Latin America: A Grassroot Network
Iglesias y Minerías and Repam are two basic ecclesial realities with an eco-theological and ecumenical spirituality which has brought changes for both the society and the Church in Latin America. Vidalina has interrupted her work for a few days at the basic ecclesial communities in El Salvador to travel to Colombia. The coal mines in the […]
Brazil: Prisons – a time bomb that could explode at any time
Brazil has the fourth-largest prison population in the world. Hugely overcrowded. Under-guarded and underfunded prisons. Above all in the hands of different gang leaders. “Talking about prisons means talking about a factory of torture, which produces violence and creates monsters. It is a stressful environment and barbarism is constant”, said Father Valdir João Silveira, national […]
Pope Francis: “Peace is a Gift, a Challenge and a Commitment”
Speaking in the Apostolic Palace to the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See during the traditional exchange of New Year’s greetings with the diplomats, Pope Francis said, “One can never kill in God’s name”. He added that the world is “dealing with a homicidal madness which misuses God’s name in order to disseminate death, […]
Ecuador: An Afro Community Celebrates Christmas
Guimbí is a small village in a forest in the north of Esmeraldas province, Ecuador. The villagers are the descendants of African slaves, who worked in the mines and settled there in the late 1700’s. They have preserved several ancient African traditions, especially religious ones. They make their living working in the fields, fishing, hunting, and […]
What is the Happiness of Christmas?
What is it that makes Christmas so beautiful, cheerful and such a happy time, especially for children? It has to be the gift-giving, the time when children look forward to gifts and signs of love, caring and sharing. The children of well-off families receive so many gifts through the years that it has no special […]
“Christmas Is A Seed Of Hope”
The General Council of Comboni Missionaries writes a Christmas message to the Comboni Family around the world. “Christmas is a seed of hope because God enters into our history in order to transform and recreate it in a new direction. This is best understood from the victims, the poor, the landless and the homeless. Our […]
Benin: The Gelede Masks – A Treasure of Tradition
Masks, magical movements, singing: the wisdom of the village is passed down from generation to generation, year after year. It is a warm morning and all the inhabitants of Lanta Kope, a small village in southern Benin, have gathered to attend the Gelede festival which takes place when the dry season ends and when the […]
Peru: The Voice of the Kukama People
Ucamara is a radio broadcaster based in Nauta, a town in the Peruvian Amazon. Above all, this radio is the Kukama people’s voice, an indigenous group fighting against the abuses of oil companies. After a two hour journey travelling from Iquitos, the capital of the Peruvian Amazon, we reach the town of Nauta, located at […]
Comboni Missionaries to the Youth
Following the meeting of the superiors of Comboni circumscriptions of America and Asia, the missionaries wrote a letter to the young people from both continents. In the letter, the missionaries said: “We write to you because we know that you have a thirst for authenticity. Your quest questions us, it challenges us to share with you […]
Father Vincent Anthony Maguire: With Courage and Determination
He spent 35 years in Africa, dedicating his time and work to teaching religious education in schools. During his last years spent battling with cancer, Fr. Vincent really showed determination and courage. He was living proof that, like Daniel Comboni, the missionary must never consider any obstacle too great, any situation beyond redemption, as we […]
