Fr Francesco Rapacioli, new PIME superior general
ROME: Fr Francesco Rapacioli, 62, a missionary in Bangladesh, is the new superior general of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME), the missionary institute that publishes Asia News .
The institute elected him this morning during its 16th General Assembly, underway since 22 June at the International Centre for Missionary Activities in Rome, focused on the topic "All and only missionaries: identity, responsibility and freedom in the common missionary vocation".
Fr Rapacioli takes over from Fr Ferruccio Brambillasca, who has led the institute since 2013. After completing a second six-year term, he was no longer eligible for re-election. PIME's new general administration was also elected for the next six years.
Hitherto the regional superior for Southern Asia, Father Rapacioli was born in Paris in 1963 but grew up in the Italian diocese of Piacenza-Bobbio. He entered PIME after graduating in medicine and becoming a priest in 1993.
His first destination was the seminary in Pune, India, where he carried out his ministry until 1997, when he was transferred to Bangladesh, a largely Muslim country, working mostly in Dhaka.
After a six-year hiatus (2012-2018) as rector of the PIME International Seminary in Monza (Italy), he returned to Bangladesh where he set up groups for alcoholics and drug addicts in the capital in 2020 to help them take back control of their lives.
This was a concrete response to a major need in the country. 'Many of those who attend the groups are Muslims, but there are also Christians, Hindus and Buddhists,' he said in an interview with Mondo e Missione.
"Many participate because they feel the need to be among people who do not judge and who are interested in understanding. One comes across many difficult situations, devastating sometimes. But it is also beautiful to see that some manage to rebuild a life of relationships, work, study, and find peace.
'It is a true blossoming. I believe it is an authentically missionary project,' Fr Rapacioli explained. 'It touches something profound in people; it is a true spiritual experience. And even if it never becomes part of religious discourse, it is truly an inner journey.'
PIME was founded by Bishop, later Patriarch Angelo Ramazzotti in 1850, out of the experience of the Lombard Seminary for Foreign Missions. Pope Pius XI reset it in 1926 as the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions, uniting it with the Pontifical Seminary of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul for Foreign Missions, established in Rome in 1871 by Mgr Pietro Avanzini.
PIME currently has about 400 missionaries from 17 different nationalities who carry out their ministry in 20 countries in every continent.
The latest endeavour, created in cooperation with other institutes set up in mission with the same charism as PIME, is taking its first steps in the Diocese of Tanjung Selor, Borneo (Indonesia).--Asia News
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
2 days ago
- The Star
'Potato king' myth in Germany's popular Sanssouci Palace debunked
Generations of Germans believe Frederick the Great brought the beloved potato to Germany. The legend is this: King Frederick II of Prussia wanted his subjects to eat potatoes, introduced to Europe in the 16th century from South America. But the people of Prussia, which later became part of a united Germany, wouldn't touch the tuber. So the 18th-century monarch resorted to trickery. He placed royal guards and soldiers along the edge of his palace garden – thus creating the illusion that potatoes were a rare and valuable crop reserved for the royal family and its aristocratic friends. But the guards withdrew from their posts each night, creating an opportunity for enterprising locals to sneak in and 'steal' the spuds. Thus began Germany's love affair with the humble kartoffel and Frederick's rebranding as Der Kartoffelkonig or the potato king. Except it's all fake. Bogus. Phony. Or Falsch, as the Germans would say. And debunking it is a royal pain for Jurgen Luh, historian of the Prussian Palaces and Gardens Foundation, even when history has receipts. Archives of royal menus show the king instead had a penchant for Italian food and French wine. 'He never ate it,' Luh said. 