India: the search for ‘Black Gold’
Thousands risk their lives in the ‘Rat-holes’ in India. Most of them are poor immigrants from Nepal and Bangladesh. Sister Blinda does her best in a desperate situation. In the almost complete darkness, he makes his way along the narrow tunnel on his hands and feet. As he moves, he pushes his pick ahead of […]
WHO: social, environmental factors seen behind Africa’s low COVID-19 cases
COVID-19 transmission in Africa has been marked by relatively fewer infections, which have been on the decline over the past two months, owing to a variety of socio-ecological factors as well as early and strong public health measures taken by governments across the region. The pandemic has largely been in a younger age group and […]
Sahel: Inequality Not Religion Driving Conflict in West Africa
A new analysis by Catholic Relief Services and the Catholic Church in West Africa looks at the conflict at the heart of the world’s fastest growing humanitarian crisis In the Sahel region of West Africa, which is quickly turning into the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis, deeply rooted economic inequality, not religious beliefs, are driving the […]
Pope Francis: “Fratelli Tutti”, Brothers and Sisters All
Pope Francis signed his new encyclical “Fratelli tutti” on 3 October 2020 in Assisi, at the tomb of Francis of Assisi in the eponymous basilica, after celebrating Mass in front of the tomb. This marked the first time a papal encyclical was signed outside Rome. The encyclical calls for a new kind of politics and […]
Great Missionaries: François Libermann
He had only thirteen years of active ministry, but he became one of France’s most important nineteenth-century missionary voices. Jagel Libermann, a descendant of a Polish Jewish family, was on his way to becoming a second-generation rabbi when he was converted to Christianity. He was influenced by David Drach, a leading Parisian Jewish intellectual, who […]
Africa: Losing Billions Annually to Illegal Capital Flight
According to UNCTAD’s Economic Development in Africa Report 2020, every year an estimated $88.6bn, equivalent to 3.7 percent of Africa’s GDP, leaves the continent as illicit capital flight. Illicit financial flows (IFFs) are movements of money and assets across borders which are illegal in source, transfer or use, according to the report entitled “Tackling illicit […]
Europe: At least 400 priests have died from Covid-19
Four hundred priests and elderly clergy in Europe have lost their lives to the coronavirus. The findings have been presented in a comprehensive report drawn up by the Council of the Bishops’ Conferences of Europe (CCEE), featuring an analysis of the response of the Church in Europe during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Catholic churches in […]
Sudan: Missionaries Involved in Education
Since the start of the evangelisation of Sudan, education has been a priority for missionaries, and continues to be so for the local Church. A warm morning in Khartoum. In the heavy chaotic traffic, we can only drive slowly. Our destination is a technical school but we are not sure of its exact location. Then […]
Pope Francis: Listen to the Call to Mission
This year World Mission Day will be celebrated on Sunday, 18th October. In his message, Pope Francis writes: “The missionary journey of the whole Church continues in light of the words found in the account of the calling of the prophet Isaiah: “Here am I, send me” (6:8).” In his message, Pope Francis said: “in […]
African Witnesses: Congo, Cardinal Emile Biayenda
Cardinal Emile Biayenda was famous for his radical social views, which he often expressed publicly, and which ultimately cost him his life. Emile Biayenda was a native of Mpangala, Vinza, in the northern part of the People’s Republic of the Congo where he was born in 1927. He attended the Catholic Mission School at Kindamba […]