By mudir 
On Sunday 31 august, Archbishop Stefen Hesse of Hamburg (Germany) visited St. Bakhita centre. This is the homily he gave.
Dear brothers and sisters,
There are places which bring together people from different backgrounds and with different stories. Places of refuge, places of faith, such as the Saint Bakhita Center here in the Arbaa wa-Nuss neighborhood. Some people have only just arrived: They still hold their luggage in their hands, so to speak, and no doubt still carry the burden of their journey in their hearts. What will happen next? Will I be able to stay here? Others have been living here for several years, have settled here in a spiritual sense as well, and perhaps even feel at home. Different experiences, different paths, maybe different needs too and yet people come together here who share the same space, the same songs, the same hopes.
In the midst of this diverse community, there is a quiet force at work: the ability to make room for one another. Not just offering the seat next to you, but making room in your heart for others, particularly in everyday life. Sometimes it is a plate of food that is shared. Sometimes it is an hour of time to listen to someone else. And sometimes it is simply being present and enduring with others when life is difficult for them, so that they feel: we are not alone.
I am very grateful to have the opportunity to take part in this community today. It was only yesterday evening that I arrived in Egypt, and this center here is the first religious place I visit in Egypt. I am the Archbishop of Hamburg, in the very north of Germany, and I am responsible for refugee affairs in the German Bishops’ Conference. I have come here to send a message of solidarity with refugees from Sudan: you are not alone. And I have come to learn more about the situation of refugees in Egypt-by talking to those who seek protection and to those who stand by their side. I think that the center here is a wonderful starting point for this journey of solidarity.
Also, I don’t want to miss the chance to wish you all a happy birthday. Because this year you are celebrating two important anniversaries: The Sakakini parish was founded 100 years ago, and the Saint Bakhita Center 25 years ago.
The parish, which is under the good care of the Comboni Missionaries, bears the telling name “Sacred Heart”. Today it reminds us of the fact that over the course of one century the love that comes from the heart of our Lord Jesus Christ has been made tangible here. It is an anniversary which shows how God’s work continues to grow over several generations: from those who founded the parish, to the many different faithful nowadays.
The history of the Christian communities here is a history of perseverance. People have survived wars, revolutions and economic hardship and yet they have kept their doors and their hearts open, in this sense, the vision of Daniel Comboni lives on, who saw the people on the Nile not merely as recipients of aid, but as brothers and sisters who themselves are bearers of hope. His words “Save Africa with Africa” become visible here when people from different backgrounds gather on an equal footing to be the Church together.
At the same time, the person to whom this Center here has been dedicated is also of great significance: Saint Josephine Bakhita, the Patron Saint of Sudan, and also of all victims of human trafficking worldwide. In his Encyclical Letter Spe salvi, Pope Benedict XVI reminded us that Christian hope is not an abstract idea; rather, we receive hope by coming to know the true God in a very concrete way; and as an example for a saint of our times who had such an encounter with God, he presented us the story of Saint Josephine Bakhita.
For numerous believers in this community Saint Josephine Bakhita is a well-known sister in faith, a living embodiment of hope. She travelled paths that some of you, dear brothers and sisters, have travelled too. Born in Sudan, she experienced violence, displacement, slavery. However, in her encounter with the God of life, she found a freedom and a love that no one could take away from her. Saint Josephine reminds us that even from the worst suffering, new strength can grow – a strength that helps us recognise and protect our own dignity as well as the dignity of others. This is a source of comfort and inspiration for Christians in Sudan, in Egypt, in Africa and around the globe. In my archdiocese of Hamburg, there is a newly formed parish under the patronage of Saint Josephine Bakhita – a beautiful reflection of the strong international bond within the one Church of Christ.
Let’s not forget: there is a huge difference between humility and humiliation. Saint Josephine Bakhita stood up against humiliation. And at the same time, she was humble when it came to sharing the love and the hope she received from God with others. Faith grows when people do not fight for the best places, but when they are willing to walk the path together – no matter how silent, small and slow this may be at times. In such an attitude of humility, something new can emerge: trust, dignity, community.
Thus, in the middle of Egypt, an image of the Kingdom of God comes to life – not through grand gestures, but through many small signs. And perhaps it is here that it becomes clear that the greatness of God does not lie in making the powerful even more powerful; rather, it is about honoring those who are supposedly small and giving a place to those who are overlooked.