'Any potato. Not boiled, not fried.' A statue of King Frederick II of Prussia at the palace. What's true The unexciting truth is that the potato has been cultivated in Germany's Bavarian state since 1647, Luh said. Frederick's great-grandfather, Elector Frederick William, introduced it to the Brandenburg area of Prussia in the 1650s, but only because he liked the aesthetics of the plant's leafy greens. By the time Frederick the Great took the throne in 1740, the potato was grown in gardens throughout Prussia but not on a large scale. The king did actually issue royal decrees promoting the farming and production of potatoes, but his people ignored them. Potatoes did not become widespread in Prussia, in central and eastern Europe, until after the Napoleonic wars ended in 1815, after Frederick II's death in 1786. The guarded garden story, Luh said, is nonsense. And Frederick was more of a wannabe potato king than an actual one. But the fable has deep roots, and the myth makes money. To this day, visitors to Frederick's summer home of Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam, outside Berlin, leave raw potatoes and paper crowns on the king's grave. The palace's gift shops sell potato merchandise, from postcards and children's books to a €35 (RM174) apron proclaiming the wearer as a Kartoffelkonig. Luh used to correct tour guides and visitors to the palace, but he's largely given up. Besides, he said, at least it means people are coming to Sanssouci and experiencing its rich history. 'The fact is that the legend has beaten the truth and the legend is just too beautiful,' he added. Luh has been educating tourists and even tour guides about the real history of potatoes in Germany. It's cultural Whatever its roots, the potato is undeniably part of the German cultural identity. At Biohof Schoneiche, an organic farm outside Berlin, workers will harvest roughly 2,500 metric tonnes of potatoes come the annual September harvest. 'In most parts of the world, potatoes are considered a vegetable. In Germany it's a staple food,' general manager Axel Boehme said. 'People cannot imagine having a meal without potatoes.' Regional recipes, passed down from every oma (grandmother) to each new generation, debate the merits of a vinegar- or mayo-based kartoffelsalat (potato salad). From boiled (salzkartoffeln) or pan-fried (bratkartoffeln) to dumplings and pancakes (kartoffelklosse and kartoffelpuffer), the versatile vegetable is intertwined with the country's emotional heritage. Anke Schoenfelder, project manager for German potato marketing company Kartoffel-Marketing, says her favourite tuber tradition is rooted in making 'Kartoffel-Karotten-Gugelhupf' (potato and carrot Bundt cake, recipe on the right) for family gatherings. 'Taste is memory, right? And when this is related to your family, this is even more part of your identity,' she said. The palace was once the summer home of King Frederick II of Prussia. Plus, Schoenfelder added, the potato can be used as a beauty product – the juice can be good for your skin, she says – or a household cleaner, for stubborn stains on the bottom of your oven. For now, Der Kartoffelkonig's legend lives on. As Luh was speaking to reporters in front of the king's grave, two tourists placed their offerings of potatoes on the tomb. One even took a selfie as she did so. 'I always think I should go here in the evening when I have no potatoes at home,' the historian joked. 'I could take them away and have a good meal afterwards.' – AP The potato and carrot Bundt cake or kartoffel karotten gugelhupf is often served during Easter in Germany. — Kartoffel-Marketing/ Potato and carrot Bundt cake recipe One 10-cup Bundt pan Time: 90 minutes Serves: 12 Ingredients: 250g high-starch potato (such as Russet and Maris Piper) 250g carrots 50ml carrot juice 50ml sunflower oil 4 eggs (medium-sized, room temperature) 200g sugar 1 packet vanilla sugar 125g almonds, ground 125g all-purpose flour melted butter to grease the mould 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs Wash the potatoes and boil them in salted water for 20 to 25 minutes, until tender. Let them cool slightly, peel them, and then press them through a potato ricer into a bowl. Wash and peel the carrots and grate them finely with the potatoes, using a vegetable grater or a mandolin. Generously grease the Bundt pan with oil or butter. Coat the pan with some breadcrumbs. Preheat oven to 200°C on the fan setting. Add carrot juice, sunflower oil, eggs, vanilla sugar, sugar, flour, baking powder and ground almonds to the mashed potatoes and grated carrots and mix with a hand mixer for about four minutes until a dough forms. Pour the potato-carrot cake batter into the prepared Bundt pan. Place the pan in the oven and bake for about 50 minutes until cooked through (if necessary, cover the pan with aluminium foil after half an hour to prevent the cake from burning). Let the cake cool completely (you can also do this on a balcony or terrace) before decorating it with icing. This is important, because otherwise the icing will seep into the cake. In a bowl, combine the powdered sugar and a little lemon juice until thickened. Pour the icing over the cooled cake and decorate with your preferred toppings like chocolate chips, for example. Let it rest a bit to allow the icing to set.
