Eric Junod (1924-2007)

Eric Junod 1924-2007

When we think of Eric, who passed away on November 2, many memories come to mind. He did so many things, traveled to so many countries, went through more difficult times, faced family hardships with confidence, gave hope to people who had none left. He always kept his humor intact, almost to the end of his journey, making the nurses who cared for him laugh. What strength of character!

" You are looking at a man who has done many things in his life. At 83 years old, it is normal to stop. I am not afraid of death. I'm ready." These words, Eric said in front of his friends and the medical staff that has been caring for him with dedication at "L'Oliveraie" these last weeks when the end was becoming more precise. These words, these affirmations of faith have marked and moved us all. When he said to me on the phone the other night: "I am leaving in serenity", I must admit that I was moved to the depths of my being. A message from American surgeon Bill Close, with whom Eric worked extensively in the Congo, completes this profession of fearlessness and faith: "Eric has influenced the lives of so many people that he deserves a rest.

It's true; he has done a lot. Whether in his native Jura, where people fought for decades to gain their independence from the Bernese. Whether in French-speaking Africa, where he showed the masses that freedom has an indispensable basis for reconciliation. As an ICRC delegate in Biafra, in the midst of the cruel fighting that forced four and a half million civilians to flee their homes, to die of exhaustion along the roads and to pile up in more than six hundred refugee camps. Whether in Vietnam, where he was the ICRC's interim head of mission and where he met Hélène, or in the Congo, where he took on the dangerous task of overseeing the security of a huge hospital plagued by corruption. In all his activities in the service of others, Eric faced the most serious dangers, responding to the challenges that came his way with a smile and a proverbial "no problem" that allowed him to move forward, for himself and for others, obeying the injunctions of his inner voice that guided him all his life.

When he left for Biafra, he was responding to the appeal that the ICRC had launched under the name "SOS Biafra". The same attitude in Vietnam and in Africa: he was needed and he went, paying his own way and giving his all to what was expected of him. In this process of being a servant, Eric showed a rare obedience to what God was telling him in the secret of his heart. Hélène knows something about this, because in her wonderful union with Eric, beyond the love that explains everything, there was a gesture of mutual obedience that, in the turmoil of contemporary history, and that the Congo was going through in particular, allowed them to stand firm against all odds and to be a solid reference for many, many people.

At this moment, at the time of separation, we want to say "thank you" dear Eric for the example of courage that you leave us. May we, in turn, walk the same path, now that you know the peace that God gives to his servants.