Human Dignity Is The Right of All
We are bombarded daily by the news and images of violence and mayhem. The bombing of Yemen and Aleppo, the horrific war in Iraq and Syria, conflicts in South Sudan in Africa and with the deaths and suffering of migrants and refugees fleeing violence and war. It gives us urgent reason to feel the human […]
Benin: A Bishop Tells His Story
From Nigeria to Canada and back to Benin. The encounter with the dignity of a poor people, the discovery of Christian communities rich in vitality and faith. Mons. François Gnonhossou, Bishop of Dassa-Zoumè says, “The mission does not consist in teaching the faith to another but travelling with the other on the path of his […]
Pakistan: On The Road
Inscriptions on trucks offer a key to understanding the popular view on the ground and give a glimpse into several aspects of Pakistani culture. Out of all the trucks in Pakistan using the country’s nearly 247,000 km of roads, the vast majority have inscriptions written on them in any one, or more, of several languages […]
Lutherans in Africa: For A New Responsibility Towards Creation
The Reformation, which celebrates its 500th anniversary, is increasingly global. Today only half of Lutherans live in Europe. A look into the Lutheran Church in Africa. According to the Lutheran World Federation – a global communion of 145 Churches in the Lutheran and Reformation tradition – out of 72 million Lutherans, nearly 36 million live […]
Tanzania: A Church Looking To The Future With Hope
In 2018, the Tanzanian Church will celebrate 150 years of its presence in the country. Recalling the past when the first Missionaries of the Holy Spirit arrived in Bagamoyo helps to better face the future of the Catholic Church in Tanzania. When the first missionaries arrived in Zanzibar and then in Bagamoyo, on the shores […]
Hong Kong: Contemplation In The Big Metropolis
The small monastery of the Poor Clares in the city of Hong Kong. An experience of prayer and silence in a small island just a few minutes from the centre of a big city. Lamma, which is located in the south of Hong Kong and which is also known as Pok Liu Chau or simply […]
Uganda – Reconciliation: Drinking The Sour And Bitter Oput Juice
Through their cultural and traditional justice system, Acholi people in northern Uganda address their intra-community problems. They call this process Mato Oput – the reconciliation process. In the Acholi traditional and cultural justice system, there are no denials, lies, or deceptions. Thus, whoever accepts to go through the process of truth-telling must tell the whole […]
Africa’s Jobless Youth Cast A Shadow Over Economic Growth
Youths account for 60% of all of Africa’s unemployed, according to a recent report of the World Bank. In North Africa, the youth unemployment rate is 25% but is even greater in Botswana, the Republic of the Congo, Senegal, and South Africa, among others. With 200 million people aged between 15 and 24, Africa has […]
Myanmar – Sister Marta: The “Mother Teresa of Burma”.
They all call her the “Mother Teresa of Burma”: Sister Marta Mya Thwe, a religious of the Congregation of St. Joseph of the Apparition (SJA), is committed to taking care of people with AIDS or HIV, who lack proper care, are marginalised by society and thrown out by families, and of whom the Burmese health […]
Kenya: Catholic Bishops Caution Against Tribal Alignments Ahead Of The August General Elections
Bishop Cornelius Korir has cautioned Kenyans against aligning along tribal lines ahead of the August General Elections. “Unfortunately we have this terrible habit of placing our country on dangerous paths every time we approach elections. Many lives have been lost as our people are incited to fight one another on tribal and party affiliations. We […]