DR Congo: Giving Dignity and Independence
The Daniel Comboni House of the Comboni Missionary Sisters is a structure that assists the social rehabilitation of young women so that they can manage their own lives independently and with dignity. We visited the House. Daniel Comboni Social House is found in the Kimbondo quarter on the outskirts of Kinshasa. Originally, the Comboni Sisters […]
Oral Literature: the Tortoise, the Dog and the Farmer
Once upon a time, there was famine in the land of the animals because the dry season had extended more than usual. There was no rain in the land and every animal was looking rather thin and unhealthy because very limited food was available. However, the tortoise observed that his friend the dog was looking […]
Vatican: the Catholic Church in Numbers
The Annuario Pontificio 2021, and the ‘Annuarium Statisticum Ecclesiae 2019’, edited by the Central Statistics Office of the Catholic Church have been just published. The Annuario Pontificio reveals several new aspects of the life of the Church in the world in 2020. During this time period two metropolitan Sees and four episcopal Sees (2 dioceses […]
Herbs & Plants: Warburgia salutaris, a healthful plant
The importance of medicinal plants in primary health care systems to treat and manage various disease conditions cannot be underestimated. Warburgia salutaris (G.Bertol.) Chiov (Family Canellaceae); whose common name is ‘pepperbark tree’, is one of the highly commercialized medicinal plant trees. It has been documented in many folkloric and ethnobotanical studies conducted in east, central […]
Brunei Catholic Church: ‘the periphery within the periphery’
A small Catholic population. The seven pastoral priorities. Living under Sharia Law. Cardinal Cornelius Sim, apostolic vicar of Brunei talks about his community. Last November, Pope Francis made mons. Cornelius Sim apostolic vicar of Brunei, a cardinal. “For me, it was a bit of a shock and unexpected,” said mons. Sim. “I think this appointment’s […]
Democratic Republic of the Congo: towards new life
On a hill in the city of Bukavu in the south of the DR Congo, a centre has been built to take in girls accused of witchcraft. Her face is serene and smiling as she holds the hand one of the little girls she looks after at the Ek’abana house on one of the hills […]
Nigeria: telling their tales of suffering
Boko Haram continues on its path of violence and destruction. Stories of suffering and pain. The Church stays by the side of the people. There are some days that are carved into memory and never leave us. The memories keep coming back with their anguish and pain. It was on a Thursday, 18 January of […]
Oral literature: the buffalos’ friend
Once upon a time, a boy was called buffalos’ friend because he was getting close to buffalos without any fear. One day he met a cattle keeper whose calves got lost in the bush and joined a group of buffalos. The cattle keeper asked him to recover the calves and promised cow fetlocks as a […]
Brazil: the new report denounces the advance of miners in the indigenous territory
Even with the COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed 318,000 people across the country, illegal activity never stopped – on the contrary, suggests a new survey on the expansion of mining in the indigenous territory. Produced by Hutukara Yanomami Association (HAY) and Wanasseduume Ye’kwana Association (Seduume), the report “Scars in the Forest – the growth of […]
India: the apostle of the lepers
Fifty years in India alongside the lepers. Curing their wounds but also rejoicing with each one for new found life. This is the story of Sister Bertilla Capra, 82, an Italian Consolata Missionary. It was in June 1970 that she arrived in Andhra Pradesh, her first appointment. “Before leaving,” she recounts “I went to Fontilles, […]