Ezechiele Ramin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ezechiele Ramin |
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 Bronze sculpture of Father Ezechiele Ramin in Piazza San Giuseppe (Padua); work by Ettore Greco (2005). |
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| Born | February 9, 1953 in Padua, Italy |
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| Died | July 24, 1985 (aged 32) in Ji-Paraná, Rondônia, Brazil |
| Church | Roman Catholic |
| Other names | Lele; Ezequiel |
| Education | Studio Teologico Fiorentino (Florence, Italy) Archdiocese of Milan seminar (Venegono Inferiore, Italy) Catholic Theological Union (Chicago, Illinois, US) |
| Ordained | September 28, 1980 |
Ezechiele Ramin (born February 9, 1953 – died July 24, 1985) was an Italian Comboni missionary and artist. He was known as "Lele" in Italy and "Ezequiel" in Brazil. He became famous for his work helping farmers and the native Suruí people in Brazil.
Ezechiele was sadly killed in Brazil while defending the rights of these people. After his death, Pope John Paul II called him a "martyr of charity." This means he died because of his kindness and faith, trying to help others.
Contents
Early Life and Calling
Ezechiele Ramin was born in Padua, Italy, in 1953. He was the fourth of six sons in an ordinary family. He went to a Catholic high school where he learned about poverty around the world. This made him want to help others.
He joined a charity called Mani Tese (which means "Outstretched Hands"). He helped organize events to raise money for small projects.
In 1972, Ezechiele decided to join the Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus. This is a group of priests and brothers who help people around the world. His studies took him to different cities, including Florence, Venegono Inferiore, and even Chicago in the United States. In Chicago, he graduated from Catholic Theological Union.
He gained experience helping poor Native Americans in South Dakota and later in Baja California, Mexico. On September 28, 1980, he became a priest in his hometown of Padua.
He was first sent to a church in Naples. After a big earthquake in 1980, he moved to San Mango sul Calore to help the victims. He returned to Naples in 1981. There, he helped organize some of the first peaceful protests against a local organized crime group. The next year, he moved to Troia, where he helped young people interested in becoming missionaries.
Mission in Brazil
In 1984, Ezechiele was sent to Cacoal, in Rondônia, Brazil. He arrived in Rondônia in July of that year.
He knew the situation in Cacoal would be difficult. But he accepted his assignment, saying, "If Christ needs me, how can I refuse?"
In Cacoal, he found a tough situation. Many small farmers were being treated unfairly by powerful landowners. Also, the native Suruí people had recently been given land by the Brazilian government and were settling down. They were becoming restless because of the problems they faced.
Inspired by the ideas of Dietrich Bonhoeffer (a famous theologian), Ezechiele decided to help these people. He tried to guide them toward peaceful ways to protest instead of fighting.
He began to fear for his life because of the dangerous situation. In early 1985, he received threats. In many letters he wrote to his family that year, he wondered if he would ever see them again.
His Death and What Happened Next
On July 24, 1985, Ezechiele Ramin was at a meeting in Ji-Paraná, Brazil. He was with Adilio de Souza, a leader who helped workers. Ezechiele was trying to convince small farmers not to fight against the landowners. He was going against advice from his own superiors to be more careful.
On their way back, around midday, seven hired gunmen attacked them. They shot Ezechiele more than 50 times. Before he died, he whispered, "I forgive you."
Ezechiele's friends could not get his body for about 24 hours. During this time, a group of Suruí native people stayed with his body, keeping watch until his fellow missionaries arrived.
He was buried in the Padua Cemetery in Italy.
A few days after his death, Pope John Paul II said Ezechiele Ramin was a "martyr of charity."
Ivo Lorscheiter, who was the head of the Brazilian Bishops' Conference, used Ezechiele's murder to ask Brazilian society to make big changes for justice.
Sadly, some farmers reacted to Ezechiele's death by fighting, which was against his teachings. In November of the same year, a landowner and his manager were killed by the very people Ezechiele had tried to help. A few days later, another farm manager was also shot.
In 1988, two of the men who shot Ezechiele were sent to prison for 24 and 25 years. Other attackers were never found or arrested.
Years later, another Comboni priest visited the area where Ezechiele was killed. He found out that Adilio de Souza, the union leader who was with Ezechiele, now owned a piece of land. The priest thought that Adilio might have received the land for betraying Ezechiele.
Other Interests and Talents
Ezechiele Ramin enjoyed cycling and playing football. He also wrote poetry. His many letters to his friends and family were put into a book called Witness of Hope – Letters 1971 – 1985. Many of these letters are available to read.
He also created many drawings, especially with charcoal. In 2010, an exhibition of his drawings was held in his hometown of Padua. Many of his drawings had already been published in a book.
Ezechiele also used photography to record his experiences.
Remembering Ezechiele Ramin
Many events are held to honor Ezechiele Ramin in his hometown of Padua and in Cacoal, Brazil. These events often promote peaceful protest and encourage young people to learn about missionary work.
In 2005, on the 20th anniversary of his death, the Archbishop of Padua remembered him. In the same year, a bronze sculpture of Ezechiele was put in Piazza San Giuseppe in Padua. This is in front of the church Ezechiele went to when he was young.
Also in 2005, Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, where Ezechiele studied, asked a famous artist named Robert Lentz to create an icon of him. The icon shows Ezechiele with a turtle dove, which means he believed in nonviolence.
In 2010, Ezechiele and Dorothy Stang (another missionary) were chosen by the Comboni missionaries in Brazil. They became symbols of the local people's fight for land rights.
Besides his letters, three other books have been written about Ezechiele's life.
In 1998, RAI, the Italian national TV network, made a TV movie inspired by his life. It was called La casa bruciata (The Burned House).
In late 2011, a musical reading of Ezechiele's letters was held in Padua on Human Rights Day.
Two Italian towns have named a street after "Padre Ezechiele Ramin": Padua and Rome.
Cadoneghe in Padua named an auditorium after him. Padua also named a nursery school after him. In Padua, a non-profit group opened a public information center called the Ezechiele Ramin Documentation Center.
A church in Andria dedicated its meeting room to Ezechiele.
In Brazil, a day care center for street children was built and named after Ezechiele Ramin.
Becoming a Saint
The Comboni missionaries are working to have Ezechiele Ramin officially recognized as a "blessed" person and possibly a saint by the Catholic Church. Among the Comboni missionaries in Latin America, many believe that "for them and the people who knew him, Ramin is already a saint."
He is seen as a "witness of the faith."
Images for kids
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Bronze sculpture of Father Ezechiele Ramin in Piazza San Giuseppe (Padua); work by Ettore Greco (2005).
