In a world abounding with violence, wars and corruption, the power of divine goodness and mercy always prevail in the end no matter how grave evil is.
Memories go back to a recent bitter event that keeps hovering in the mind of peace-loving people who seek to spread goodness to all parts of the universe. It is the incident when four Missionaries of Charity and 12 others at a home for the elderly in Aden, Yemen, were martyred in a heinous terrorist attack carried out by extremist militants on March 4, 2016. Two of the religious sisters were from Rwanda, while the others came from India and Kenya.
At the time, His Holiness Pope Francis decried the killings saying, “These are the martyrs of today. They give their blood for the Church. These people are victims of the attack of those who have killed them.”
What is delirious is that these were merely religious sisters who, at the time of their martyrdom, were working at a care home which provides humanitarian services to the needy people of all walks of life.
This grisly crime against humanity and life will be documented as an Anglo-Yemeni team of filmmakers have come together to bring the story of these slain women to cinema screens around the world in a production titled, “The Garden of Aden.”
Recalling what happed on that day: Militants attacked a care home in Aden, Yemen. They killed 16 people, four of whom were Missionaries of Charity sisters. When the killing spree ended, the attackers proceeded to destroy every image, and statute or crucifix they could find. On hearing of the murders, Pope Francis described the carnage as “diabolic.”
An Anglo-Yemeni team of filmmakers have come together to bring the story of these slain women to cinema screens around the world.
Sherna Bhadresa, one of the British producers working on the project, says “This story has so many dimensions.” She states that the film “will have a positive impact on many and that despite being a story of martyrdom, it will highlight humanity in all its goodness at a time when the world more than ever needs to be reminded of that.”
This film highlights the fact that humanity, love, cordial relations will continue to prevail despite evil that stands in the way. This incident has not deterred nuns, priests, and consecrated people from continuing the process of providing humanitarian aid to the hungry, the poor, the needy, and the persecuted regardless of the risks that emerge. These religious people provide non-stop humanitarian aid to these people in parts of the world that are classified as being risky and dangerous.
It is really hoped that this film will bring an awareness of what is happening in Yemen in particular and in the world at large so that the lesson to be learned is that no one has the authority to take a God-given life because life is scared and cannot be violated. Furthermore, the film tries to convey a message of solidarity, love, and peace between the Catholics and Muslims. They lived together in this care home in perfect harmony and created a paradise together characterized by mutual respect and understanding, thus becoming one family. Moreover, it entrenches the idea about people’s ability to love one another regardless of color, creed or religion. This is very important nowadays as it helps restore peace in a world marked with turbulence and violence.
With this film invoking a horrible event, it is also time to remember Syriac Orthodox and Greek Orthodox Archbishops of Aleppo, Yohanna Ibrahim and Paul Yazigi, who were seized by a terrorist group in the village of Kfar Dael as they were carrying out humanitarian work on April 22, 2013.
With prayers that the two archbishops would be safe and unharmed despite the elapse of a long period of time, it is hoped that the world will turn over a new leaf and proceed towards comprehensive peace in compliance with the words of the Prince of Peace, Lord Jesus Christ, Who said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.”
