Oral Literature. Elephant’s trunk
In the beginning of time, the Creator brought forth all the animals of the bush and birds and insects of the air from the roots of a huge baobab tree. Most of the creatures look the same as they did then, but some have changed in appearance since the time of Creation. One such animal […]
Mission Diary. DR Congo. “I never cease to be amazed by the mystery of my vocation”
“Day after day, through my commitment and all that I am, I try to participate in the building of the Church that I love so much as a religious and as a journalist”, Sister Elisabeth Tikabi, a Cameroonian Comboni Missionary, tells us. After completing my studies in Social Communications at the Salesian Pontifical University of […]
Nigeria. The open wound of kidnapping priests
Kidnapping for ransom has long become a real industry in Nigeria. Priests and the religious are the target. It is a sunny and hot Sunday morning. Father Steven is getting ready to go to celebrate mass in one of the parish chapels where today the community is celebrating the first communions. The previous evening, he […]
Vietnam, new-found hope
In a historic step, the Hanoi government has invited Pope Francis to visit the country. We talk with Mons. Nguyen Anh Tuan, bishop of Ha Tinh “New climate, trusting us more.” The Catholic community in Vietnam makes up one of the most vibrant Churches in Asia today, with 7 million faithful in a country of […]
Reflection. Be an “Easter” Person
Easter must be shared and we must become “agents” of the resurrection. As long as we give life, radiate hope, joy, and love, we make the resurrection a reality in our lives, and in other peoples’ lives. Some years ago, while walking around our seminary compound, I saw something that made me stop. I saw […]
Oral Literature. The two boys and the Lion
Once upon a time, two boys left their home village to go to a faraway country. One of them believed in travelling light. The other one was always curious about things. As they walked along a footpath through the bush, they saw the quill of a porcupine lying on the ground. The first boy ignored […]
Vocation Story. “What I mean to be a priest”
Father Abebayehu Tefera Atara, a Comboni missionary from Ethiopia, tells us how his missionary vocation began. I grew up in Haro Wato, in Uraga district, Guji Zone, which is in the Oromiya region of Ethiopia. I was the firstborn of nine children. While my father was a quiet man, my mother was a teacher and […]
The missionary Perspective. “I Am on the Side of Peace”
To those who ask me which side I am on with so many armed and bloody conflicts being pursued in various regions of the world, I reply without hesitation that I am on the side of the victims of war. I stand with the people of Israel and Palestine, with the Russian people and the […]
EU Bishops in view of the 2024 elections: “For a responsible vote promoting Christian values and the European project”
Given the elections for the European Parliament to be held on 6-9 June 2024, the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) has issued a statement inviting all citizens, especially Catholics, to prepare for the elections and vote responsibly “promoting Christian values and the European project”. Below is the statement. We, bishops […]
Reflection. Gaza, solidarity, struggle, and the fight for justice
Praying and fighting for justice means embracing the cross, the impotent power of God that frees humanity from systems that kill life. It also happened in South Africa. Many attribute responsibility for the war unleashed by Israel in Gaza to the assault carried out by Hamas militants on 7 October 2023. A conflict that had […]
