Father Fausto Tentorio's legacy, the murdered missionary was buried yesterday, October 25, in Mindanao. The priest’s legacy "is the ability to withstand suffering with the strength of spirit, to overcome evil with good, practising non-violence and Christ’s love towards the enemy: this is what he taught the tribal Manobo ".

“These are the weapons,” Fr Fausto used to say - "to tame the arrogance of the powerful, with dignity and intelligence": this is what his missionary brother, Fr. Luciamo Benedetti said. The two priests shared 30 years missionary work on the island of Mindanao. Fr. Benedetti gave his testimony during Fr Fausto’s Requiem Mass celebrated yesterday, October 25, in the Basilica of St. Mary Queen of the Angels and Martyrs in Rome, in the presence of priests, nuns, missionaries, seminarians and many lay of the Filipino community.

In life, Fr. Fausto's commitment was "to restoring dignity and awareness in the tribal people, organising grassroots indigenous communities, activating water development programs and education". But, in particular, "he taught them the use of the word to articulate their demands for freedom, respect, justice, peace and brotherhood", a precious gift that will remain for the future, which is "an obstacle to the interests of the powerful, especially those on the land of the tribal people".

Don Gianni Cesena, responsible of "Missio Italy" and the National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies - the main celebrant of the Eucharist - remarked that Fr. Fausto died a few days before World Mission Day, living as an authentic "witness of God", a word which, in its etymological sense, means "martyr". Fr. Tentorio lived and worked, added Don Cesena, "in the style of Jesus Christ, which today continues to live and work in the world through missionaries and all his servants and witnesses".

(news source: Fides)