ONE QUESTION that struck Fr. Giancarlo Bossi’s mind during his 39-day ordeal in the hands of an Islamic armed group was why he was treading the wilderness of Lanao del Norte alongside a band of “poor fishermen.”
He wondered: “Are we both praying to the same God?”
Recalling his experience to the Varsitarian, the Italian missionary said he has emerged with deeper faith, and not even once did he harbor fear or prejudice toward his tormentors. “In the words of Jesus, we have all the values, such as friendship, solidarity, transparency, and honesty,” Bossi said in an exclusive interview last July 22 at the Mary Queen of Apostles Parish in Parañaque City.
Bossi, for three decades a missionary in the Philippines with the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions, was kidnapped by at least 15 gunmen last July 10 in Payao, Zamboanga Sibugay on his way to celebrate Mass. He was released last July 19 in Karamotan, Lanao del Norte.
The military believes Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels carried out the abduction, although Bossi was told by his captors they belonged to the Abu Sayyaf, a kidnap group with links to the Al-Qaeda terrorist network. Soldiers have been sent to hunt down the rebels following a violent clash last July 10 between the MILF and Marines, in which 14 government troops were killed, 10 of them beheaded.
Upon learning that 14 Marines died while searching for him, Bossi broke down into tears, even asking the military to take him to the fallen soldiers’ relatives.
“I asked the military to provide (their addresses), so that I can (send) them condolences and (thank-you) letters,” he said.
Bossi described as “overwhelming” and “inspiring” the support and prayers he received during and after his abduction – from the Pope, his family, the government, Church leaders, members of his congregation, and priests and religious here and abroad.
Bossi noted that his abduction received international attention, unlike the case of fellow Italian missionaries Fr. Luciano Benedetti in 1998 and Fr. Guiseppe Pierantoni in 2001.
“I consider myself lucky because I got released in just 39 days,” Bossi said, recalling that his abductors admitted they belonged to the group that had held both Pierantoni and Benedetti.
Deeper faith
Bossi said the ordeal deepened his faith, and reaffirned that “Following the path of Jesus is the best way.”
“When one is held captive, he has all the time to reflect, meditate and ask questions,” Bossi said. “This is what happened to me.”
Bossi said he and his captors exchanged views on Christianity and Islam and varied topics related to faith and life.
“The first question that came to my mind during the early days of my stay in jungles of Lanao del Norte was: ‘Are we both praying to the same God?’ Because the abductors prayed with automatic weapons to their right and me, their hostage, to their left,” he said.
“If I have to pray thanking God with the armalite on my hand and the prisoner on my side, I would be ashamed to pray,” Bossi told his captors.
As a priest, Bossi said he believes “faith and life are one.” But his captors believed a gap exists between faith and life, the Italian priest said.
Bossi also said he could not help but see the “biblical signs.”
By sheer coincidence, he was released after almost 40 days in captivity, the same length of time Jesus spent fasting and praying in the desert amid the temptations of the devil.
He was abducted on June 10, the feast day of the Body and Blood of Christ and was released on the eve of his mother’s the 78th birthday.
‘Poor fishermen’
Bossi said he talked with his captors in Cebuano, spoken widely in Central Visayas and parts of Mindanao. “They never said they were frustrated but the admitted they were poor, poor subsistence fishermen,” the Italian priest said.
He said he was “kidnapped for money,” but didn’t know how much in ransom was paid for his “board and lodging.”
Bossi said he wanted to continue as a missionary in Mindanao. “If our job is for a certain kind of people or some kind of situation (no matter how) dangerous, it may still be worthy to stay here.”
The regional superior of the Pontifical Institute, Fr. Gianbattista Sandalo, told the Varsitarian that Bossi may not return to Payao, but “certainly he will be back in Mindanao” to continue “touching lives” after visiting his family in Italy, where he is also set to address the youth together with the Pope during the World Youth Day celebration in Loreto in September.
Asked what he learned from his abductors, Bossi said: “In spite of everything, they are still my brothers and I would always be glad to pray for them and their loved ones.”
