Guinean Catholic pilgrims wishing to travel to Israel for the Christian pilgrimage are still stranded in Conakry. They had to fly for the pilgrimage since yesterday (Wednesday), but they are still stuck in Guinea. And, for good reason, the subsidy granted by the Guinean State as part of this pilgrimage has not yet been released. But, in an interview granted to a reporter from Guineematin.com this Thursday, August 11, 2022, the chief of staff of the general secretariat for religious affairs, Dr Edouard Sagno, reassured that there are no major problems for this pilgrimage. Christian.
“The Christian pilgrimage is managed by two commissions. For our fellow citizens, it is important that they know that when we say Christian pilgrimage, there is the Catholic pilgrimage on the one hand and the Evangelical pilgrimage on the other. For the Catholic pilgrimage, the departure is scheduled for Friday, August 12, 2022, at 8:30 a.m., by an Ethiopian Airlines flight. The evangelical pilgrimage will take place from September 24 to October 12, 2022. So that means that in either case, we are in time. And, there is no major problem,” reassured Dr Édouard Sagno.
According to the chief of staff of the General Secretariat for Religious Affairs, the Christian pilgrimage to Israel requires payment in advance in order to obtain visas, book hotels and pay the necessary commissions for the guide on the ground. But there is no major problem that might prevent Guinean pilgrims from reaching Israel.
Dr Édouard Sagno, Chief of Staff of the General Secretariat for Religious Affairs
“Why there is no major problem, because the budget provided by the State, which is 1,269,000,000 Guinean francs, is already available. The credit opinion was issued yesterday, August 10, 2022. And the authorities, who are moreover very sensitive to this situation, even preferred that the other steps be skipped so that the funds are available as of today, Thursday. And besides, this morning, we handed over a check to the Catholic Commission. From one moment to another, the evangelical commission will also withdraw its check to allow the peaceful realization of the pilgrimage to the holy land of Israel,” said Dr Édouard Sagno.
Speaking of the delay in disbursement of the state subsidy for this pilgrimage, the chief of staff of the general secretariat of religious affairs assures that disbursing a sum of more than one billion Guinean francs requires a lot of administrative procedures.
Dr Édouard Sagno, Chief of Staff of the General Secretariat for Religious Affairs
“To date, according to the letters we have received from the two commissions, the Catholic pilgrimage costs 35 million of our francs and the Evangelical pilgrimage costs 36 million to each pilgrim. But the 35 or 36 million that are paid are not enough, because you need regarding 60 million Guinean francs. Now, this difference there, it is the subsidy which the State grants to the two commissions of organization of the Christian pilgrim. It is this subsidy to be paid which for the moment, in the initial budget law, amounts to 1,269,000. 0000 Guinean francs. It is this amount which is distributed and which makes it possible to take into account the costs on both sides. The other fact that must be emphasized is that in the past, the amount was around 3,450,000,000 francs. It is this amount that covers all costs. Like what is done for the Muslim pilgrimage, it is up to the Guinean State to deal with this. But what is in the initial finance law is the 1,269,000,000 francs. But, the State has the possibility, through a kind of extension to come back to be able to correct this state of affairs in order to go back on the amount that was granted in the past. Again, there is no major problem. There was certainly a small delay in the procedure, but this delay can be explained by the fact that there are several departments which are concerned by a disbursement. After all, today the amount of 1,269,000,000 francs is at the central bank. So there is no longer a problem. The only problem there is is because of the slight delay that was registered due to the payment of some additional costs. Because payment had to be made at least 15 days before their departure, if possible,” explained Dr Édouard Sagno.
It should be noted that 100 Guinean pilgrims at the level of the Catholic pilgrimage and 50 for the Evangelical pilgrimage must make the trip to the Holy Land of Israel this year 2022.
Malick Diakité for Guineematin.com
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