, "my brother Vladimir." The letter is sent in the rich spirit of fraternity that is very dear to him and that he practices on a daily basis. Fr. Opeka writes, "It is time to get out of the logic that divides the world into powerful and rich countries and vulnerable and poor countries. We are all citizens of our earth, all equal, all brothers and sisters and all responsible for building a better future for all the children of the world who will one day replace us and perpetuate life on earth," he continued. Still believing that "every human being is my brother and sister," Fr. Pedro implores Vladimir Putin to act to "stop the war and stop the massacre of innocent citizens."
"May God the Creator enlighten all leaders"
"We must stop believing that there are human beings more worthy than others," he stressed, begging "his brother Vladimir" to stop the war, to renounce "dictatorship, lies, false appearances and duplicity." He concluded by praying: "May God the Creator enlighten all the leaders of our planet earth to live in brotherhood, equality and freedom, which are the ideals of human dignity and human rights.
