The nun, originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, was awarded the prize for her commitment to migrant rescue operations in Lampedusa, which saved the lives of 47,282 migrants of African origin, reports Vatican Radio. She was awarded the prize at the 15th edition of the Mediterranean Journalists Festival in Otranto, Italy, which closed on Saturday 9 September.
From 2016 to 2019, explains the media, Sister Angel Bipendu worked on the Italian island of Lampedusa, renowned for welcoming migrants of African origin. For more than two years, she took part in rescue operations that saved the lives of thousands of migrants. She boarded boats belonging to the Guardia Costiera – the Italian coastguard – and took part in rescue operations for African migrants in the Mediterranean, bringing them safely to Europe. In Lampedusa, Sister Bipendu worked both as a nun and as a doctor for the Order of Malta’s Italian Relief Corps. Her first task in the rescue boats was to sort out who was ill and who was not, and to isolate and treat those suffering from contagious diseases such as tuberculosis.
She then had to draw up a report, given that some of the pathologies suffered by migrants are unknown or “no longer exist in Europe”. During these two years, Sister Angel Bipendu gave birth at sea, treated hypothermia and serious burns caused by the mixture of petrol and seawater in the dinghies.
Psychological support
Her second mission on the lifeboats, which she considers to be the most important part, according to Vatican Radio, was to encourage the migrants who managed to reach Lampedusa, by first providing them with psychological support. To this end, together with other people involved in these operations, she boarded boats that sailed the Mediterranean from Lampedusa to other ports in southern Italy, such as Catania, Palermo, Naples and Calabria, and brought back all those they managed to save. “It was an experience that made me wise and gave me the courage to go beyond the fears I had. Many other migrants unfortunately died,” she told Vatican News.
Today, the Congolese nun said that 70% of the migrants who have benefited from her direct assistance have managed to integrate well into life in Europe. Most of the migrants who received her assistance were young people, aged between 18 and 27.
The other 30%, with whom she has kept in touch, are still looking for help. Most of these people, explains Vatican Radio, have not stayed in Italy, which they “used as a gateway”, but have settled in other European countries such as Belgium and France.
A member of the Congregation of the Disciples of the Redeemer, Sister Angel Bipendu currently works in Bergamo, an Italian city north-east of Milan, which was the first epicentre of the Covid-19 pandemic in Italy. She also assisted patients suffering from the disease at the height of the health crisis.