The Star
2 days ago
- The Star
Day of prayers for victims after Bangladesh jet crash
Muslims offer a special prayer at the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque in Dhaka on July 25, 2025, for the victims of the tragic plane crash at the Milestone School and College. Special prayers were held across Bangladesh on July 25, as the death toll from a fighter jet crash into a school building in Dhaka rose to 32. - AFP DHAKA: Special prayers were held across Bangladesh on Friday (July 25), as the death toll from a fighter jet crash into a school building in Dhaka rose to 32. Most of the dead were children - the youngest aged nine - after the Chinese-made F-7 BJI aircraft slammed into the Milestone School and College on Monday following a mechanical failure. The authorities earlier said 31 people were killed and 170 injured in the deadliest aviation disaster in the country in decades. The latest to succumb to her injuries was 10-year-old Tasnim Afroz Ayman, hospital coordinator Sarkar Farhana Kabir told AFP. "She was undergoing treatment in the High Dependency Unit with 45 per cent burns," she said. Ayman's uncle, Saiful Islam, said she remained calm and composed despite undergoing excruciating pain during her final hours. "Even last night, she consoled her mother. But God had other plans," Saiful told AFP. As of Friday, 51 others were receiving treatment in various city hospitals. Following a government directive, all mosques across the country held special prayers during the Friday congregation. Ashraful Islam, who came to pray at a mosque close to the school, lost both his children - Tahia Ashraf Nazia, 13, and Arian Ashraf Nafi, 9. "I have nothing left," Ashraful told reporters. Nazia kept asking about her younger brother Nafi until her last breath, he added. Her final request was for an ice cream, said her aunt Naznin Akhter. "I'm burning inside. Give me some ice cream... and don't let go of my hand," were her last words, she told a local TV channel. India and Singapore have sent doctors specialising in burn care to assist their Bangladesh colleagues. A military investigation has been opened to determine the cause of the accident. - AFP
Focus Malaysia
5 days ago
- Focus Malaysia
Why Siti Kasim's 'think a thousand times before converting for the sake of marrying' is gospel truth
LOVE conquers all or so it would seem. Take away the first flushes of romance, married life is full of unexpected pitfalls and challenges. So warned human rights activist and lawyer Siti Kasim on her Facebook page recently on the many instances marital breakdown has led to a spouse wishing to leave a religion which he or she converted into for the sake of nuptials. As it is not so easy to declare apostasy as in the case of Muslim convert spouses – in fact, it is very much a one-way traffic – it is best that one thinks long and hard when choosing a Muslim life partner, she counselled. Sharing a video of a Muslim wife lamenting about her convert husband's refusal to adhere to certain Islamic practices, the legal eagle – while chiding the woman for washing dirty laundry on social media – contended that such is a chilling reminder of how fast reality of life would creep in once marital bliss has faded. In the video which was first posted on Berani Viral's Facebook page, the lady identified only as Ema complained about her husband's fondness for his pet dog. The canine which Ema admits is cute has clearly become a major bone of contention as its very presence within the home has greatly upset her. Additionally, she is also infuriated by her husband partaking in some Taoist praying ritual alongside his grandmother who is living with them in addition to his fondness for Chinese food with dubious halal status. However, Ema was berated by one commenter for being narrow-minded with her religious interpretations having contained too many restrictions which were not universal Islamic values. He went on to chide the lady for not being able to differentiate between religious and cultural practices. One lady commenter who claimed to have divorced from her Muslim convert spouse revealed that she never felt the urge to share him on social media. Foolish seems to be the verdict here. The same sentiment was echoed by more than a few who thought such story telling of family matters in public to be in poor taste. One commenter seemed to hit the nail on the head by asking why marry a convert if the lady was unwilling to compromise or buy into a different cultural background. Such small-minded individuals are ill-suited to mixed marriages it was observed, hence Ema should have sought a Malay-Muslim spouse from the off to avoid all the challenges she is now facing. It was also pointed out that in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, does not require non-Muslims to convert to Islam before legally marrying a Muslim. There was little sympathy for Ema as many saw her rant as attention-seeking as well as displaying her narrow-mindedness for all to see. One commenter even urged the husband to simply kick out this complaining spouse instead of his beloved dog. That may be a tad drastic. The one thing that the video does highlight – regardless of one's cultural or religious beliefs – is that mixed marriages can be fraught with difficulties. Love can indeed conquer, but only if you let it … with a huge slice of compromise. – July 2025
