Sister Leonella’s Death Contradicts Blindness and Hate of This World

According to the Pope, Sister Leonella exemplified the “logic of Christianity,” and in offering “the supreme testimony of blood” demonstrated the most authentic Christian witness, “a peaceful sign of contradiction which shows the victory of love over hate and evil.”

Sister Leonella Sgorbati died soon after a gunman shot her several times in the back last week in Somalia at the height of the controversy over Pope Benedict XVI’s recent remarks concerning Islam. It is believed she died as a direct result of Muslim rage over the Pope’s comments.

ICN Kenyan reported that Sister Leonella knew of the dangers surrounding her.

As she used to say, she knew that there was a bullet with her name engraved on it just waiting for her in Mogadishu. But this never deterred her or discouraged her. She was certain that God wanted her in Somalia. For her, that was the will of God. So nothing could stop her in the mission undertaken, not even the knowledge that she could be killed any time. For this reason she dedicated herself completely, sparing no effort and truly turning every stone to accomplish the mission of setting up the school of nursing, to give hope and a future to a country ravaged by war. Her love for God and the Somali people was stronger than any fear, and she strongly believed in the people she was serving.

Her dying words were uttered in Italian: pardono, pardono (I forgive, I forgive).

If more missionaries and other Christians were living (and dying) in heathen lands, as Sister Leonella was, to bring to lost souls the love and hope of the gospel of Jesus Christ, Western society would not be fighting wars against extreme militant forms of Islam in foreign lands.

If, instead of spending billions of dollars on military spending in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Western world had been focused on regularly spending those kind of dollars on missionary activity to Muslims and other lost souls throughout the world, we’d have many more friends in the Muslim world, as well as a vibrant growing Christian Church.

Don’t believe it? Remember the earliest Christians who conquered the Roman Empire by love.

Strange today how certain so called Christian societies struggle to maintain the holy doctrine of “separation of church and state,” powerful elements crushing any kind of government initiative that would sponsor even the most trivial church sponsored program, yet these same societies believe they have the moral right to launch a war and spend mega billions in the defense of “freedom.”

Sister Leonella’s sad and tragic death is an utter contradiction to such blindness and madness.