Mission Diary. South Sudan. Between admiration and concern
“Even if we think we’re coming here to bring the Gospel, the reality is that it is already here, as many of the people we meet, whose hearts are immensely deep, teach us.” Father Placide Petit Majambo Lutumba, a Comboni missionary of Congolese origin, talks to us about his missionary experience. As a young theology […]
The 2026 FIFA World Cup. To the Rhythm of Africa.
A record-breaking number of teams will participate in the World Cup. But beyond the numbers, there’s also quality. Morocco seems the team to beat, but watch out for Senegal, eager for revenge, and the Ivory Coast. And then there’s Cinderella Cape Verde and the hopeful Congolese. After Morocco’s historic semifinal appearance four years ago, it […]
Advocacy & People. Juma Xipaia fights for everyone
“I am ready to die for my people.” Juma Xipaia is a fearless woman, an environmental champion and a voice for the voiceless. Born in Brazil 34 years ago, she is a mother of four and lives in the Amazon, where she fights for the defence of the forest and land, indigenous rights and against […]
DR Congo. The tightrope walkers of the Congo River
The Wagenya fishermen, custodians of an ancient art, brave the turbulent waters of the great Tshopo River on fragile wooden tripods. But the real danger comes from elsewhere: intensive fishing, declining tourism, and internal strife threaten a community already struggling with precarious conditions. The calm of the great river is abruptly interrupted near Kisangani, the […]
Vocation Story. Father Miasik. “This is my path”
Father Miasik Maciel Tomasz, a Polish Comboni missionary, talks to us about his vocational journey and his missionary experience. I come from a Catholic family of peasant origins living on the outskirts of Rzeszów (Poland), the capital of my region, which borders Slovakia and Ukraine. My childhood and adolescence were marked by the end of […]
Comboni Missionaries in Butembo: “We are a point of reference”
The Comboni missionaries are actively, yet discreetly, involved in supporting displaced persons and war orphans. A key aspect of their work is education, which they consider the only way to prevent children from recruitment by armed groups. The situation of displaced persons in Butembo, Lubero Territory (North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo), represents one […]
Advocacy & People. Cédric Ouanekpone. Giving dignity to the sick.
His vision as a doctor serving the poor is encouraging many young people to pursue a career in medicine. “Being a doctor also helps change society.” After completing his medical residency in Strasbourg, France, Cédric Patrick Le Grand Ouanekpone was ready to return to his home country, the Central African Republic (CAR). He turned down […]
Oral Literature. The Water Buffalo and the Tiger
A farmer, his plough over his shoulder, led his water buffalo to the field. The mud in the field was soft and sticky, and the buffalo was up to his belly in mud, so that he had great difficulty in pulling the plough. In fact, it took him a long while to plough a little […]
People & Culture/DR Congo. Birth in the Shi tradition
In Shi culture, birth remains one of the most important, joyful, and eagerly awaited events. It brings families together and gives hope, especially to newly married couples. It continues the ancestral line and reinforces respect for tradition. The Bashi, also known as the Shi, are a Bantu-speaking people native to the South Kivu region in […]
Mission Diary/Zambia. Living in the present.
Sr. Omaira Martin, a Comboni Missionary Sister, shares her experience, particularly with young people. It is now ten years since I first set foot on African soil. I arrived in Zambia with a mixture of joy, fear, curiosity, hope, enthusiasm, and uncertainty. One of the first things that struck me was the relationship people have […]